{Review} Sea Witch Fish and Chips on St. Clair Ave. West

Website: http://www.seawitchfc.com/
Twitter Handle: @seawitchfc
Address: 636 St. Clair Ave. W, Tor., ON
When I visited: June 22, 2015 for a Media dinner, returned July 2015
Rating: 5

I was invited to a media dinner with owners Jacki Strahl and her husband Kevin Kowalcyzk present to share their experience and explain the menu offerings. Both Jacki and Kevin was in the restaurant business prior to opening SeaWitch in late 2014. Kevin worked at Penrose Fish and Chips for over 10 years, so he definitely knows a thing or two about perfecting a fish and chip recipe.

The Sea Witch menu focuses on what they do best, fish and chips, with a choice of halibut, pickerel, haddock, cod, and artic char. Once a week they bring a new fish for their “fish of the week” feature. What makes their fish and chips stand out from other restaurants is the crispy and golden crust that comes from deep frying in beef tallow. The onion rings are also fried in the beef tallow to get the crispy thick crust. Also, the restaurant are Ocean Wise partners, so customers can trust that the fish are sustainable and from a reputable source.

Everything at the restaurant is made in-house from their coleslaw, dressing, tartar sauce, as well as the desserts. The chips are cut fresh every day from local potatoes.

At the media night, I sampled the following:

The Witch’s Brew (house chowder)-This chowder is outstanding!! The broth was flavourful and the fish pieces were generous.

The halibut cakes served with pickled onions-I’ve had a lot of overly salty cod cakes in my life, and the halibut fish cake was packed of the tender fish with a well seasoned crust. I highly recommend this!

Coleslaw and onion rings- The homemade coleslaw with the light dressing was good but not a huge stand out for me. The onion rings fried in the beef tallow however had an incredibly crispy crust and stunning to look at. These rings were gobbled quickly at the table.

Halibut and Chips- I was surprised at the hefty portion for one fish. The fish was perfectly cooked under the crispy batter.

On my second return, I had the Lake Huron white fish (special of the week) with fresh cut fries and the chowder, and I was really satisfied with the portions and taste.

Overall:

This is my favourite fish and chip restaurant in Toronto! Having return to the restaurant more than one occasion, the food was consistent, the atmosphere was laid back, and the service was attentive.  Also, I loved that my daughter got a cup of crayons and a big colouring book to keep her occupied.

The fish fried in the beef tallow makes the flavour and crust stand out from other fish and chip restaurants. The house chowder is the best I have had in Toronto, and even better than the chowders I had travelling to my trip to Canada’s east coast with chunks of fish.

The owners will likely never create fish tacos or over complicate their menu, but the owners can focus on what they do best. Come on by to taste the real deal!