Address: 12 Erie St. (Fisherman's Wharf)
Phone: (250) 383-6462
Website: http://www.floatingfishstore.com/
Price: $5-15
Notes: Fresh & fusion seafood, as well as gluten-free fish & chips!
The Fish Store has been on the wharf for a long time, but only began to serve food in the last few years. I confess - it had been entirely off my radar until this week, when I went to an event for tourism-focused businesses to get contacts for Tastebud Guides and they were there with free oysters. That's when I discovered they have gluten free fish and chips! A great way to differentiate themselves from Barb's next door. They also market themselves as the only all Ocean Wise seafood store, which is kind of exciting!
The menu is quite diverse. There are quite a few fusion options on the menu, everything from sushi-esque "rice wraps" to seafood tacos and fishwiches. A buck-a-shuck special is available daily, and if you're looking for fresh seafood, they have to-go boxes with cute "flying fish" on them.
Food:
May 5, 2012
I decided to order the rice wrap, as it was a unique item on the menu. It ended up being an interesting kind of fusion! It reminded me of the rice balls I had at at Daidoco the other day. The tuna was done tataki-style, and had a bit of wasabi mayo that wasn't too spicy, as well as sesame seeds and pea sprouts. The result was delicious and fresh! There was a LOT of rice. So much, I barely had any fries! This isn't a bad thing, but in future I would order a side of fries to share with the rest of the table instead.
My partner-in-food-and-life chose these, and I snuck a little piece! Inside were pieces of halibut and whole prawns. The flavour was excellent, although my P.I.F.A.L. said eating all three was a touch on the salty side. It might be a great appetizer to share. Note that this was the small order!
One of the main reasons we opted for here today was that my friend who is allergic to gluten and I had a long-standing date for dinner and my original idea of where to try ended up falling through. She was excited to try fish and chips, and although she was initially not sure if she would like them (I suspect it's been ages since she had any!) she took one bite and was sold! I snuck a bite, and was pretty impressed with the texture. A little bit different than regular fish & chips, but not enough that I would have noticed if I hadn't already known! After she was done (and the seals had been fed) she leaned back with a rapturous sigh and said "that was Fabulous!"
They also offer buck-a-shuck after 3 PM every day. I think these are kusshi oysters, and they were quite tasty - especially with the ginger mignonette on top! I am recently a convert of the oyster, and it is my goal this summer to become more comfortable with a) eating them, b) telling them apart and c) eating them without looking like a dork.
Service:
May 5, 2012
The service is through an ordering window, and then you pick up your order at the other window. Still - the staff were friendly and helpful and ended up delivering the buck a shuck that was ready after our hot food.
