Fishermans Wharf

A look at the inside of the restaurant - this is the whole place...tiny!

As mentioned in my last post, we went to a couple of restaurants this past weekend.  One of which was the Fishermans Wharf on Richmond, in downtown Toronto.  My boyfriend surprised me with this one.  It's a place I have wanted to check out, as they have been in business 38 years, and have been voted as Toronto's top seafood restaurant several times.  I've also read a couple of reviews in Toronto Life over the years, and my mouth waters every time.

The only problem was that we had the kids, and this is not a cheap place to eat.  But as my boyfriend reminded me several times throughout the night, it was for my birthday and we don't do this all the time.  Ok, fine. 

The restaurant is tiny, and seems a bit stuffy when you first walk in.  I could see the servers baulking at us because we brought kids with us; it was rather funny.  The first thing I did after being seated was take the girls to the bathroom downstairs, out of earshot, to have a little chat with them about acting like 'ladies'.  We even practiced holding our pinkies up as we sipped our imaginary drinks.  They got a kick out of this and I figured if I made it fun, they would actually listen.  I have to say, they were great, so it must have worked.  They behaved, and acted very mature...until I got a little wine in me, and my BF and I got them going.  Oh well.

We ordered starters and a bottle of wine.  The kids shared "Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail and Gazpacho" which speaks for itself.  The shrimp were huge, and served in a martini glass with a gazpacho and vodka salsa on the side.  They enjoyed it.

I ordered the Baked Oysters.  These were incredibly rich and delicious.  Almost too rich, but I was in the mood to indulge.  The oysters were baked with pancetta, baby spinach, diced tomatoes and parmesan cheese in a creamy white wine sauce.  Creamy is an understatement.  Check out the picture below.

Fishermans Wharf Baked Oysters - $16.00

My BF ordered the Scallops and Margarita.  It was explained to us that these were ceviche (or raw, which was enunciated for us, as if we didn't understand... 'that means raw'...yea, thanks).  I have never actually ventured into the world of raw fish, so I was actually looking forward to trying these puppies out (I did know the definition of ceviche though).  They were marinated with tequila, green onions, cilantro, ginger, lime juice and fresh mango and served in a margarita glass.  It was great, and the consistency wasn't what I had imagined raw scallops to have.  I'm assuming the citrus assisted in the cooking process.  Picture below...

Fishermans Wharf Scallops and Margarita - $14.00

At this point, after the appetizers, I was beginning to see how truly great the service was at this place.  I would be taking my last sip of wine, and before I placed my glass down on the table, a server was there to pour me more (that's probably why we went through 2 bottles!).  They were very polite and attentive, and I appreciated that quite a bit.  There is a fine line between attentive and annoying.  They were on the positive side of that line the entire night.

For dinner, my older daughter and BF ordered the same meal, the Lobster Fettuccine.  This was described as fettuccine with wild mushrooms, diced tomato and fresh asparagus, in olive oil and white wine sauce, drizzled with black truffle oil and topped with black caviar.  My daughter was a little hesitant about the caviar, since she didn't know what it was, but we assured her that it was just 'salty seasoning' (why tell her the truth?  It tastes like salty seasoning, I knew she wouldn't know the difference).  She also asked for her dish without mushrooms, but my BF left everything as is.  I tasted his, and it was incredible.  There were large chunks of lobster, and the sauce was great.  Everything was so fresh.



Fishermans Wharf Lobster Fettuccine - $29.00

My younger daughter ordered the Southwestern BBQ Fettuccine.  On the menu this was described as southwestern spiced and grilled chicken breast with black and green olives, diced tomatoes, and red chili flakes in light tomato salsa.  I didn't try hers, but it looked great.  She hates onions and won't eat anything with them, so the poor kid spent 20 minutes digging through her dish removing every onion that she could find.  Once her meal was onion-free though, she seemed to really enjoy it.



Fishermans Wharf Southwestern BBQ Chicken Fettuccine - $20.00

And than there was dessert.  Aaah, dessert. 

Who doesn't love a sweet treat after an amazing meal?  Regretfully, I didn't get a picture of this, because we dug in so fast that I didn't have a chance.  The kids ordered the Trio Cheesecake dish which was supposed to be a piece each of chocolate, New York, and creme brulee cheesecake.  When they brought it out, the server explained that they did not have any creme brulee cheesecake left, so he brought a creme brulee instead.  My BF and I shared this. 

Let me start by saying I don't normally like creme brulee.  Every time I have ever tried this, no matter where I go, it just tastes like caramel pudding to me.  Nothing to get excited over.  But this creme brulee was OUTSTANDING.  I could not believe how creamy and rich it was.  I could taste the cream, and the hint of caramel flavor..the vanilla bean..oh my, it was such a delight for the taste buds.  Like really.  Totally amazing.

Other offerings on the Wharf's menu included a variety of salads (ranging from $8-$32 depending on the seafood in it and whether it was a side salad or entree).  There were many seafood dishes including salmon, sole, sea bass, Tasmanian sea trout, and black cod (ranging from $20-$32). 

On the cover of their menu, they feature their award winning seafood platter which includes lobster, scallops, oysters, shrimp, mussels, and I'm sure a few other tasty seafood delights.  I did see a couple of people order this and it looked great.  You can get this platter for one for $70.00 or for two for $100.00. 


Fishermans Wharf Seafood Platter

They also had several pastas to choose from ($20-$29), a whole slew of shell fish dishes including lobster, shrimp, crab legs, and scallops ($25-$32), and of course beef options as well; ribs, rib eye steaks, striploins ($23-$29).

All things considered, this was a fantastic but expensive meal.  Our bill came to $365.  My BF tried to hide it from me - he knew this would inevitably cause a heart attack right in the middle of the dining room. I saw it though, and I almost died.  Thank goodness this isn't a regular occurrence for us, and that's the only way I can justify spending a small fortune on one meal.

Thank you darling BF for a wonderful birthday meal.  It was one that will be hard to forget.  I can still taste the creme brulee....mmm...