Restaurant Review: Prairie Fish 'N' Chips

PRAIRIE FISH 'N' CHIPS 9902 109th Street ~ prairiefishnchips.ca Instagram: @prairiefishnchips ~ Twitter: @PrairieFnC Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

Everyone has gotta have a great chippie in their back pocket. When I saw that VUE Weekly named Prairie Fish 'N' Chips (formerly called Grandin Fish 'N' Chips) as #1 Best Fish & Chips 2018, they were immediately added to my "must try" list. Sadly, the restaurant is going to be shutting down permanently on December 31st (however, they are going to continue on SkipTheDishes) and this absolutely lit a fire under me to give them a try while I still could. Located in Oliver, I love their little corner of the city adjacent to the Alberta Legislature Building. You also can't miss the completely awesome neon sign (in the shape of a fish) shining brightly in their window. Parking can be a bit of a pain but there are usually some meters nearby. I visited on a Thursday evening after making a reservation to ensure my table. The inside of the restaurant is larger than I expected with a decor that captures a wonderfully clear vision. Cobalt blue paint, edison bulbs, rustic wood (like an old, old wooden ship), tons of nautical-themed knickknacks, and the most amazing wallpaper that you've ever seen... The entire atmosphere carries throughout seamlessly. They've done an incredible job bringing what feels like a slice of the Maritimes to landlocked Alberta. Seated by a friendly server, we began to look over their "One Last Catch" menu that features all of their greatest hits at low, "going out of fish" prices. There was a Caesar ($5.00) on the menu that seemed like just the right thing to order as a drink. Caesars are made with clamato juice and staying with the seafood theme at a fish & chips restaurant just makes good sense.

Vodka, clamato juice, worcestershire sauce, tabasco, celery salt.

This caesar (known as the prairie caesar) packed a spicy punch that I wasn't angry about and was full of all of the delicious tomato and clam flavours that have made the drink so famous. I especially loved the pickled garlicy green bean as a garnish. You just can't go wrong with a good caesar, in my opinion. Once ordered, all of the food arrived at the table quite quickly. They have a Lobster Seafood Roll ($12.00) that I certainly needed to sample!

Lobster, crab and shrimp, celery, dill pickled onion. Served with fries & coleslaw.

I've had some pretty great lobster rolls in my day and I would even say that they're one of my favourite foods. This one came on a soft and warm bun speckled with poppy and sesame seeds. Fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce included. I liked the sandwich and thought that the fresh dill and pickled onion on top was a nice touch. However, the seafood itself left a bit to be desired. I'm not sure if there was any lobster in it at all... In fact, I think that it was just shrimp and crab. Which is fine. I like those sea creatures. But if the word "lobster" is used I would hope that I would at least be able to detect it. On the bright side, the seafood mixture did taste good and was pleasantly creamy. The New England clam chowder sounds (and looks) really good, with clams, lobster, crab, shrimp and bacon but unfortunately I didn't get to try it. Next, we tossed on some extras like Coleslaw ($5.00) and Pickle Chips ($5.00).

We didn't realize that both of the meals that we ordered would come with coleslaw (there was no explanation of this anywhere) so we ended up with lots of coleslaw. Which isn't a problem! I enjoyed their fresh shredded coleslaw a lot especially because of the abundant use of dill. Great crunch and a nice way to introduce a vegetable into a very "brown" meal. The pickle chips were super fun and crunchy. Ultra crispy fried house pickles with remoulade, these were served piping hot and tasted great dunked into the zingy sauce. Any fan of pickles will love popping these into their mouth. Lastly, of course, there had to be Haddock & Chips ($12.00) and we added a piece of fish for $5.

Classic fried, comes with chips, coleslaw, tartar sauce & lemon.

A basket of fish & chips is just a happy sight. The pieces of haddock were large and I really enjoyed the super crispy yet somehow light breading. Inside was tender, meaty haddock that still had some juiciness to it. The fish didn't seem greasy at all and I loved squeezing lemon onto them before going for a dip into the housemade tartar sauce. The tartar was especially excellent, full of chunks of pickle and tasted like a true family recipe. The fries are also incredibly good at Prairie. They seem very fresh and handcut. I covered my fries in a bit of salt and lots of malt vinegar and was not disappointed in the least. I will be very, very sad to see Prairie Fish 'N' Chips go. They're a wonderful addition to the city's food scene and they add a bit of diversity to what we have going on in seafood, which is always welcome. I wish that I'd gotten around to trying them sooner but I'm glad that I got to sit in their restaurant at all. The lesson here is to support the restaurants that you love. If you want your favourite restaurants to stick around, you've gotta be a part of that solution. Hopefully we'll get to see more from Prairie Fish 'N' Chips in the future.