Restaurant: The Old Triangle
Address: 5136 Prince Street, Halifax
Date: April 18, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $11.99

On the advice of friends, we made our way downtown to try the fish and chips at The Old Triangle on Prince Street (they also have locations in Moncton and Charlottetown). It was Sunday night, parking was a breeze and the place was slowly filling up… but we had no problem snagging a comfortable spot.

The restaurant was very friendly and cozy, and every staff member we came into contact with was excellent. The Irish music playing (both traditional and modern – e.g. U2 – heard a number of times) was very pleasing to our ears, and at 8:00pm a local artist, David Stone, made his way on stage and began sharing his musical talents with the patrons.

It was enjoyable.

But we came for the fish and chips.

We realize most downtown restaurants are going to be a bit pricier, and the Old Triangle was no different. $12 is a bit above average, but well worth it in our opinion. In fact, the Old Triangle got one of our highest scores to date.

The food was great, the atmosphere comfortable, and the staff were excellent. We will be back.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fish and Chips Score: 85

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

I want to go to Ireland if this charming restaurant is any indication of the food and flavor!

The fish was not giant in size, but it was big on taste. The batter had a pleasant taste, but it did retain a bit of grease.

Fries were home cut and good – and bonus points for the very good homemade coleslaw and tartar sauce.

Pack my bag!

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Rachel’s Final Score: 85

Poochie’s Thoughts
First off… as soon as I walked into the restaurant I felt warm and comfortable. U2′s Where the Streets Have No Name was playing in the background and friendly staff got us settled in nicely.

The fish was quite tasty and fresh… cooked perfectly. It was a bit on the smallish side (considering the price) and all the pieces delivered to our table seemed oddly similar in size and shape… almost like those Puff-o-Fruit pastries I used to eat as a kid.

The beer batter was cooked perfectly and had a nice crispness to it. I did find it a bit greasy when pressing my fork down on it, but the grease was very light tasting and didn’t make it’s way into the fish at all.

The fries were real tasty… among the best I’ve eaten so far. Kinda crunchy on the outside and soft inside, with perfect seasoning.

I really liked the homemade coleslaw. It’s not your traditional creamy style but instead it was shredded cabbage, green pepper and red onion in an oil/vinegar mix. The flavour reminded me of a three-bean salad dressing. Some may not like it, but I really did.

The tartar sauce was also homemade and had a subtle flavour to it. While I didn’t find it to be WOW… it was quite good.

This was a great dining experience and we lingered long after our meal, talking and enjoying ourselves. I wouldn’t hesitate to bring friends here because, in addition to their great fish and chips, the Old Triangle has an extensive menu. Some at our table chose to try the Pub Style Curry and Chips… chicken curry (shredded chicken with curry flavored gravy) served over home cut fries and mushy peas (which we requested as a side instead of on top). Think of it as Irish poutine. It was tasty.

All I can say about our dining experience is… long live the Old Triangle and Bono and the boys!

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 84

Minnie’s Thoughts
The fish was really good, but I would have like to have seen a bigger portion for the price. The batter seemed a bit greasy on the outside, but didn’t effect the fish inside, nor did it taste or feel greasy in your mouth.

I loved the fries… didn’t even bother putting ketchup on them. The homemade tartar sauce had a bit of garlic in it and was quite nice. The homemade coleslaw was nice and fresh and I really liked it.

I love the restaurant’s atmosphere with the all-Irish music featuring U2 and Van Morrison. I will definitely be going back.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 85

Skippy’s Thoughts
I don’t know if I was extra hungry tonight, but wow, we finally hit a locale with some decent tasting fish and chips.

Near perfect, lovely tasting, flaky fish tucked inside a nice beer batter with a great taste, cooked to perfection.

On the grease front, you always have to remember we’re eating deep fried fish and chips. But that doesn’t mean it has to be greasy. No worries here. Clean and relatively little of it, plus it didn’t seep past the batter and into the fish.

The fries were home cut… and very nice. You know they’re good when you could eat ‘em without any toppings. Alas, one of our scoring criteria is condiments, and since my choice is always ketchup, I had to try a little. The result? Even better. Tough to beat these fries. (Scoring secret: Want a tried and true method of taste testing fries? See how a couple hold up when stone cold. These passed with flying colors.)

Definitely worth a visit / return trip.

Sidenote: Great service, location, music and atmosphere.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 86