The Fish House - Take 2

A few months back I had shared a dissapointing trip to The Fish House in Stanley Park.  The gift certificate they had sent me as an apology has sat on my fridge for several months as a constant reminder to try again.  When I went to look at the gift certificate thinking it was about time to use it I was unpleasantly surprised to find that it had expired.  I took the chance that if I called them they might still let me use it.  This time their customer service was top notch.  I made reservations for the following day for afternoon tea and invited my mother and mother in law to join my little boy and me.  It was like night and day from the moment we were escorted in and guided to a lovely table by the window.  Our server was pleasant and attentive our food delightful.  Never have I tasted such a lovely scone!  When I asked if perhaps we could order an appetizer off the dinner menu our server apologized and said unfortunately no.  Without a word to us he in fact went in to ask the kitchen and was able to offer us the muscles on a hot skillet with the chorizo sausage!  This dish was one of our favorites from the menu at the since closed Cannery.  So sad to see it go but nice to know that it lives on through it's sister restaurant.  The afternoon was a success and thanks to the attentive and pleasant staff at the Fish House we will be back!

Better luck next time!

For a family gathering we recently chose The Fish House in Stanley Park to celebrate. I am all for going out especially when the evening was an adult only affair! In my lifetime living in the lower mainland I have never had the opportunity to go there and was looking forward to it. In usual FoodyMom style I checked out the menu ahead of time and planned what I would like to enjoy. They do many things well and some not so well.... The evening began with some of our party not paying attention and going to the wrong restaurant. By the time they arrived and we ordered our appetizers I was famished. To my great dismay the appetizer I chose was sold out (at 6:45pm) and we settled on a few others. They have adopted a few things from The Cannery (one of our favorite restaurants for many years until they had to close their doors due to zoning......) the lobster oil and balsamic vinegar with the fresh bread on the table. When our appetizers arrived they were impressive and quickly disappeared! That however was the only quick thing that evening. It seems the service although pleasant was scarce and we didn't even get our dinner order in until after the appy's vanished. When the dinner arrived I could not complain about mine and quite enjoyed the Salmon Wellington. The rest of the party did not however enjoy their meals the same way. Some dishes were cold and others over cooked. All in all the company and the wine were the best parts. Now most people would just walk away and never return. I however believe in sharing my opinion as a consumer and a foody which is exactly what I did. I wrote them an email to express my satisfaction with respect to some items and dissatisfaction with others. I can say that I am pleased at their response. They accept accountability for the the things they can change and took my comments to heart. They offered us a chance to return and my husband and I will. Hopefully next time I will have only good things to share!