After a little hunting we found parking, not that easy on a sunny Saturday evening, and made our way to Boondocks. It has everything a good Nova Scotia tourist trap could want...
....light houses, lobster traps, a giant sign eating shark.
We were seated quickly in the large dinning room, there were a good number of people but it was by no means full to capacity. There were some nice looking seats out on the patio facing the ocean but as I have mentioned I am not really one for eating outdoors. inside the decor was... okay it was tacky, over the top tacky but in a way that doesn't surprise you about a place that has a giant sign eating shark bursting out of its roof. I can look past tacky if it is done right. Give me a break here I am trying to find good things to say ....
As I said we were seated quickly by a young woman who clearly had too much on the go. She rushed by us at lightning speed, never made eye contact, never told us her name. I appreciate the place was busy and I understand that food service is a stressful job ( I am not being sarcastic, I could not do food service I would have a total mental breakdown) but please for the love of Pete look me in the eye when you are speaking to me.... maybe that way you will remember my drink order.
However our food did come quickly...
Two HUGE pieces of fish, a plate full of fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce and ketchup. It looked glorious, artery clogging but glorious. I was literally salivating. Sadly however this is one of those times where the meal just didn't live up. (Like how KFC NEVER tastes as good as it smells)
First off the portion size was just too huge. I couldn't eat all that to save my life. I didn't even finish one of those colossal pieces of fish. It might have been a good dish to split if someone else had wanted fish and chips but in the end I think I just like being able to choose how many pieces come with my meal. The fish it's self was largely tasteless, it was white fish so most of the taste came from the batter and the grease both of which there was plenty of. Myself I am big fan of tartar sauce. It is a pretty easy recipe, even I can make a half decent tartar which is why I was so disappointed that my meal came with two tiny pre-packaged Kraft tartar cubes. I mean no disrespect to Kraft but come on.... You gave me half a tonne of fish here and two tiny little cubes of prefab sauce is not going to cut it.
Next up were the chips. A rare indulgence these days so I am little more picky then usual. What can I say, they were fries. They were bland and greasy because the fish leaked on to them. The didn't do it for me. Same with the coleslaw, a bit flavorless and boring. At the end of my meal I was full but in a icky greasy feeling way and not really satisfied.
Gil wasn't too hungry and he had a bit of a headache so he opted for a smaller meal in the form of seafood chowder. Because I love my life more then I love you I didn't try the big bowl of death although as always I forced my poor husband to point out to me which fish is which and try and describe the taste to me. Nothing on earth can convince me that scallops don't taste like marshmallow. Anyway I am no position to review this but I can tell you that when I asked my delightful, intelligent husband what he thought of it his replay was " It's Yiiicchhh" followed by the yucky face. When asked to please be more specific he explained, after he was finished rolling his eyes at me, that the soup/broth portion of the chowder was largely flavorless and seemed to consist mostly of white wine which he is not a fan of. His opinion was that the chef should learn to use some spices or herbs.
The bill came to about $35 which is by no means a wallet buster however neither of us loved our meal and the service was as lack luster as well. At the end of the day it filled an empty belly but I won't be running back to try again any time soon.
Also strike it off your list if you are looking for a meal later in the evening as they close at 8pm. No really I am not kidding, 8pm on a sunny July Saturday... that is just weird.
3 comments:
We often have family dinners and events at Boondocks, and I have yet to figure out why. I can whip up something tastier for a quarter of the price, and you're right, the 16 year old girls they hire are often far too scatter-brained to do the job right. I've worked in food service, it's stressful, but a smile and a hello will go a long way, and let's face it, it's customer service, BE GOOD TO YOUR CUSTOMERS!!
I have had the fish and chips there quite often, as it is the only thing on the menu remotely appealing to someone such as myself with a shellfish allergy. I usually opt for a salad instead of fries to balance out the grease.
I recommend the fish and chips from Warf Wraps...the serving size is huge, it's a full haddock fillet, but the batter is light and crispy, not soaked in grease and the fries are a little better. They do give you a monstrous amount of food, but the price is pretty good as well. :)
Oh I'm sad you didn't like it! It's one of Mike's family's favourites, although I wish I could vouche for it personally. I'm not saying I've had terrible experience there, just...well, okay, the only time I went there I was about a million months pregnant and we went with Mike's whole family, which at that time included an 11-month-old and a 4 1/2 year old. All I remember is waiting SOOOOOOOOOOO long for our food that I actually had to leave and go home to eat (did I mention I was a million months pregnant?). All I remember is waddling to the bathroom and back, hoping it would make the food come and, when it didn't, almost bursting into tears. After over an hour, I had to make Mike drive me home. I think his Mom dropped off my food to me on their way home. I don't remember how it was.
We go to Wharf Wraps, just around the corner, when we're in the mood for fish and chips on the waterfront.
Good prices, good-sized portions, and delicious food.
Check it out next time you're in the mood ^..^
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