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.

The Fish Counter

Located on Main Street in Vancouver is a business that focuses on sustainable seafood, The Fish Counter. The shop has a fish market along with a kitchen that offers fresh and made to order food, and C'est la vie a Maggi and I came for the food. When we walked up to the front doors, we did not know which door to go through and chose the one that leads to the restaurant side. As we entered, there were open cupboards blocking the entrance and a cashier staring at us without saying a word, so I felt guilty because I thought we walked through the wrong door.

Fortunately, Maggi confirmed if we could enter and the cashier responded with a "yes" before walking to close the cupboards, so I did not feel bad. After looking around, we noticed the menu posted on the wall and proceeded to the cashier.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward and not inviting because the cashier was not friendly, but we did not mind since The Fish Counter can be considered a fast food joint. As for the interior, it looks fairly nice and the shop is well ventilated. The fish market side of the shop does not have an overwhelming smell too.

The menu is posted on the unfinished wooden walls and looks very playful. There are cute ocean creatures and an easy to read but playful font. As for the selection of food, The Fish Counter offers fish n' chips, sandwiches, tacos, soup and one kind of salad. We arrived during a slow period so the seating arrangements were not an issue, but the seats are quite limited. There is only one table and a bar, along with a couple of benches.

Austin Fish & Chips : Coquitlam location

Deciding to forgo on C-Lover's fish n' chips (which was quite risky because we like the restaurant), we decided to try another restaurant in Coquitlam. Austin Fish & Chips is a small franchise and there are two other locations, in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadow.

Walking in, there is an easy to read and well organized take out menu, along with a few tables at the front. As for the dining area, there is a nice underwater mural painted on the wall of deep sea creatures. In addition, the seating arrangements are not cramped and there is a good amount of tables.

Austin Fish & Chips offers all you can eat pollock on Tuesdays to Thursdays, as well as Sundays. However, unlike similar competitors (C-Lovers and Cockney Kings), bottomless pop is not included. Furthermore, asides from seafood, the restaurant offers fresh fried chicken and burgers.

AYCE ADULT $12.99 CHILDREN $8.99

Sockeye City Grill

Since we were heading to Richmond because there is only one optical store that sells a certain brand of sunglasses, we decided to head down to Steveston after for a late lunch (since Langley is too far). Oh yeah, on Canada Day? Crap. I do not even like going to Steveston on a weekend! When we arrived, we decided to pass on Pajo's because the restaurant tends to be inconsistent; either good or horrible as in soggy batter and dry fish. Having said that, another option for fish n' chips was Blue Canoe.

When walking towards Blue Canoe, there was no line up and a couple of hostesses were talking about how empty the dining room was; as we stood in front of their faces for a while with no acknowledgement. Of course if they were talking about something important or a training protocol, it is fine. But come on, say "one moment" or something. Shortly after a few minutes of complaining amongst eachother the patio is more busy than the dining room, one of the hostesses greeted us with "hi" and we asked how long it would be for a patio seat.

After hearing the wait is thirty minutes, we decided to try out Sockeye City Grill. Well... it was more like the lack of acknowledgement and basic customer service skills when there was no line up. So, walking up to Sockeye City, a friendly hostess mentioned there is a half hour wait for a patio seat. During the wait, we took the time to check out some fresh seafood at Fisherman's Wharf.

Sockeye City is located right on the boardwalk in Steveston, and the restaurant is fairly large. The seating arrangements do not seem cramped inside and the restaurant has two patios. After ordering, we waited half an hour for our food and everything arrived at once.

C-Lovers Fish & Chips : Burquitlam location

With only $50.00 cash in our pockets, we decided to be adventurous and find out how much $50.00 can get us. In the Burquitlam area, there is pretty much only Chinese, Korean, Japanese, a few Vietnamese and a couple of chain restaurants. Theoretically, $50.00 is more than enough for a two item combo at a Chinese restaurant, sushi rolls if having Japanese, and a hot pot at any Korean joint. But, without having to calculate right to the dot or worrying about being short on cash considering the amount of food BF and I eat, we settled on something simple. Fish n' Chips.

In addition, not just fish n' chips, but all you can eat as well! This way, there is no need to worry about being hungry after dinner. C-Lovers is a fast food chain restaurant that serves pretty much fish n' chips and burgers. Having visited C-Lovers once before at the location in Coquitlam, I was interested in trying the one in Burquitlam. When we walked in, our waitress Stephanie mentioned we could seat ourselves anywhere. After taking a look at the menu, we decided to pay it safe, go for the AYCE and if we enjoy the meal, come back for a la carte next time.

As for the interior, the restaurant is much cleaner than the location in Coquitlam. Furthermore, the waiting area is quite spacious which makes those who grab orders to go, more comfortable. Every table is preset with utensils along with a menu, and larger tables are labelled "reserved for six or more". As for the cosmetics, the walls are painted a muggy swamp green and there are brown painted pillars, pretty much similar to the location in Coquitlam.

TODDLER ($2.99), CHILD 4-10 ($5.99), ADULT ($11.99).

C-Lovers Fish & Chips : Coquitlam location

Post on C-Lovers in Burquitlam [HERE]

Wow, look how heavy the rain is! After finishing dinner with my parents, I was craving for some fish n' chips and met up with a friend at C-Lovers Fish & Chips. C-Lovers is a fast food chain restaurant that serves made to order fish n' chips and features an all you can eat menu as well! The restaurant was fairly empty when we walked in but quite a few people came for take out. The all you can eat menu comes with unlimited fish n' chips and bottomless pop, just like Cockney Kings.

TODDLER (3 & UNDER) $2.99, CHILD (4-9) $5.99, ADULT ($11.99).

Cockney Kings Fish & Chips : New Westminster location

Surprisingly, I have only been to Cockney Kings Fish & Chips three times! I would have expected at least ten visits. Cockney Kings = All you can eat fish n' chips. Yup, that is one of the two things that I remember of the restaurant. The other is, their tartar sauce tastes weak. 

Coming for a late lunch around 5:30pm (or to most, an early dinner), Cockney's was pretty busy on a Tuesday. Walking in, the restaurant has two lines; one for take out and the other to be seated. Both line ups were quite long but fortunately, we only waited fifteen minutes. Every Monday to Wednesday, Cockney's offers all you can eat fish n' chips for $9.50 which includes unlimited foundation pop! Good value much? Yup.

The Spud Shack Fry Co.

When I found out about Spud Shack, a little joint located at New Westminster skytrain station, I was pretty excited to introduce my friend to what may possibly be one of the best places for poutines. She loves her poutines and always orders them. So, after claiming that she will love me even more for where I am about to take her for a late night snack, she says "poutines? I don't even like them". LOL what? Yeah, apparently when she orders a poutine at the food court or movie theatre, it is because there is nothing else that she wants. Oh well, already paid for parking so too bad for her. I even raved about this "surprise" place to her for days too!

Pajo's Fish & Chips

Pajo's is located at the Steveston pier in Richmond and word of the mouth is, the fast food joint serves the best fish n' chips. As for my experiences, unfortunately I have experienced many misses with the ratio being 4:0. Fortunately though, my first positive experience brings me to 4:1!

What started out as a leisurely bike ride, ended up in Richmond... 40km later! When we arrived, she really wanted Pajo's and being hesitant at first because I have never had a positive experience here before, I was too tired to think of another place to eat. Usually I go for the halibut but she recommends the salmon and says it is a lot better.