Finest At Sea Seafood Market and Food Truck — Restaurant in Victoria

The Good, The Decent , and the just ,plain ,Boring at the Finest at Sea food cart . The time was about 5 PM and the sun was just relaxing its wonderful grip on the beautiful city of Victoria. We were hungry and staying nearby at the Coast hotel. We decided to try the seafood cart outside of the Seafood market on Erie street. We had walked by many times in the past and were always intrigued by their offerings. Having purchased delicious smoked fish at the market, we figured that some of that tastiness from the Seafood Market must have surely rubbed off on the Finest at Sea food truck. We ordered 3 items----the seafood chowder, the salad with the add-on of the Seafood Market's cold smoked tuna , and finally also , the interesting and different sounding Kelp !!! pakoras. Service was efficient and friendly , and we received our order in about 10 minutes. There is table seating on the grass strip in the front of the food truck and additional seating around the corner. Being located directly across from the park , opens up a 3rd option as well. Ambience was relaxed and nice around the cart. Now for the food----------------------- First--the Good ---the salad with the smoked tuna. This mixed salad was a generous portion of various greens, root veggies , and of course a nice portion of the tuna as well. The preserved lemon dressing was the perfect accompinament and balance to this salad. Definitely would order this again! The decent----- the Kelp pakoras were served with a parsley type chimichurri sauce as a side dipping sauce, They were fried crispy dark brown with the kelp providing a slightly crunchy and chewy texture . Funky Indian flavors with a bit of spicy heat, rounded out this decently prepared pakora. The only downside was that the pakoras were a bit greasy ( possibly needed to change the oil??). The Boring---the seafood chowder. I really wanted to like this. Again , being attached to the Seafood Market, I expected seafood in the chowder!!! None surfaced in the chowder .... not a clam, not a sliver of fish, not even a shrimp husk. NADA . After deep diving into the chowder, I managed to bring up only wedges of potatoes and a few fragments of red type veggie bits. Where is the SEAFOOD???? in the SEAFOOD chowder???? Disappointed , and saddened by what could have been a good if not great experience. With so much seafood to choose from in the Vancouver Island waters and a seafood market to pick from, this should have been wayyyyy better. Prices were mid range but because of the chowder let-down, I felt a bit gyped at the cart. Final Take---Again , I would return for that tasty salad , but...

So I came to Finest at Sea because of all the good reviews...but I am legit shocked. I even had to double check to make sure we went to the right place...we did.

When it comes to the Fish and Chips itself, it was honestly terrible... I got the halibut, upon opening the box the deep fried fish was soggy...like very VERY soggy. I don't remember the last time I got fish and chips that were so soggy. When I cut into it, the batter just fell off the fish completely, the batter would not stay on this fish (kinda like crappy hole in the wall pub fish and chips)...worst of all was the flavor...as someone who knows the industry, this did not taste like fresh Halibut. In fact, it had very little if any flavor at all... was it pre-frozen? did I go on a bad day? was it old? (it was a holiday IE Truth and Recociliation), did the person making my order mess up? I really don't know, but I am honest when I say it had to be some of the worst Fish and Chips I've had in Victoria...which sucks because I love fish and chips and this place isn't exactly cheap for the amount you get.

The piece I got looked nothing like the pictures other people have posted. Not even the slightest bit crispy...the piece I got was also kinda small for the price but that being said if it was good fish and chips, I would have been happy with that size anyway. The piece was pretty meaty but it didn't matter as much since the flavor was almost non-existent...The only good things I can say about this place was that the Tartar sauce was very good (probably house made), the fries were also good and the service was VERY nice and plessant. I really did want to give these guys a good review because they were very nice...but the fish was just so bad I can't...for the price I can't come back here or recommend it. And since I came here because of all the good reviews, I have to leave my honest opinion of my experience. I've had random pub fish and chips that were...

The event: Preparing for our 10th wedding anniversary we were holding a large BBQ and needed ice to fill a canoe.

The plan: We would fill the canoe with basic non food safe ice as it was for cooling beverages. Fish mongers went through a ton of ice.

The business: on a Thursday I attended the site and asked if they did ice sales. They said yes. I asked for 300-400lbs worth. They said that they might not be able to do the full 400 but they could help me out. I asked when should I pick up. They said bring coolers or vessels and come Saturday morning as they would have staff to shovel.

Saturday: We had purchased a large clean garbage can for $50 and grabbed a bunch of coolers. I drove 35km (and 35back) there and to my surprise I was told they had no note of my order there and I was gruffly told I couldn't have any ice, as in none. No offer of compensation or looking into it.

The cost: $50 for garbage can, $25 in fuel, $200 at another way more expensive ice place as it was last minute.

The understanding: I understand mistakes happen and our order being lost falls under that. How it was handled and my subsequent dismissal is why I am beside myself, I expected so much more from such a reputable business.

Update Dec6 2023: as of this date the owners have not addressed this review while commenting on others. Just makes me...