Are you looking for a new spot to grab the perfect fish n’ chips? Look no further than the Sea Witch on St. Clair West. There’s a lot of love in the Sea Witch, and listening to owners you can hear it. The spot is owned by a husband and wife team, Kevin Kowalczyk and Jacki Strahl. They decided to open up the shop after living in the neighborhood for 8 years. The St. Clair West neighborhood is very supportive and supports niche foodie spots.
The menu is simple and focused, featuring 5 different types of fish: haddock, halibut, arctic char, cod, pickerel. Everything on their small menu is homemade, including the tarter sauce and coleslaw. They try to keep things as local as they can, including fresh produce. As Oceanwise partners. They try to source sustainable as much as they can. 20%-25% of their menu is always Oceanwise.
A hearty bowl of chowder ($6) starts off our meal, and features large chunks of fish, carrots and potatoes. It’s a simple but filling dish, and a great start to the meal. I’m not a hug fan of coleslaw, but the above is made in house, and is a great value at $4.
Next, we have fantastic fish cakes made with halibut ($13). The fish cakes are perfectly moist with a crisp coating. After they’re formed, the fish cakes are so delicate that they need to be refrigerated before they can be handled. I could eat five of these!
We are then served up a plate of towering onion rings ($5). Thick and hearty, these are rings worth writing home about. Onion rings are cut daily from fresh, local yellow onions and they are battered and fried to order. One order of onion rings takes up an entire fish pan. Because of this, they don’t serve onion rings on Fridays because it gets pretty busy.
Finally, it was time for the real deal- the halibut fish and chips ($15)! The fish has a nice, golden brown coating. This is from the beef tallow that its fried in. This makes a delicious difference! The fish was flaky and light, and I didn’t find the fish to be greasy.
The chips are nothing to sneeze at either. Each evening, chips are cut by a dedicated staff member in their chipper in the open prep area. The dedication pays off, as I found myself dreaming of these fries! Yum.
If you somehow find yourself with extra space after that meal, grab one of Jacki’s mini desserts. I’m a fan of the shortbread!
Sea Witch is at 636 St Clair Avenue West, Toronto
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