Pisces Fish & Chips (Ambleside, West Vancouver, BC)

Another weekend, another sunny lunch. We stopped by Pisces Fish & Chips after garage saleing. M remembered the Polish / Russian lady who (used to) own Pisces Fish & Chips and wanted to revisit the crispy fish & chips, as well as the schnitzel she used to make.



Alas, the restaurant had changed ownership and thus there was no schnitzel. We opted for their combo A, which included two pieces of fish, two prawns, and chips. We also ordered an extra piece of fish (more about this ambiguity later), four oysters, and a lychee slush with pearl drink, as well as a strawberry drink with pearls.



Pisces Fish & Chips is kind of hidden away in a strip of businesses along Marine Drive in West Vancouver. In fact, there is only pedestrian access to their storefront. You may park either in the parking lot of the complex, or your choice of Marine Drive or Clyde Avenue. Since there is this limited access, there is a cozy outdoor seating area in the courtyard in front of Pisces.

Pisces advertises that their fish and seafood is fried in a light batter. This is a welcome change as the traditional beer-battered seafood is greasier and is more filling. They also offer a number of Taiwanese dishes, so it might be worthwhile checking them out a second time.



The seafood was prepared nicely with a light, crisp coating and the oysters were the hands down favourite. They were fresh, a smaller size, as well as juicy and sweet! The tartar sauce at Pisces is nothing special, and the tapioca bubbles in the drinks were overcooked (ie mushy). The lychee slush was refreshing though! I'd order one of these any hot summer day!

Here's my beef...in my opinion, the fish that was sold to us was not cod, as advertised. It was probably Alaskan pollock. When we inquired about this, the cashier said it was cod. Whether the fish was sold to him as cod (and thus the restaurant is probably getting hosed), or the restaurant themselves were pawning off one fish as another it felt wrong. We paid about $35 for the entire meal and so I was a little miffed that we didn't get what we ordered. That said though, it did taste good and offered something different in Ambleside.

Random Yum-O-Rama Fact: Both M and I are Pisces, as well as both his parents! Pisces eating pisces at pisces...interesting...

Pisces Fish & Chips (Ambleside)

1425 Marine Drive [map]

West Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-926-8664

Review: Charlie Don't Surf (White Rock, BC)

The sun has been glorious as of late.

We've been having cocktails on the patio, the plants have been happy, and last weekend, we did some driving and relaxed out in White Rock.

It was a good outing - we did some antiquing along the way, found some bargain bin deals (printer cable for under $2!) and strolled along the pier and boardwalk.

The first stop we wanted to make was The Boathouse, but since they were pretty lukewarm about wanting our money, we took off down the street to Charlie Don't Surf for some grub.

We were promptly seated on the patio after the hostess served another patron (she greeted us and asked us kindly to wait 30 seconds on the red couch / kings throne while she did so).

We started with a pair of cocktails - M ordered his standard caesar (it came with two pickled green beans), while I ordered the Charlie Martini. The caesar was tasty, but small. The Charlie Martini was nothing too special, but it was a nice clean drink to go with the deep-fried seafood that we were about to order!



A sidenote - my martini was served unstrained. I'm no martini expert, but something tells me that the strainer on the martini shaker is supposed to remove thise ice. I didn't mind it as it was a full-strengthed Grey Goose concoction...but I'm just saying...

We ordered calamari to share. Initially, we were thinking of *only* ordering fish and chips, but added on the calamari as we were sitting near a sign that boasted calamari as a "must order" dish at Charlie Don't Surf.



As we later noted, the calamari was at the bottom of the list - it was crispy and not too greasy, and there was a good tzatziki with it, but there was simply too much batter. The batter fell off every time you tried to spear a piece of calamari, and also fell off inside the small container of tzatziki provided. I wouldn't say it was disappointing as it was a good size, but I'd change up the batter a bit so that it didn't crumble everywhere.

Finally, our fish and chips came - the kitchen had the foresight to separate them onto two different plates since we were sharing, which was nice. M whispered that because they separated them, we had twice the tartar sauce! lol - he makes me laugh.



The chips were nothing too special. The fish was nicely done though - flakey, tender, crisp and not greasey. Service was great as well - our server was available when we needed her, and came by to check on us a couple times.

I was telling M how "Charlie" reminds me of: a) my brother, or b) Charlie Sheen, in his current role as "Uncle Charlie" on the sitcom "Two and a Half Men". With that in mind, this was nice patio / pub grub with an emphasis on alcohol and sun!

I'd come back to Charlie Don't Surf for more of their food, especially with good company and to enjoy some sun.

Note: the brother is *not* an alcoholic womanizing bachelor like Uncle Charlie, but he *does* appreciate a good fish & chips!

Charlie Don't Surf

15782 Marine Drive [map]

White Rock BC

Phone: (604) 538-1988

Review: Tio Pepe's

The brothers that run this restaurant make do with what they have -- it's a little cramped, but the complimentary homemade salsa and warm tortilla chips make you forget that. Service is always friendly and prompt, and they let you take your time. Be sure to try out the Flautas!


Tio Pepe's

1134 Commercial Drive

Vancouver BC

Phone: (604) 254-8999