Since I retired, I try to get the most for my money because my pension is set in stone. NO increases.
As a treat, I’ve been trying to get “GOOD” fish and chips and there were a couple of places that served a good product at a reasonable price. However, to save money, I’ve tried making them myself but I can’t get the fish right.
On a sunny day, my wife and I, craving a good feed, stopped by a fish and chip shop in Halifax that we used to frequent but we haven’t visited in years. The former owners have gone and it is now in the hands of someone else. What a shame the new owners DO NOT KNOW how to make fish and chips!
We placed an order to go and we went to a little park to enjoy our meal. What a laugh! I swear, I could not chew through the batter. It was flat and oily. The fries were made from some brand of potatoes I never ate before and were mushy. My wife took a LOOK at the fish and couldn’t eat. I forced myself to try to eat something. After all, it was close to twenty bucks. I threw all the batter out to the ever-present seagulls. How do they know you are going to do that anyway? I thought I heard a seagull gag and I know the starlings shit on my car to get even!
I can’t wait to see the Coast food issue and I’ll be watching this particular shop. I did learn something though. I DO NOT make the worst fish and chips. That shop does and they charge for it. —Please Learn How it’s Done Here
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2012.
Try Fredie’s in Bayers Lake, they’re a little hard to find, but, trust me, they’re the best fish and chips in Halifax, served by the friendliest staff you’d like to meet.
Pretty sure the coast gave them that title as well if I recall off the top of my head..
I remember reading it and not knowing where the hell they were talking about and having to look it up.
AND if you’re not very chef-y like our resident cooker-guy, you can use box pancake mix and just substitute beer for the liquid instead. Make Aunt Jemima proud by frying her shit!
…frz …that is EXACTLY the advice/post I was gonna give…jus add a litttle s&p to the batter and dredge fish in flour first so batter sticks ..
“The Battered Fish” is also pretty good. That’s on Bedford hwy, a little red trailer adjacent from AML communications.
Wharf Wraps in the Pass-auge is hands down, THE best I’ve ever had. You get a choice between cod or haddock and the portions are frickin’ HUGE!! The price is right too. You may have to travel a little further than normal but trust me, it’s worth the drive!
o.p., there is a place on denith road in spryfield called uncle buck’s, try them if you can. also in fairview there is ken’s seafood and pizza, on the dutch village road across from the giant tigar store out here. both these places made really decent food and the price is fair, and portions are a good size. i order from ken’s a lot.
Last time I was at Battered Fish, they must have battered and pummeled their clams to shit – I got a mouthful of grit for a mere $12.99. Never again.
Actually, it sounds like the OP was at Fries & Co., worst, overpriced garbage ever. When you can mold a bag of fries into a greasy softball, something’s very wrong.
It was a sad day when Fredie’s closed in Tantallon due, I’m told, to outrageous rent costs. Tommy’s right – unbelievably nice people! And I also agree that the new fish and chips with the old name really suck. Phil’s on Quinpool excellent too.
Which is better, greedy Tantallon landlord? All but one of your shops empty (for months and months or longer) or reasonable rates for building full small businesses? So much for that MBA.
How come we can say the name of the good ones and not the bad ones?
OK, how come TTFN can say the name of the bad one and we can’t? You gutsy broad!
i am convinced that establishments that rely on deep fryers have no feckin clue how to use them. changing or filtering the oil doesn’t hurt either…ttfn didn’t name names in the original bitch
Does Willman’s still exist?
snub, it is a thing called slanderous accusations, and fingers can get rapped, badlly it seems. emember the fire fighter thing awhile back? the coast review is the best place to use their names. using good business names, get acculades from the people, not stones.
Ah yes, the firefighter. I used to try to keep that in mind writing here, but I’d forgotten. Life is just so complicated.
willliams was revamped a few years back snubiz, it’s still there. i have no review since i haven’t partaken
For the best – you need to invest in an old fashioned British chip pan – you can substitute by getting a big arsed pan with a mesh insert. Use LARD, fuck oil and all that healthy shit, they’re FRIED FFS. Get some spuds, peel them and slice the fuckers fat, slide them into the hot fat, like Dexter slides a tax increase up the taxpayers arse, watch them and remove them when they’re good and brown. Ditto for the fish. All this should be done whilst moderately sober.
Oh. I forgot, a liberal, small l not capital L like Justin Trudeau is the next fucking saviour of those dildoes – sprinkling of MALT vinegar, some salt, HEINZ ketchup only, no substitute.
and you’re in grease heaven.
but that’s how people burn their houses down, baz
I miss Camil’s Fish and Chip’s.
Gordy’s on Main Road or whatever the hell it is, just up from Autoport gives huge portions, and they’re cheap as hell. It’s a little red trailer with a checkered flag on it. Not really battered, just dredged in flour, but it’s the cheapest/freshest you’ll find.
boru, so do the rats and roaches. had a big fat fucker crawl on my plate on day, and i just threw up right there, got my money back, and never returned. good riddance to them and the mid town tavern both.
I remember reading the Coast several years ago and seeing that Fries & Co. was the best in HRM. I didn’t live far at the time so I walked over with excitement since I have been eating good haddock all my life and was craving a good feed. I was absolutely disgusted at the cost for the lack of quality. Fast forward a couple of years ago when the Battered Fish opened up in Scotia Square. Again, rave reviews followed by excitement, and once again bitter disappointment at the cost and lack of quality. There’s no way we should have to pay close to $10 for a tiny 2 piece feed of greasy crap in this province. I would expect that in Calgary. For my money, and taste, the best quality and value, are in Dartmouth at John’s Lunch. TTFN, you HAVE to try their clams.
Batter: 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, add enough club soda until the batter is thin (should coat your fork but will flow off of it).
Plate: 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, salt and pepper (I just shake it on), mix.
Coat haddock with dry mix (plate) and then dredge in batter. Take out of bowl and let some of the batter flow off (2-3 seconds) and transfer to cooking oil (I use a small-ish pot with 2 inches of oil in it) until golden brown color.
This beats most places I’ve been to. The only restaurant I’ll get FnC’s from is Jim’s Pizza House on the Bedford Highway, a good diner-type restaurant with decent prices.
Is it only chicken that you’re supposed to double-dredge?
Would that make the batter too thick on fish?
I always double-dredge chicken fingers but I don’t (and won’t) own a deep fryer so I rarely have fried fish and chips out of my kitchen.
Don’t go to the one in Spryfield that Blow Me mentioned. I just tried a couple weeks back to get some good fish there. I had the sea food platter. Everything was soggy with grease. Whomever put the clams in the deep fryer never stirred them, or else they wouldn’t have been so mushy on some parts, and crispy on others. Everything that had been deep fried was put in the grease @ the wrong temp. and the food absorbed all the grease. What a disgusting mess. I bet they don’t get many repeat orders on that dish.I threw the whole thing out. They need to stick to pizza, that’s great, when they get it right.
Fredies really is fabulous!
Jims has a great breakfast too. Used to go almost every Sunday morning when I lived over that way.
fire: double dredge as I wrote? If so, then yes. If you’re battering fish/chicken it is best to coat with a dry mix as this will make the batter stick to the meat. If you don’t, then the batter will likely fall off and it’ll be not what you wanted.
I also don’t have a fryer, you can make do with the stove provided you are careful.
It reminds me of an anime I saw this one time…
I answered my own question…
Double-dredging is more for breading than batter… to get as much of that breading to stick as possible (especially if you’re using something like oatmeal for a breading, where it’s big and heavy and likes to fall off).
With batter, it’s all liquid-y so there’s not really another way to get it to stay.
So unless you’re crusting (like a pan fried haddock or something), single dredge suffices.
John’s Lunch is a good place.I go there when I want fish and chip’s.
you must have gotten tim, he is a lousy cook. don’t know why they don’t boot his ass out the door. usually they are nice and crispy. i have never had a problem with their chips. or their fish. i usually go out there at least once a month.
If you are doing panfried at home, use pancake mix dry.. dip your fish in milk or egg wash and then dip in the dry pancake mix. Thats what athens does and its tasty.
Snubiz: Willmen’s is still there. And it’s still delightful. The new owners are awesome and the food is just the same 🙂
I agree, Kitty, Willman’s is the best in Halifax and Lucien is a sweetheart! The clam batter is light and non-greasy and his fries are awesome and homecut.
While Fredie’s finch and chimps are great, I can’t take that ‘in-your-face-friendly-to-the-point-of-psycho’ server – she’s probably the nicest woman in the world but her schtick is so fucking over the top. And I don’t like bed and breakfast places either. When I eat, I want to hear chewing noises, not people flapping their gums like a colony of slap-happy seals on amphetamines.
Sees to me that some places just don’t use the right type of potato for deep frying. There are some potato types that you can deep fry until they burn & they won’t get crispy until burnt black !
Secondly Bundy…. I perfer beer to soda in my homemade tempura batter, mostly because it doesn’t take much beer & I get to drink the rest while prepping the fish ~;)
Personally, I am ruined for seafood ever since discovering Fred’s up in Cape Pele, NB years ago.
Wtf? Why did that comment choose to post there? *flips table*
Thanks Brendon. I’ve been wracking my brain all day wondering exactly what “double-dredging” might mean in the arcane world of Japanese perversions >; )
OK, enough with fish….best onion rings in Metro…
Aaaaaand…GO!…
Darrells’ rings are pretty good but I think the ones at Seamus Davids Irish pub in Dartmouth Crossing are outstanding! They’re braised with Guinness and they are SO. DAMN. GOOD!
And I second Scooter’s notion. Fred’s in Cap Pele has THE best clams and chips.
Jesus! I’m frickin’ drooling here!
I don’t know but the shoestring, battered, fried onions on the acadian burger at the lower deck are pretty damn scrumptious. I did experience the ‘avast’ syndrome though… now that summer is over, the middle layer (beer market) is only open for suppers.,,
and the crazy ‘drink on separate tab’ along with ‘no debit’ struck this forgetful victim as well.
One has to wonder…. ?!?!?!?! wha?!?!?!?!?
I’m hungry dammit! :-/
Isn’t that annoying, zZz? It may sound silly because in the grand scheme of things, it’s a small issue but, for me, it just ruins my whole experience at that place. It might not be so bad if there was a valid reason for it but there is NONE that I can suss out.
NurseHezz…what’s for supper? If it’s something good, I’m coming over. 😛
Avast, looks like its fish-n-f’n-Chips tonight!!! *Fist pump*!
lol Woohoo! Score! On my way, Hezz.
If you bring a bottle of wine, I won’t be mad lol
How about a nice white from the Loire Valley?
avast0&Hezz – http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ERO-5w8dMUM/S36q…
I had lunch at an on-campus bar at a certain university the other day, vastie, and the onion rings were addictive.
A&W has great onion rings too. Buttttt the oil they use ain’t so great for those of us missing certain organs. 🙁
Kitty – I enjoy the occasional Allen and Wright onion ring offering but they can be hit or miss. Sometimes they are way too greasy, (even for me!) so, yeah, I can see where you’re coming from about them having a less than desireable affect on someone who’s missing an organ or two. It has a less than desireable affect on ME and I got all my bits! lol
Missing an organ?
Did you check kijiji?
http://halifax.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-mu…
Sam’s seafood is ok, but if you are headed out of town – way out of town – hit up Family Fries in Ship Harbour. Hands down the best fish and chips anywhere. And their homemade pies are to die for.
Lol Hugo! Hahaha!
Really eh? I was talking a feed of fish n’ chips. I don’t know how he got a “private ice pan for two” out of that. 😛
Lol Hugo! Hahaha!
I know right?? We were just trying to have a nice meal & a glass of bubbly! 😛
“YOU CAN NEVER GO HOME AGAIN”
(Thomas Wolfe – “Look Homeward Angel,” 1929)
As was to be expected the commenters on this site, in their literalist one-dimensional manner, thought this bitch was about fish and chips and. mindlessly, suggested their favourite spots. Of course, the bitch had nothing to do with fish and chips. It had everything to do with nostalgia.
(“nostalgia, n: homsickness; a sentimental yearing for some perod of the past.” The Concise Oxford Dictionary)
Nostalgia, as Thomas Wolfe remarks, is a sentimental yearning for an irretrievable time gone by, a pre-lapsarian enchanted state when things were pristine, fresh, and uncorrupted. One thinks as well, of course, of Proust’s “A la Recherche du Temps Perdus” with the same longing theme.
But fish and chips? My God, how mindless. How pedestrian. How unlettered.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Nice troll, MM. Did the OP know about this, or is he walking like the rest of us?
Now We’re Cooking in Herring Cove is also really yummy. We started going there to get fish n chips instead of the place you mentioned once the owners changed. Also, you get to eat it outside (if you want) and look at the ocean at the same time! It makes it more fun 🙂
RSVP
: wut? (09/20, 11:33PM)
Well no wut?, it wasn’t a troll, just what I thought to be an obvious comment which would raise the level of discussion beyond the mundane topic of fish and chips. But two points are worth briefly exploring further.
(1) Nostalgia, of course, is based on memory of times past. But it’s not just that. Memory for many philosophers is a fundamental component of one’s identity. We are our memories. That is who we are. In a basic sense that is why I am not you and you are not me. Look at my avatar. Why do I call that “the most beautiful stamp in the world”? I call it that because it evokes for me both a sense of place and of time neither of which, however, still exists but which nonetheless constructs a context out of which I emerged and to which I longingly look back with deep nostalgia.
But the concept of memory is not limited to individuals. There is the collective or group memory which, for example, provided Nazi Germany with its “Volkishness,” its sense of collective identity, one extending back to the Teutonic knights of the First Reich.
(2) Your second point as to whether the poster understood the full implications of his bitch is interesting but I think irrelevant. Probably the answer is no since, judging by the content of the bitch, he exists at a lower conceptual level, i.e., at one simply involving fish and chips. But that does not invalidate my interpretation of his bitch. Indeed, on the contrary, I think my interpretation embellishes the bitch’s meaning and contextualizes it in a coherent conceptual framework without which the bitch descends to the level of the simply trivial.
You do understand all this, don’t you wut?
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Woohooo! Here’s to mundane fish and chip conversations! *raises a glass of porter
RSVP
: Scooter (09/21, 1:20PM)
Yes Scooter, that sounds about right for you. Woohooo! Have another plate of fish and chips and another porter. Woohooo!
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!