Well Fed On the Town

I felt like a spy. Park along the roadway, cross carefully, down this ramp, around the corner, behind this building, walk-up to the window cut into the back of the shipping container, tell the man what you want and pay him for his trouble.

Was it a clandestine arms deal? Stolen merchandise? Pilfered, top-secret documents? No, I was buying fish. Really, really great fish, well, chips too, to be fair, at Red Fish, Blue Fish in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

This eco-friendly, fresh fish ‘n’ chips haven is only a tiny bit off the beaten path, even though you can’t see it from the beaten path. It is absolutely worth your effort to find if you are in Victoria and in the mood for fabulous fish ‘n’ chips.

The shipping container that serves as this restaurant has a window cut on one end for ordering, then an opening cut into the side with a wooden counter-top where orders are collected. Each order is made fresh, so there is a wait of about 10-15 minutes depending on the crowd.

While seating arrangements leave a bit to be desired at this walk-up, open-air eatery, the ambiance perfectly suits the very hot, very fresh fish served up in recycled paperboard cartons, with disposable wooden spoons and forks and an emphasis on “Green”. Offering a crate to sit down on, and a view of the Victoria docks, I can’t think of a better place to tuck into some battered, fried Halibut, fresh slaw and thick, wide cut chips drowned in malt vinegar. A few high, bench style tables are available, but most of the seating is small stools or crates right by the water’s edge.

Should your daily craving run contrary to fish and chips, you’ll find a few other tasty offerings on their menu. All of the fish offered up meets the Vancouver Aquarium Conservation Ocean Wise requirements. Essentially meaning that the fish is a good fit for those waters, is fished using approved methods, in appropriate quantities and the correct season.

On our visit I went with two pieces of the battered, fried Halibut, while my lovely lunch companion tried their crispy, tempura battered cod. Both were served with twice fried, “Kennebec chips” (wide cut, English style fries), and fresh made slaw.

Both the Halibut and the Cod were excellent. They were extremely fresh, very hot (right out of the frier), sprinkled with salt, thick-cut, moist and essentially perfect. You will find fancier places to enjoy fish ‘n’ chips, but I defy you to find a better place.

Clean-up is a bit more involved than your typical lunch out, since you have to pick-up after yourself then dispose of each item in the clearly marked recycling/diposal containers in the corner of the docks, adjacent to the restaurant.

While I don’t normally associate lunch with “doing my part to save the planet” I suppose if you were to twist my arm, I would go back here time and again, just for Mother Nature mind you. If I get a great meal out of it too, so much the better.

If you have any trouble finding this off-beat dining spot down on the wharf, there is a Tourist Information Center nearby, just ask them. You’re right around the corner from it at that point.

Red Fish Blue Fish
1006 Wharf Street
Victoria, BC V8W 1T4, Canada
(250) 298-6877