3015 MacKenzie Ave N
Williams Lake, BC V2G 1P5
250-398-6633
May 18, 2011
Welcome back to our regularly programmed schedule! My date tonight is Mr O and tonight he drove me over to the Sir Bob’s Fish and Chips restaurant. We don’t often visit this part of town, so this was actually my first time eating here.
There was a crowd of regulars already seated when we arrived, and we noticed a pretty steady stream of people coming in for their pick-up orders. Checking out the menu, there was quite the list of seafood to choose from, in all sorts of various combinations. Burgers, chicken fingers and salads were also available for those who are more into the turf, rather than the surf.
I went with the shrimp dinner with onion rings, and Mr O ordered the 3 piece battered cod dinner. We also decided to get the calamari appetizer to start the meal off with. As we waited for our food, we played with the full size bottles of tartar and cocktail sauce that came to our table and listened to the sounds of the deep fryer going off every so often. Everything deep-fried tastes good so we were quite excited.
There was some disappointment when our calamari arrived, however. It was pretty obvious that the squid came out of the frozen section. There’s not much I can say about it really… the only thing worth remarking is that it was accompanied by an aioli that was tart with what tasted like pepperoncini that was just fabulous.
...calamari... I think...
Our main entrees arrived shortly after that and we had to wait a bit before digging in because everything was so piping hot, literally straight out of the fryer. The cod had a really light layer of batter around it, which is how I actually prefer my fried fish, so that it didn’t overwhelm the taste of the fish. Unfortunately, the fish itself had a watery texture that suggested it also came straight out of a freezer. But the shrimp was very nice with its breaded coating instead of the batter that I had been expecting. There appeared to be cornmeal in the breading which gave it a pleasant sweet and nutty crunch, and the shrimp itself was done just right and not overcooked at all.
...battered fish and chips...
...ready for my close-up...
...fried shrimp...
As for the onion rings, they also came out of a bag. But the fries were home-cut style and I had wished I had ordered those instead as I began to eat them off of Mr O’s plate, to his immense displeasure. And the coleslaw was fantastic; tangy, fresh and lightly dressed. In fact, I might just order that as my sole side-dish next time.
As our meal came to an end, we realised too late that we hadn’t left any room for dessert… but there are pies, cakes and ice cream to choose from for those who are better at pacing themselves. Overall? You can’t compare this to the fish and chip stands down by the coast… you just can’t; it wouldn’t be fair. Unfortunately, I found that there was too much reliance on frozen pre-prepped food here. I understand that there might be a lack of fresh supply of seafood up in the Cariboo, but frozen onion rings? C’mon.
July 24, 2011 at 11:34 am
I think you’re asking a bit much to expect a little fish n chip shop to be making their own calamari. I mean, c’mon, this is Williams Lake we’re talking about. Does anybody in town have fresh calamari? Unlikely.
July 24, 2011 at 12:37 pm
YWL Guy,
Thanks for the comment! And while I appreciate your insight, I don’t believe in using location as an excuse for a restaurant to use shortcuts. I don’t expect fresh calamari, but pre-formed processed rings are a bit lazy in my books. I don’t think I’m asking for much… I’ve had calamari from the Point and it’s one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Whether they use fresh or frozen squid I can’t say, but the idea is it looks and tastes like squid.
-FBH
August 17, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Aw, its too bad it sounds like you came in while they were transitioning over their calamari to a new supplier. They actually have homemade calamari that is, in my opinion, better than the point.
And I can guarentee you the fish isn’t from the frozen section. ;)