Shipwreck Lee's

Date Visited: Lunch on Sunday Aug 31, 2014
Company: +Will

Will and I went to Tobermory for the Civic long weekend and enjoyed an adventurous few days in the quaint and beautiful town. Tobermory is actually quite small and all the main restaurants and shops are in a central location which made finding places to eat pretty easy. We knew we had to try their local White fish while in town and the most visible spot for fish and chips was Shipwreck Lee's. It has a huge outdoor patio with an AYCE Fish and Chips sign so it's really hard to miss while entering the harbour area.

We went to the entrance and saw a few spots opened so we seated ourselves, the pirate dressed waiters were quick to notice and brought us menus and waters. This would be great on a sunny day but unfortunately it was a cloudy weekend so the patio was a bit chilly. As we were looking at the menu, our waiter explained to us that their special was the Georgian Bay White Fish & Chips which is fresh and right from the waters here. The AYCE is Alaskan White Fish which is frozen. We both ordered the 1 piece which was $12.95.

As we were waiting we smelled other orders of chicken and ribs which made us even hungrier, and the portions were very large. We also enjoyed seeing tourists being entertained by the pirate waiters, doing little tricks and posing for photos. Even though it's a pretty tacky spot, the waiters play into their parts and have a fun time doing. It's a good spot for families as they have a kids menu and they would enjoy the show the waiters put on. They're also pretty quick with turning customers over as I assume they get really busy. Our wait wasn't very long and we both got our plates with a packet of tartar sauce on the side.

Cutting into the fish, it broke through easily and unveiled a juicy white filet. The fish was very tender and soft, it melts in your mouth. It doesn't have a very 'fishy' flavour, I think anyone would enjoy this. I was also very impressed on the lack of greasiness the fish had, it didn't soak my fries with more oil. The fries were okay, pretty average but perfect portion size because I was left very satisfied.

Food: 4/5 - Great fish and chips, would recommend to everyone!
Decor: 3.5/5 - Tacky but fun at the same time, great for the summer.
Service: 4/5 - Super quick and the waiters are very knowledgeable.
Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Definitely would return if I was in Tobermory.
Overall: 4/5

Website: none

Top Notch Fish & Chips

Date Visited: Lunch on Sunday Nov 3, 2013
Company: +Will and +Lilian after attending the Nike Warehouse Sale

After some mad shopping at the Nike warehouse sale in the International Centre Mississauga, +Will, +Lilian, and I started driving around to find somewhere to have lunch. As none of us were familiar with the area, we just decided to stop at the first place we saw. After passing a lot of empty buildings and closed restaurants on Eglington, we finally found something in a large plaza we were wandering. Top Notch Fish & Chips was tucked away in the far corner of this plaza but seemed to be creating some traffic with people coming in and out, not too bad for a Sunday.

The place is a lot bigger on the inside than it seems. When you enter, you immediately come upon the counter to order with the menu right above. To the right is the long counter where the food prep is done and also where the sitting area is with tables along the window. The washrooms are in a hallway to the left and they're extremely roomy! They have a lovely patio in the front also, but it was a little cold for sitting outside. The decor was nice otherwise, they had a modern nautical look going.

The staff were extremely friendly, they brought our food to the table and made sure we had everything we needed. Will & I ordered the 4 Piece Haddock Combo which came with fish, large fries, coleslaw, gravy, & 4 bottles of Coke. The 4 big pieces of Haddock we got looked amazing, they were that perfect golden brown colour when something is deep fried for the right amount of time. It tasted amazing also. The fish melted in your mouth while the outside was crispy. The fresh lemon and home made tartar sauce gave the fish a great flavour, a perfect combination. The large-cut fries were also fresh, you can tell they use clean oil for the deep-frying. Will thought the gravy tasted weird, but I thought it was pretty normal for the type of gravy you get at a small restaurant like this. We also got 2 side plates of coleslaw for Will and I. I love this type of home made coleslaw, the large pieces of cabbage hold and maintain the bold sour flavour throughout, I could eat endless amounts of it. 


+Lilian ordered Steak on a Kaiser and Onion Rings. The kaiser was delicious, the steak was extremely tender and soft. She only topped it with ketchup and tomatoes but it really brought out the meaty flavour. The onion rings were also a nice addition to our already huge meal. The onion was thick with minimal batter but I did find it quite greasy just on the plate with no paper to catch the oil. 

We had 1 piece of haddock, some fries, onion rings, oh and 1 old-fashioned bottle of Coke to bring home that we couldn't finish, so we didn't do too bad. Everything totaled was probably around $40.

It was by-far one of the best fish and chips I've had, they did everything just right. Someone there ordered a Souvlaki dinner that I saw and that looked incredible also, so I don't think you can go wrong with anything there. Awesome joint run by a friendly staff, but most importantly, the food was great.

Food: 4.5/5 - Hefty portions & well-made food. 

Decor: 3.5/5 - Nicely lit and simply decorated.
Service: 4/5 - Friendly and attentive guys.
Willingness to come back: 4.5/5 - If I'm ever in Mississauga again lol.
Overall: 4/5
Website: http://www.topnotchfishandchips.com/

Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill

Date Visited: Summerlicious Lunch on Saturday Jul 6, 2013 
Company: Party of 9, SJ reUnion

Summertime is upon us which means for me, reunions over Summerlicious meals! I checked out many of the menu options online and we had decided on Pure Spirits because I wanted to go to a seafood restaurant and they had a nice variety of dishes to satisfy the different tastes in our group. Pure Spirits is also located in the nice Toronto neighbourhood of the Distillery District which I thought would be a nice hang-out location prior or post lunch.

It was an extremely hot Saturday afternoon so we decided to sit on the patio to enjoy the beautiful weather. We had made a reservation for 12 people that apparently they could only do two tables of 6, but our group on the day of was only 9 which they were nicely able to accomodate. Their patio area was huge and I was checking out other people's foods and drinks on the walk to our table. Their drinks all were very pretty and they had a nice selection of Sangrias, Mojitos, and Virgin Cocktails all which were around $10 and $5 for the non-alcoholic drinks. I ordered a Rose Sangria that was $11 and quite pricey IMO but I usually don't order girly drinks like that so that might be their average price. It was very delicious though with pieces of green apple and lemon floating in the drink, but it wasn't as sweet as I was expecting it to be.
For the foods, I decided to go for the seafood dishes to  get the full experience of the oyster bar. Many of the other customers seemed to be having the mussels and it looked like a good portion size. After we placed our full order, we had a nice basket of rolls to enjoy. I've actually had never had Mussels Provencal before and was very excited to try them as I've only had them prepared in Chinese dishes. What I enjoyed about them after having a taste is how flavourful they were and the unique flavour they had. Who would think that the combination of white wine, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs would be so delicious? The broth was quite salty but I assume that is to get the flavour in the mussels because they were fine. The rolls were perfect for dipping the extra broth in, but I couldn't have too much of that either because of the saltiness.

For my entree, I ordered the Haddock and Chips. It was quite the toss-up between that and the Jerk Chicken Sandwich but I think either choice would have been good  because everyone seemed to be satisfied with their food well into the meal. The fish was extremely hot as it probably came straight out of the deep fryer and it didn't help with the beaming sun either which really exposed the oiliness. The haddock was very tender and just a nice looking piece of fish on the plate. The homemade tartar sauce didn't impress me much because it didn't have too much flavour, it was mostly mayo. There wasn't many fries on the plate either but it was a very filling amount overall so I'm glad they didn't try to overload you with it. The dill coleslaw was very refreshing and light, I'm usually impartial to coleslaw but this was a much needed complement to the dish.

To finish, I had the Peanut Butter and Cream Pie which was pretty unique, I've never had anything like it. The pie crust was quite sturdy and you could just eat everything inside without breaking the hard crust at all. It was topped with a rich peanut butter and a custard-like base. There was also a raspberry sauce at the bottom that gave the dessert a nice sour berry flavour. I wasn't really a fan of the peanut butter, I found it too sweet and had to have extra of the other elements to balance it out. It was a cute little dessert and concept but I wasn't the biggest fan. The custard was very good (but I love custard), but everything else was just okay. I found the combination of flavours kind of random and didn't find they went well together.

Food: 3.5/5 - Very satisfying Summerlicious meal :)
Decor: 4/5 - Large patio and cool interior.
Service: 3.5/5 - Waitress was really good to us!
Willingness to come back: 3.5/5 - If i was in the area, I'd definitely try to drop by but it is quite pricey. 
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://purespirits.ca/