Sherman's Food Adventures: Go Fish

Go Fish

There's a certain charm with eating outside at a food stand. For example, people flock to places such as Pajo's and Japadog (however, there is an actual store opening up). Is it because there is a novelty factor involved? Possibly, but the food needs to deliver as well. Today, I wanted something quick and I was bouncing ideas off Vandelay. One of his suggestions was Go Fish out near Granville Island. Technically, it really isn't all that fast despite being a food stand. The reason is that it's so popular, lineups have been know to exceed an hour. As you know, I hate lineups. However, it's not really all that warm now and it's raining Vancouver-style. With that in mind, I suspected that there would not be the usual lineup.

When I arrived, not only did I score a parking space, there were only 3 people in line! Furthermore, there was a break in the rain. This was the perfect situation for many reasons. The most important? Lighting for pictures! You see, overcast weather that isn't too dark is the perfect lighting for pictures! With that in mind, I scoped out a nice table in the corner. I ended up ordering a Grilled Albacore Tuna Sandwich for Viv. She wasn't with me, but for picture purposes, I took a picture of it before I got it packed up. She absolutely loved the sandwich. Fresh and perfectly grilled (still a bit rare), the tuna was dressed in sweet chili ponzu glaze, salsa and wasabi mayo. The result was predominantly sweet flavours with slight undertones of heat from the wasabi.

For myself, I had to try the Halibut and Chips. I gotta say that these were very good. The halibut was fresh and the batter was not too thick and crispy. If you look at the picture, you can see that there is barely any batter surrounding the big piece of fish. I particularly liked the tartar sauce since it had a nice sweetness to it, partly due to the addition of dill. Unlike quite a few run-of-the-mill tartar sauces, this one had a nice zing to it. It was also perfect to dip the really crispy fries (or pomme frites as they say). Usually the coleslaw is almost an afterthought, much like red lights in Richmond. However, this coleslaw was quite different. There was no creamy mayo dressing on this cabbage; rather it was definitely Asian-inspired with the zing of rice wine vinegar and the aromatics of sesame oil. Not traditional in any way; but a welcome change to the regular.

For no reason other than to try more items, I also got the Fish Tacone which is a play of a fish taco that is in the shape of a cone. Ingredients were fresh and it works as a light meal or snack. Interesting... This may be merely a shack across from Granville Island; but the eats scream out quality and creativity. I have to give credit to Gord Martin (Bin 941/942) for his interpretation of the outdoor fish n chip stand. Just don't come when the weather is nice, you'll be waiting awhile.

The Good:
- Not the run-of-the-mill flavours you'd expect
- Fresh ingredients
- Beautifully executed food

The Bad:
- If you like lineups, this is for you
- Not really a lot of places to sit, best to do takeout

Go Fish Ocean Emporium on Urbanspoon

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

So fun to meet you this morning. Hope Tartine Bakery, Chez Panisse, and the 4 lb bowl of pho live up to your wildest dreams. Enjoy your time in the Bay Area!

Sherman Chan said...

Nice to meet you too Lindsay! I checked out your blog right after and it's very nice. I like the layout and you already blogged about the festival. Way cool. Yes, I enjoyed today very much, I had Ike's, Tartine, Mitchell's and In-N-Out!

Anonymous said...

That looks freaking good! So there ARE good food other than Asian in Vancouver! It was nice sitting nearby you at the Foodbuzz Fest, Sherman! Enjoy the rest of your days at SF! :-)

p.s. CHANGE TO WORDPRESS! lol

Sherman Chan said...

Hi Sophia! It was nice to chat with you over dinner. You really are an absolute foodie! Yes, there is food other than Asian in Vancouver. LOL... Thanks for the wishes and yes Wordpress... Hehe...

holly said...

This is my second favourite fish and chip place (Pajo's being my #1). I like their fish tacos and their soups are usually outstanding.

If you're ever in Victoria, Red Fish Blue Fish is very similar in concept and execution. It's also beside a wharf and has lots of charm and flavour.

Sherman Chan said...

Yup, I think you're right Holly, I need to go to Victoria. Haven't been there in awhile!

Chris said...

Ah Sherman. That fish looks bad ass delicious!

Vox said...

Thanks for the post and wonderful pictures. I've been wondering if this place was worth the lineup (especially being that I don't eat fried food, so I'd be relying on the quality of the other items).

As for the slaw, actually traditional Jewish delis prepare a vinegar only slaw. I used to eat it by the tons when I lived in NYC, but it's hard to find here. Vinegar is the original European coleslaw preparation method (which was later corrupted by mayonnaise in the US...mayo is another of my enemies!). I miss my NYC mayo-less slaw. So happy to hear I can try some at Go Fish!

Sherman Chan said...

Yes, Chris, it was really good. I'm glad too, the ones from Mr. Pickwick's was terrible. This made me believe again. LOL.

Thanks Vee. Since you mentioned it, I do remember having vingear only slaw at the delis in NYC. I like that kind much better.

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