Despite Vancouver鈥檚 location next to a rather large body of water 鈥� not to mention numerous fish-inhabited rivers and streams 鈥� seafood restaurants have not historically been plentiful on the ground. For many years, our choices seemed limited to fish 鈥榥鈥� chips dives or admittedly delicious but high-end restaurants like Blue Water Caf茅. Where was that happy medium?
A solid choice was 鈥� and still is 鈥� one of the many Chinese restaurants that specialize in seafood; not just for dim sum, but as part of the multi-course dinner extravaganzas that mark traditional family celebrations.
But, where were those modern Canadian restaurants focusing on seafood? Instead of elk and poutine, where was the seafood bistro that would deliver tasty fish for a reasonable price, and maybe even a cocktail or craft beer to go with it?
WildTale was one of the first iterations of casual seafood in Vancouver, and the last five years has seen a veritable explosion of casual, fin-to-table options that won鈥檛 break the bank. Here are a few of the latest to check out.
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The Holy Crab
Sometimes, all you want is a knock-down, drag-out experience from a meal; a chance to literally get your hands dirty, let the sauce run down your chin, and cast aside all utensils. For nights like these, Holy Crab is the place to go. The paper-covered tables and plastic gloves, along with the massive paper towel roll, are all not-so-subtle hints that things are going to get messy. Order a whole crab or lobster, or some frog legs or jumbo shrimp, and get ready to attack. With the large plastic bib covering your sartorial splendour, no one need ever know what happened when human met boiled crustacean, other than that it was epic.
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Crab Park Chowdery
This tiny room on Abbott Street in the heart of Gastown is named in part after the nearby and enormous park of the same name. The menu, however, is just the right size and features old-fashioned San Francisco-style bread bowls filled with chowders and hearty soups. The classic New England clam chowder is thick and heavily studded with clams and double-smoked bacon. Smoky tomato soup, made with plum tomatoes and coconut milk, is vegan and delicious, and perfectly paired with the on-point grilled cheese sandwich.
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Hook Seabar
Located in the West End, in the old Milestones location on Denman at Davie, Hook casts a wide net with a menu that includes sushi, fish 鈥榥鈥� chips, steamed mussels, shellfish platters, oysters, and burgers and fried chicken for non-pescetarians. It also has a rather nice wine list and a solid cocktail list, including the perfect summer sipper, a frozen Pimm鈥檚 Cup (why has no one thought of this before?). Not to mention, lobster guacamole. Some of the seafood isn鈥檛 local, FYI, but the BLT with soft-shell crab and poached prawns is worth a visit.
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Oddfish
From the owners of Nook and Tavola comes this fish-and-vegetable-focused spot in Kitsilano. The menu rotates frequently, based on what鈥檚 locally available and in season, but expect dishes like potted shrimp, a ceviche of some kind, and mains that are simply prepared, often on the cast iron plancha grill. If you have the coin 鈥� and the company 鈥� go for the 鈥淗ot Mess.鈥� At $65, it鈥檚 not affordable at first glance, but this is a massive amount of seafood and usually includes half a lobster, squid, prawns, mussels, scallops, clams, etc. It鈥檚 definitely meant to be shared among two or three hungry friends.
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鈥� Anya Levykh is a food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @foodgirlfriday.
