Go Fish

Go Fish
1505 W 1st Ave
Vancouver, BC

My next to last post associated in a way to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games! Now, don’t get me wrong, it was a blast but, alas, all good things must come to an end…

So, how this post is related in any way to the Olympics? In two ways: first, I mentioned it in my Where to Eat post and, second, after a failed visit to Atlantic Canada House (one of the few Canada exhibits I completely failed to visit), I wanted lunch and Go Fish was the option I had in mind. So, there you go, my explanation of why Go Fish! (Let’s face it, do I *really* need an explanation of why I like to eat??? )

Now, being a fish and chips shop, the choices are usually straight forward: what fish and how many pieces. Well, for the most part it was. However, in addition to their usual stuff, I wanted *something* else. I knew I was going to over order but, let’s face it, when was the last time I did not do that? Shame on me, shame on me…

So, I started off with their taco. Here are two curve balls: At $5, it is not a cheap taco. And, since I was going to order fish and chips, I decided to skip the tuna version – the one usually lauded by everybody – and went for the oyster version instead. And, if you noticed the lemon wedge on the back, no, it wasn’t intended for this taco but the fish and chips!

If I had to give a one word description of this oyster taco, that would be disappointing. There are several reasons behind it: The crunchiness of the coleslaw which killed any texture from the oyster, the small piece (almost MIA), etc. etc. Don’t get me wrong, the way the taco was setup was good (the way it is tortilla flour was grilled, how it was wrapped and so on); however, the combination of the two did not work for me. I guess I should try the tuna taco next time…

And here is what I came for, fish and chips. In this case, I went for cod (the long piece) and salmon (the “square” piece). C’mon people, you knew I wasn’t going to stop with only one version, do you? And, in addition to the “chips”, it also came with a small coleslaw and tartar sauce. Hey, I had my share of veggies that day, you know!

On the note of the coleslaw, I will have to say it was better than a lot of coleslaw I have had: It was crunchy, it wasn’t overdressed, neither creamy nor acidic and the seasoning was well balanced. There was a hint of sesame oil, something that might be too much for some. But, me being Asian, that wasn’t going to be the case, hehehehe.

As for the fries, I will give them some credit: Rather than bland, almost tasteless pieces of starch, they were actually seasoned and had some slight bite into it. See the black dots on the fries? I had some hard time trying to identify what seasoning or herbs used but it did not matter.

Finally, the fish… Unfortunately, it suffers from the same fate most fish and chip places suffer: The fish itself was not seasoned at all and relies on sauces and what not to make up for it. However, while the fish itself wasn’t seasoned, the thin, crispy batter made up for it. It was lightly seasoned and, while it wasn’t the best tartar sauce, it did provide some creaminess. But, what really heightened the fish and chips was a squirt of lemon juice, which added some acidity that the tartar sauce lacked and contrasted very well with both fish.

I know that comment about the fish might be a bit harsh, mainly because I my concept of fried fish is different from most people: namely, frying a ~20cm/8″ fish whole and stuffed with herbs. But, from a Vancouver standard, I will have to say these were quite good. If I had to compare it against my other favourite, Moby Dick, I will have to say both are comparable, with Go Fish having an edge because it does not have to rely on the tartar sauce as Moby Dick did, plus the fact they offer salmon and halibut in addition to cod. But, then again, neither one is cheap so I will leave it at that!

Tagged under: Fish • Seafood • Vancouver