OAK BAY SEAFOOD — Restaurant in Oak Bay

Ordered lunch here 3 times in 4 days! The quality of the seafood stands above all else. But the recipes are mostly good, not great. Additionally, some items have been inconsistent.

Items Ordered - Salmon Belly Bites (Small) Fish Stew (Large) Red Cabbage Slaw (Small & Large) Fish Tacos (Halibut & Salmon) Fried Oysters (Small) Wasabi Aioli Chipotle Mayo

The Bad Fish Stew - much too light on meat, over powered by dill, a moderate amount of spice, didn’t taste any of the seafood between the dill and heat. Missing bread & butter that was mentioned in the description. At $17+ on Skip, this was a serious disappointment. Every other fish item I’ve ordered has had significantly more meat for less money.

The Okay Fish Tacos (Tuesday Special) - Quality fish! Fresh! Great flavour! Well cooked! But the taco shell, salsa, and slaw paired with it was underwhelming. Large size, loaded with a massive amount of meat which was appreciated but unfortunately left the taco unbalanced. Would prefer 3/4 tacos with less meat each. Got both Halibut & Salmon, each has a different marinade/treatment, otherwise the same toppings. Have to commend Oak Bay Seafood for updating their app menu with limited availability specials!

The Good Red Cabbage Slaw - A little over dressed upon first ordering, second time it was a little under. Now, I prefer a lightly dressed slaw so it was better the second time. Dressing itself was thin and light. It paired nicely with the fat of the fried oysters. Order the large - 3 to 4 times the quantity for double the price.

Fried Oysters - Perfectly cooked, as is to say for all of the seafood from here. Not chewy, exceptionally tender, crisp batter. Paired well with the chipotle mayo, and the slaw. I did try to order these late Tuesday afternoon and they were sold out, but no problems ordering as first thing on Thursday.

Wasabi Aioli - not a big fan of wasabi, but pleasantly surprised by how well balanced it was!

Chipotle Mayo - great accompaniment to fried items, like the oysters. More heat than smoke.

Salmon Bites Day Two - as pictured on Skip/DD, soy glaze & sesame, tender meat, delicious but disappointing compared to…

The Holy Grail Salmon Bites Day One - 11/10 I considered not reviewing this item, as to keep it a secret for myself, they were just so incredible. Perfectly tender meat, crisp skin and in a similar but different sauce than pictured/received on day two. It was darker and thicker. It seems that they might have used a different brand of soy sauce OR substituted fully/partially the sugar with molasses/brown sugar OR left the sauce to reduce on the stove longer than normal OR a combo of all three. And that sauce pushed this excellent item to another level. In an odd way, they reminded me of chicken wings - tender meat, crisp skin, coated in a thick and sticky glaze. This item comes with a side sauce, and I tried it with Wasabi Aioli but it only detracted from the excellent glaze that was already on the salmon.

Now, why write a review about a fluke? Well, because I’m pleading with the owners of Oak Bay Seafood to investigate what was different about the Monday, July 29th sauce and consider changing the recipe. Getting these bites, with this sauce -despite being the same order as the Fish Stew- is what pushed myself to order twice more. It cannot be understated how good this dish was!

Overall Comments Service - As all of my orders were done with apps (Skip & DoorDash), I can’t comment on in-person service. Items were all packaged and bagged well. Packaging was compostable, or recyclable. No napkins as per BC law! First place I’ve seen in compliance. :)

Value - The seafood is a great quality, and a large quantity for the price! However, it seems sides like fries, slaw, soup/stews and sauces are priced at a premium which is unorthodox. Although, in my books it all shakes out in the wash, given the quality and value on the...

Just ate here and since we moved to Victoria we have been searching for the best seafood, well we found it! You can eat in or on the patio, very simple tables and chairs. I had the oysters, big plump and cooked to perfection, and the tartar sauce was super good. My husband had the halibut and chips and loved it. A big chunk of Halibut with a light batter nice and juicy. The chips were crisp and crunchy to the last bite. The staff was super and the place was clean. They said if we called ahead they would cook a crab and have it ready for us to eat when we arrived. We will definitely do that. Prices were very reasonable and all the fresh fish looked beautiful. We will be getting our fish here and eating here. YOU GOTTA...

In our two visits, we had their fish and chips, popcorn shrimp, risotto, calamari, and chowder. We also chose to grab a few things from the freezer, the ahi tuna, squid and a Seafood Pot Pie.The popcorn shrimp had hardly any coating on it and was mostly soft. The pot pie was terrible. Brought it to the office and baked it in our oven at work and the strong fish smell stank up the entire place and the smell lingered the next 2 days. Not only that, it was a single portion of what seems like leftover chowder with puff pastry on top. It was runny, smelly, expensive and didnt taste good. On a positive note, the staff are helpful and friendly, the rest of our meals were tasty. Definitely do not recommend...