harbour fish n' fries

as a fledgling bish 'n' batter reviewer, kirstie inspired me with stories of her mother who worked in a fish & chip shack as a teen and who now has the age and experience to review with great authority. since then it has been a goal of mine to do a review with margaret as a co-investigator. I had decided that harbour fish n' fries in musquodoboit would be the place to check out as it was one of margaret's favorite shops until an incident a few years ago when they switched to cheaper frozen fries. today we loaded co-investigators kirstie, jim and jeff in one car, while regan and I took margaret and her husband bev. we'd hoped that without kirstie present margaret might take the opportunity to divulge juicy blackmail material about kirstie's youth but alas, the conversation focussed on travel, and of course the all-important fried fish.

we arrived shortly after kirstie's carload, who had prepped the dining room by shuffling a large table together. the last time I'd been to harbour fish n' fries they had already added the space, but it was new to margaret and bev. orders for 9x 2pc plus various coke and pepsi products was put in. while we waited for our food, margaret and bev explained how the previous space had only fit one or two tables, plus the picnic area outside. the weather was on-and-off foul, so the expanded inside seating was welcome. the chairs were an interesting faux wrought iron with plastic wicker design, and seemed a little out of place. overall the room was quite clean uncluttered, and what one should expect from a fish and chip shop.

the fish at harbour fish n' fries was fresh, battered evenly, and cooked well. the batter was not doughy or oily and did its job, although it didn't have a lot of character and could use more sparkle to set it apart. fries were notably frozen, and rather low quality even amongst those with that shortcoming. a bottle of lemon substituted for a wedge, and unremarkable coleslaw and tartar sauce further disappointed.

reviewing fish and chips in halifax has caused my standards to be raised and expectations to be lowered. I know there are shops out there that are capable of greatness, but for the most part mediocrity prevails. margaret and bev have reminded me to review against standards and not expectations, therefore while harbour fish n' fries was better than most of the fare we've had lately, it is still not great. if you're in the area and you're hungry it's worth stopping in for a snack, but it's certainly not rewarding enough to justify a 1hr drive from halifax for the express purpose of eating there. if you're going with a group of friends for an afternoon of fishy adventure, then that's another story altogether.

price: $7 + pop & hst
food: &&&.&/5
atmosphere: &&&&/5
overall: &&&.&/5

harbour fish n' fries
7886 highway 7
musquodoboit harbour, ns b0j 2l0, canada
(902) 889-3366
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