Fishhook — Restaurant in Victoria

Oh my!!! This was an incredible experience for our group of 4. We were in the area having travelled from the US and vacationing in Victoria for a week. We had traveled all day and were hungry and exhausted. We stumbled upon this looking for a place close by they was open. I called and Mohit took my number and called back to tell me he had a table available for us. We arrived not knowing a thing about the restaurant. We were in for such a lovely experience. Mohit who I’m guessing was the owner was very attentive to us. He showed pride in his food and was eager to explain what was in each dish. We were unfamiliar with the cuisine. He made recommendations and even suggested we order entrees and split them. We ordered the seafood chowder and two other entrees. Oh my goodness!! Every thing we ordered was just delightful!! Subtle but definitely different spices blended in such a way that I would be unable to replicate. The chowder had salmon and halibut. The fish in each dish was fresh and tender. Hard to describe each dish order than to say each was wonderful. And the service was amazing. Mohit waited our table and was so very attentive to us!! When someone takes pride and pleasure in what he does he does it stands out. Clearly he was proud of what his restaurant offered. And so he should! We left exclaiming that it was actually an experience and far more than just a good meal for...

I'm in Victoria on business and eating at a ton of great restaurants, but fishhook is the one that will really stay with me. The food is inspired by the cuisine of Pondicherry, a region of southern India, where dishes have French, Indian and southeast Asian influences. The flavours are layered, delicate and fragrant. Fishhook uses fresh, local ingredients -- including a range of sustainably sourced west coast seafood -- in the service of Pondicherry style dishes. The portions are generous and the prices are great. I had a small seafood chowder, which had a delicate broth but a hearty serving of assorted local seafood. For my main, I had a dish called Pondicherry -- two wild fish koftas (fantastic!!) served on channa masala with rice, chutney, pickle and papadum. Hours later, my tastebuds are still buzzing. The fantastic food menu is complemented with an inventive drinks menu. I had the housemade ginger-lime soda. Lovely. All of this for $31! The interior is small, cozy and down-to-earth. Menu items are listed on the walls. Spare, wooden tables seat about 20-30 at a time. The open kitchen allows you to ogle at all of the amazing food they produce in very tight quarters. The service is excellent -- unfussy and warm. From now on, I'm going to visit fishhook every time I visit Victoria, and when friends come here, I'll make them eat at...

Well... another great spot! Was looking for a quick dinner and their reviews looked excellent, so we gave it a shot!

I asked our server, Sandip (hope I spelled that right!) For his recommendations, so we ordered the Vin’daloo’d Seafood Hot Pot and the Vegetable Pekoras.

Sandip surprised us with a small bowl of Fishhook Chowder, which was amazing. The flavors were excellent and very enjoyable. We could have been happy with just the chowder!

The pekoras arrived, and I was in love. The chili mint raita dip added an incredible aroma as I took my first bite of the yam pekora... wow. Incredible for such a simple dish.

The hot pot arrived, and the presentation was impressive. The broth was aromatic, and the seafood was plentiful! Beautiful mussels, lots of salmon and cod, and perfectly cooked squid. What a combination! Dunking the baguette into the sauce made for another great bite.

Our experience was absolutely fantastic. As it was close to closing, we were able to say hi to the chef (I feel horrible I can't recall his name now!) who was genuinely interested in how we enjoyed the food.

Before leaving we had a great conversation with Sandip about dining experiences and he was very knowledgeable and I enjoyed the conversation a great deal.

We will be back... you...