Reader’s Poll
April13
We love to get feedback from you, our readers, either about where we should review next, or something else associated with the greatest meal you can order in a restaurant.
[polldaddy poll=3280535]
We love to get feedback from you, our readers, either about where we should review next, or something else associated with the greatest meal you can order in a restaurant.
[polldaddy poll=3280535]
My family and I recently visited Nova Scotia from Ontario. We are huge fish and chip lovers! I asked a local where to go and she suggested Fredie’s Fantastic Fishhouse. WOW!!!! It was amazing. I couldn’t get enough of the flavour of the fish! I even devoured the fries and I’m not a huge fry fan. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I told my husband we had to make another trip there so they could try it too. We did, and he and the kids loved it just as much. He even said it was better than his favourite fish place in Ontario. I have never heard him denounce that place(he’s loyal and it’s amazing).
Thanks Fredie’s for showing how Nova Scotia gets it done!!!
Willman’s – give them a try in the North End – it’s the original location from when I was a kid, when Edsels ruled the world. Lucien, the owner, is very personable and if you eat in, he will, on occasion, slip you an extra piece of fish gratis. He told me he soaks the starch out of his homemade fries overnight and the fish has a good flavour with a tasty light batter. And he serves both Heinz and tartar sauce in bottles, not packets.
hey guys.. not sure if I mentioned it before ( I think I did but I’ll do it again)
harbour fish and fries !
musquodoboit harbour right by the railway museum. on the #7
although I’ve lately heard tell that they have been getting smaller pieces of fish, but I’m pretty sure they receive fresh fish daily from very close by and ,if the pieces are smaller they will give you say… 3 pieces when you order a 2 piece.
other than that I really haven’t got many more places to offer up… I’m busy trying to get to all the places you’ve all recommended!
Hey Jon T.,
Good call on the BLIP Fredie’s – it was one of our highlights so far.
Hey Adam,
Any nearby Fish and Chips hot spots we might be missing / unaware of? Let us know – we’re always on the lookout for new places to review.
Dear Ryan A (are you related to Melissa A?),
1 – I’ve added Henry House to my list of choices (ate there years ago, but that was pre-F&C Review Crew days).
2 – Mic Mac Tavern has been on my must hit list, but my turn to choose only comes up so often. So many F&C joints, so little time [*SIGH*].
3 – Finbars is also on my must dine at list. I have heard a number of reliable sources comment on this place.
Sidenote – Yes, why bother with frozen fries when good homecut jobbies can take you to the next level? And if you happen to read our review of Fries & Co., you’ll see we agree with you on the portion size.
Hey Suzanne. Don’t believe everything you read. Appreciated your honest comment on Fries and Co. – did you check out our review?
Well, Melissa A, we finally reviewed your neighbors at Fires & Co. – don’t know if you had a chance to read it yet, but if you’re not impressed, why go back? I suppose convenience might be a huge factor, but I’m not too sure how often I’d go there even if I lived next door like you do. There’s got to be some other nearby location to try, and if there is, and if you try it, let us know so we can hit it sometime ourselves. Thanks for your honest opinion.
Here are some more “write in” suggestions for things people like to have with their fish and chips…
Several people have said they must have MALT vinegar.
Others have said, Catalina Dressing (go figure), a side order of lobster (nice), Wasabi (yowsers!), a side order of onion rings (yum), salt (I just sorta assume that), and mayo for the chips.
Coeur de Lion… trust me when I say to you… John’s Lunch haddock tips are amazing. I agree with your assessment of the fries though. When I eat there (and I eat there often) I almost always order the haddock tips – no fries.
You will notice a big difference in the grease with the haddock tips. You can smash down on a piece… move it out of the way… and you don’t see grease on the plate.
They don’t use batter but the coating from the clams instead.
I find it somewhat surprise that John’s Lunch is so high on any list. Personnally I have eaten there often, with friends, and always found the fish greasy and the chips, well, the frozen chips, just standard for frozen chips. I have never tried their haddock tips and I shall do it next time I am in Dartmouth.
mama: Thanks for the Jim’s recommendation. Even though you state the batter was a bit doughy, I’m still willing to give their F&C a try.
And who knows? Maybe sometime we can take you out as a guest F&C Crew reviewer! [Okay, I never consulted my other teammates before making that comment, so you can't hold me to it.]
Skippy
Ate at Jim’s tonight, service was very good.
Fish and chips were good. Crisp batter, but found parts of it a bit doughy inside. The fish was tasty, not dry at all. Good coleslaw, and the chips were firm. One other person at the table also found some doughy sections of the batter.
I’d go back again.
We’ve had a couple of “write in” votes for our poll on “what do you like with your fish and chips?”…
…Beer!…
…A good woman.
Any other suggestions readers?
Jon
We’ve had a number of people urge us to check out Fredies in Bayer’s Lake… I’m sure we’re going to get there pretty soon.
Hey … when you are out in the BLIP, you should try Fredie’s Fantastic Fish House. Used to go there all the time but haven’t been back for about 2 years after moving from Clayton Park onto the peninsula. Hope it is still there …
Jon
Great Site !
my friend and Co-worker Nicole recommended it to me !
good going guys !
Poochie I sure hope you are going to stop this madness I can’t take it. I found myself at John’s Lunch last Thursday munching back a plate of Haddock tips then yesterday found myself with another family trying to polish off 2 family size orders of Fish and Chips at Fries and Co. Oh no! What have I become. Please Promise that you will not go on a quest for the best donair in the city…………………… ok please do it…. I triple dog dare you!!
Well… the voters have clearly spoken and we listened. We ate at John’s Lunch this past weekend and our review should be up shortly.
We will start another poll soon so keep an eye out.
Gazoo… regarding potential damage to our waistline… I can’t speak for the rest of the crew but, for me that ship has already sailed.
I agree with you about the Haddock Tips at John’s Lunch… I order them all the time and they are simply amazing, the best fish in metro, but I request just fish and no fires. I do this because their fries aren’t award winning, but also because YOU GET MORE FISH!
It would be amazing if they offered homecut fries… but why would they want to? Already their restaurant is constantly busy. When we reviewed Phil’s Seafood on a Friday night you could have shot a cannon down the middle of the restaurant and not endangered anybody, it was that empty. Visit John’s on a Friday night and it’s a beehive of dine-in and take-out customers. What would enhancing the fries do for them other than increase their work and costs?
But if they did homecut fries I would stop asking for “Haddock Tips no fries” when I dine there.
I’m sure we will be reviewing John’s fish and chips offering soon, as well as Fries & Co. You’ve got me looking forward to their fries.
This is great guys! But shouldn’t you be worried about your waistlines in your trek?…. nah.. Ok the website says it is a quest to find the best fish and chips in the city. I am curious and/or anxious to see how this plays out. For my money Fries & Co is the best in the city. Why? It is the combination of the fish which is always consistently good I would say 8 out of 10 and the fries are always awesome 9.5 out of 10. The website does say the best fish and chips in the city not the best fish in the city or not the best chips in the city it is both so if I give equal weight to both then Fries & Co has no equal in the city. I would say that John’s Lunch easily has the best fish in the city it rocks! And the haddock tips (another category) wow that alone makes me want to run and get some now! But their fries Yuk!! Double Yuk!! How can you make such great fish, great haddock tips (I need some now!) I didn’t even mention the yummy coleslaw (I need some now) that they make and then serve it with frozen yucky French fries. Shame on you John’s Lunch, make fresh cut fries and then everybody else would be fighting for second place. So with equal weighting on the fish and chips I would give John’s Lunch 10 out of 10 on the fish and 4 out of 10 on the fries. Please John’s Lunch make fresh cut fries so this website can make you famous worldwide. Great job guys!
We’ve had “fill in” votes for “My Friends Pub” and “Ken’s Seafood”. That makes 3 so far for Ken’s… I’m thinking we’ve gotta go included them on the list next time.
Still… John’s Lunch is leading the way.
A couple more “fill in” votes have arrived… one for Ken’s Seafood and the other for Bearly’s. But John’s Lunch still has the lead.
We’ve got another “fill in” vote, this time for Henry House.
Dear kindred spirits – great site! I’ve eaten at many spots in and around HRM, and my best F&C experiences have been as follows (in order):
1 – Henry House (downtown Hali on Barrington St. – pub downstairs, dining room upstairs – same menu) – these guys served me the best I’ve ever had, and they’re pretty consistent – also many good beers on tap.
2 – Mic Mac Tavern (Dartmouth, Waverley Rd.) – loved by many, always very busy – have had one or two slight misses here, but generally excellent – you have to ask for spice on the fries if you want it.
3 – Finbars (Bedford – Sunnyside Mall) – I’ve only had F&C here twice, but both times were most excellent. They also have great curry, which you can get a small side of if you get down like that.
Sidenotes – serve me a decent portion of home cut fries or PFO!! There is no reason to mess this part up! Also, regarding Fries and Co. – the taste is usually quite good but the portions have gotten way smaller over the years.
I’ve eaten at Fries & Co. because they are rated so highly in The Coast. I was not impressed at all. Curious to see what you guys think.
Just received another “fill in” vote for Rogue’s Roost. Another restaurant I’ve never heard of.
That’s what I love about this venture of ours… there is no end to the restaurants serving fish and chips. What a great adventure!
Melissa… none of us have eaten at Fries & Co. and are looking forward to checking it out.
Like you said, it always finishes in the top three in The Coast (along with Phil’s and John’s Lunch) which is why we put it on our list.
But having said that, we were shocked at how poor our Phil’s experience was, receiving one of our lowest scores.
It got us thinking perhaps people have a tendency to vote based on reputation rather than actual experience.
I live practically right next door to Fries & Co, but have only eaten there once when I first moved in. I was not impressed, but I should go back sometime. Interested to see what you think since they always win the awards in The Coast.
We’ve had one “fill in” vote for Durty Nelly’s. Never heard of it but that’s why we like our reader’s input.
Ironically we just ate at another Irish Alehouse last evening… the Old Triangle. Our review should be up later this evening or tomorrow.