Moby Dick Restaurant

Moby Dick Restaurant
15479 Marine Drive
White Rock, BC

Among the different theories for the source name “Panama”, the place I was raised, is that of “Land of Many Fishes”. Whether that is true or not, doesn’t really matter. The truth is that there is a great variety of fish and seafood there. Among the most popular ways to cook it is that of marinating it in citrus (i.e., ceviche) and frying it. Some might call it a waste but, when it is good, does it matter? So, during our last visit to The Irish Heather for a Long Table Series, I was talking to Mark and the topic of fish and chips popped. When asked which restaurant had it, I said “whole fried fish in Panama”. Of course, the question was the best fish and chips in Metro Vancouver, not to mention the fish fillet rather than bone-in. Anyway, my answer was “Moby Dick in White Rock”. Funnily, that was the place I suggested Mijune (of Follow Me Foodie) to meet the first time (which, instead ended up being Baru Latino). And, guess who I went with this time? Yup, it was Mijune!

Of course, that brings the question: Why I was in White Rock? While I would more than happily do so to meet friends and for food (hey, after all, that is what I did for pizza in Ah-Beetz!), reality is, I was on my way to Seattle, as mentioned in my post on Sunday. A break for lunch with a friend would be, of course, the highlight of that drive!

That brings then another question: if I am not that often in this area, how I am aware of Moby Dick? It just happens a friend of mine took me there once. Jumping ahead a little bit, I will agree their product as a whole was good but more details later.

For places that serves mostly fish and chips I do not expect it to be upscale. Heck, growing up in Panama, the best fish and chip places were in El Chorrillo, one of the most run down places in the country. (If you want a proof, check a recent No Reservations episode, where Anthony Bourdain visited Panama). Of course, that works there; not necessarily here. But, how about kitschy decoration? Or plastic mugs?! Since people come back, I guess it is not something customers care much about…

While we were there for fish and chips, being food bloggers never stopped us from ordering one more dish. In this case, we ordered breaded clam strips as starter. Portion size it was small as a quarter of the serving above was taken away by the onion rings, which, by itself, was quite decent. As for the clam itself, I had some mixed feelings. It was well fried and had some seafood taste to it. However, calling it strips might be stretching it, as it was more on the line of slivers of clam which was made look larger thanks to the batter. As a first time, it was OK but not something I would order again. As for the salsa, please, do not touch it…

And, here, the reason why we were here: fish and chips. Specifically, cod, as they do not offer other fish types. Now, here is a small “secret”: you will get one extra piece in your order. In the case above, we ordered three pieces to share, knowing we will get an extra one. And we are not talking small pieces – those are full size pieces. Hell, one of those pieces are larger than two combined together of some fish and chip shops *cough*Pajo’s*cough*. Furthermore, they were well “battered” (?) – the batter was relatively light and, more importantly, crispy on the sides. The batter in the middle did not hold as well, though. I guess it has to do with how long it is fried… Having said that, both the fish and batter were bland and un-seasoned…

At this point, I am sure some of you might be extremely confused. How the hell I can say this fish is among the best if it is bland? Well, it is because of the above: their “tartar” sauce. Actually, tartar sauce might be stretching it a little bit too. To quote Mijune, this was more on the lines of ranch dressing. That is because there weren’t that much relish or cucumber; instead, it was loaded with dill which gave it a different level of tastiness. Once you “dress” a piece of fish with it (which serves mostly as a blank palette), the experience changes completely. Now, I know that purist would say malt vinegar or, in a more Panamanian way, lime/lemon. Truth is I tried with the vinegar and that did not work at all. SO, if you end up going to Moby Dick, you must have the tartar sauce with it; otherwise, you won’t like it.

One part of the food that I completely left aside was the potatoes. They were soggy, signs they were fried one time – perfect fries need to be fried twice. However, when I tried it, I notice something strange. I commented that to Mijune and she agreed. What were our thoughts? These are not your regular russet potatoes. Instead, they were somewhat sweet, almost as sweet as sweet potatoes, which I thought they were. Mijune thought it was Yukon gold… And she hit the jackpot on that one.

As I said already, Moby Dick offers good fish and chips (as long as you have it with their tartar sauce). The fact that they are one of the few that is open the whole year rather than seasonal (as other nearby fish and chip shops) is a testament of what they offer. As for me, I still prefer Panamanian style but that is another story.

One more thing… Click here for Mijune’s thoughts of Moby Dick!

Tagged under: Fish • Lunch • Seafood • White Rock