Ottawa Foodies

Fish 'n' chips is something I always enjoy eating out since I refuse to own a deep fryer. I went with fairly high expectations having read your reviews, I was a little disappointed.

The chips - were great.

The batter - not what I was expecting. It wasn't crispy at all, and I think the colour came from a little paprika rather than the frying process. I will say the portion was huge for the price, but I prefer the golden crispy batter at Merivale Seafood. I mean it wasn't terrible, I ate it all! My boyfriend said his breaded piece was crunchier, but he asked me in the car if the battered one 'was supposed to be like that', he likes to get me going.

Side of bread - I like a little bread to absorb the grease. It came with the butter already on it, which I don't think I have ever seen before! And it was burnt. I am not kidding, it was burnt bread and butter! The top of the loaf was burnt and someone accepted the delivery. I had thought maybe they baked their own and I would have forgiven it. But I asked (I didn't complain since we were eating with the future in laws and I didn't want to make a "scene"), and the waitress said it was from a local bakery but not who. The rest of the bread was good, just thought it was too funny to not share.

My Two Questions
Was it worth the calories? - Yes
Would I go back? - Yes. But I'd stick with Merivale for fish and try something else.

Wow these guys are awesome! I have to have them at least once a year, and every single time they are spectacular. You can order them breaded or fried, or mixed if you get 2 pieces, but as someone else mentioned 1 piece is a lot of eating, and the 2 pieces is too much for a lot of people. Fries vary somewhat but are always good to excellent.

My colleague tried the "McConville Special". Two pieces are too much for me for lunch.

I tried the battered haddock with fries ($10.99). The taste was good. Fish was fresh and fries were good.

One colleague said their fries were the best in town. One colleague didn't agree after trying the fries (he thinks LaPointe in Bells Corner is better).

For me, I like the fries sprinkled with Japanese "seven spices".

Anyway, this restaurant is on my recommended list for "fish & chips".

The best in town! Try the McConville Special -- one piece of haddock battered, the other breaded.

A cold, hard-boiled egg removed from its shell, wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried.

Not even a traditional Scottish dish, this is the only restaurant I know of that serves them in Ottawa

I've only had it once and it was OK for a fried blood pudding but I really prefer mine boiled.