Review of ‘The Chase Fish and Oyster’ in Toronto

Website: http://www.thechasetoronto.com/fish_oyster/
Address: 10 Temperance St., Toronto, ON
When I visited: April 2014, 5 adults, dinner
Rating: $$$, 5

 

‘The Chase’ and ‘The Chase Fish and Oyster‘ is built in the historic Dineen building. The Chase Fish and Oyster is on the main floor of the building and has the more casual fare and relaxed feel, compared to their sister restaurant. The décor was spacious, modern and welcoming with a nautical feel, while still maintaining the integrity of the historical building. The space is gorgeous and great for large groups.

Before The Chase Fish and Oyster opened, the restaurant had a marketing campaign where they had a food truck to give out complimentary lobster rolls. Lucky me, I happen to spot their food truck multiple times to enjoy the meaty lobster roll. The lobster roll was a teaser before their official opening of the restaurant in August of 2013.

They have an “all day menu” rather a lunch and dinner menu.  After a few drinks, our group split appetizers from the raw, cold and hot section of the menu to sample a great variety. We chose dishes that were easy to share, which meant that the lobster roll did not make the cut. This is another reason for me to return to have the lobster roll ALL to myself.

As each dish arrived, it is clear that the restaurant does an outstanding job at highlighting the beautiful seafood flavours and takes great pride in the plating. As for the portions, the restaurant increased the size to accommodate the 5 of us.

What we ate:

Each dish we ordered was delicious and recommended.

The yellowtail sashimi with shoyu (soy sauce), blood orange, lily bulb, shishito spiced onions and horseradish. The slightly citrusy dressing complimented the fish without overpowering it.

The sweet shrimp and avocado roll with fava beans, cherry tomatoes and sugar snaps. Again, the plating was a work of art!

Oyster po’boy sliders with garlic scape tartar sauce. The restaurant was not stingy on the oysters and the combination of the crunch and sauce made for a delectable sandwich.

The octopus with harissa, salsa verde, piquillo peppers, spiced pork sausage, olives and fine beans. The octopus was done perfectly and still had a bounce to it.

For the main, I had the lobster bouillabaisse with clams, mussels, garlic croutons, courgettes (zucchini) and saffron broth. There was ½ a lobster and a claw in a buttery seafood broth!

To end our evening, we couldn’t decide on the dessert so we ordered all 3 offerings on their menu (chocolate sundae, key lime cake and fried apple pie). At this point, I was already stuffed and could only recall that I enjoyed the desserts.

Overall:

The Chase Fish and Oyster is considered the more “relaxed” restaurant compared to “The Chase” but it is still on the upscale side. The service was attentive, the décor is sleek and the food was well thought out and memorable!