The Fish Shack : Happy Hour

Man… I used to complain all the time whenever I have to eat around 4:00-5:00pm because it is not the "proper" dinner time and I never know which restaurants to go to. Then some friends would mention happy hours and I am like meh, I rarely drink and the food probably sucks. But lately I have been in the mood for happy hours because I think it is a great way to see if the restaurant is worth revisiting for dinner. Well, not really because the food is different, but it is a good way for me to think like that while cutting down on costs.

So when my friend from Toronto landed in Vancouver and settled down, I decided to take her to The Fish Shack for some snacks. I wish I could say that it is because The Fish Shack is a very popular and well known restaurant in Vancouver, but it is more because of my own curiosity to try out the place LOL. The Fish Shack is a part of the Glowbal Group of restaurants and is located on Granville Street. The atmosphere is very casual and there is an enormous chalkboard with information of a variety of fish.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS, "Chilli flakes, parmesan cheese and capers" ($6.50).
Rating: 2/5.

The fried bean sprouts are extremely salty and the saltiness is not just from the parmesan. I cannot pick up any of the chilli flakes too and the brussels sprouts overall are very disappointing.

POPCORN SHRIMP, "House-made cocktail sauce" ($10.50).

Rating: 2/5.

The shrimp are just cooked and taste bouncy, but the exterior is very soggy. On top of that, the batter slips off of the shrimp. Some portions of the batter are well seasoned too but majority of the pieces taste bland. As for the cocktail sauce, there is a light tangy flavour.

COCKTAIL SAUCE, YUZU, HOT SAUCE AND MIGNONETTE.

The Fish Shack offers four kinds of accompanying sauces for their oysters. First up, the red cocktail sauce has some tang along with a mild sweetness. Following is the yuzu which I did not try. Next, the the housemade hot sauce has a medium level of spiciness and the last one is the mignonette. The mignonette tastes tart and has a mild acidity. I still prefer Rodney's selection of sauces more and consider The Fish Shack's just average.

KUSSHI OYSTER ($2.95).

Rating: 2/5.

Only a couple of the oysters are properly shucked, majority of them have bits of shells and one is inedible because of the mud. Asides from the aforementioned issues, the kusshi oysters taste fresh but are not worth revisiting for me.

CRISPY CALAMARI, "Chillies and cilantro" ($9.50).

Rating: 2.5/5.

The calamari is better than the popcorn shrimp because it is well seasoned and majority of the batter does not slide off. The calamari also tastes tender with only a slight chewiness and despite that some may find the pieces too chewy, it is certainly a lot better than the ones I had from Stepho's. As for the accompanying sauce, there is a creamy mayonnaise flavour along with a mild spiciness.

FISH AND CHIPS, "Ling cod, fries, tartar sauce, lemon and creamy horseradish coleslaw" ($10.50).

Rating: 2.5/5 || Coleslaw Rating: 3/5.

Unlike the popcorn shrimp and calamari, the batter on the ling cod does not slide off! The ling cod also has a crispy and crunchy exterior while the meat tastes tender and not dry. As for the horseradish coleslaw, there is a subtle mayonnaise flavour along with a mild tartness and I like how I can taste the horseradish more. The coleslaw is also creamy like the name suggests, but my friend thinks it is a touch too runny. The tartar sauce on the other hand, has a heavy mayonnaise flavour and could use some more dill.

Our original plan was to order some snacks at The Fish Shack and if the food tasted good, we would have ordered off the dinner menu. But that did not really happen… The Happy Hour menu at The Fish Shack is disappointing and I thought fried oysters would be on the menu in general! Fortunately though, the service was great. The staff were friendly, energetic and sort of attentive.

POSITIVES

- Friendly staff

- Happy Hour prices

NEGATIVES

- Poor quality control

- Pass on the Happy Hour menu

LITTLE THINGS

- Post on Black + Blue [here]

Food: 2/5

Service: 3.5/5

THE FISH SHACK

1026 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L2
Telephone (604) 678-1049
www.glowbalgroup.com/fish-shack