805 Fort Street
Victoria, BC
Phone:(250) 477-0470

I’m definitely hooked on a feeling that I’m really high in believing that there’s a lot of great fish to taste at an eatery aptly named Fishhook. They have been in operation since August, but I haven’t had the opportunity to visit until now — when I firmly decided I needed more fish in my diet.

Mind you, with such a delectable range of proteins to be found here (from black cod to salmon) I figured I might as well start from the top of the menu and work my way down. What I enjoyed with The Tuna Melt ($7 for 1 or $12 for 2) was first and foremost the wonderfully toasted bread.

This diner gets their supply from Irene’s Bakery and their commitment to high quality ingredients is to be commended. Even the fish are harvested with love. They are brought in from sustainable sources and are Oceanwise. The lusciousness of the raw albacore tuna was more than simply divine; the soft and light buttery texture melted in my mouth. It was served at the right temperature to make this meal very enjoyable!

When contrasted to a nicely crisped base, just what gelled with me was the scent of cheddar to turn me into a ravenous shark. Not a lot was used, because if it did, the contrasting ingredient would’ve overpowered the tuna. There were light spindles of a creamy tonnato sauce that added a gentle tang amongst the black seeds and green onion garnish.

During this day, I was hungry enough to drown myself on two of these open-faced sandwiches. I could’ve gone for more, but I had to exercise self-control. I had to wonder if the menu found to the side of me was placed there intentionally to entice me to eat more. I had to wonder what salmon belly bacon is, and if that can be sold separately to make at home. Unfortunately, that is not available (yet), and the name describes what it is exactly. Against the belly of any fish is where some fat exists and when sliced right, it can be crisped up. It’s not real bacon either, but when I have a love for these salty strips, I know I’ll be back to jump ship, er a couple of menu items down, to try this next.

That alone is enough to insure that I’ll be coming back into town a lot more just to visit this fine eatery located in Mosaic Village. Red Fish Blue Fish mastermind Kunal Ghose certainly has a winner. When considering this other operation has kind of fallen out of favour with me because of the lack of passion with how one particular side (namely their watery cole slaw) is made, I’ve never been as keen to return since only 80% of presented product is nicely done. With Fishhook, there’s one item to worry about and the careful attention to detail is what makes this a place to go to over a food truck type of operation. And besides, if people head here at the right time of day, there’s hardly any lineups to deal with!

I can sit back and enjoy their house made almond-milk chai tea. That helped soothe the old soul in me, and all I wished could happen was to be transported to a lodge with a nice roaring fire so I can sip this drink in luxury, in a velvet robe, and smoke a Cuban cigar afterwards. In a funny way, I could not help but be reminded of those Bruce Campbell Old Spice commercials. That’s because at Fishhook, I know I need it, want it, require more of it and will be back for more.

4½ Blokes out of 5