On a night where my fellow residence mates and I didn't really feel like eating cafeteria food, one of them suggested to give The Fish Store a try. It was afterwards that I found out this place is rated the best sandwich shop in Toronto by blogTo!
The shop had a large bulletin board with raved reviews from news papers, different social domains, yelp, urbanspoon etc.
Their clam chowder. My friend really enjoyed it, saying it is creamy, rich with the sweetness of seafood etc. I also ordered a bowl of clam chowder and compared it to what I had in Seattle. My expectations of a clam chowder skyrocketed after my trip to Seattle last summer, and unrightfully so for a non-coastal city like Toronto. But I found that the chowder was more like mashed potatoes made into a soup with a few pieces of shrimp. There were no clams in my chowder except this small piece of shrimp in the picture above! Total opposite of Seattle. Yeah, it's safe to say Seattle changed my view on seafood forever.
(Read about my Seattle food adventures in a series of posts named "Sleepless in Seattle" here, here, here, here and here).
One of the most popular sandwiches from the shop. The grouper sandwich. This sandwich really earned the name for best sandwich shop in Toronto. The ingredients revolve around one very simple but crucial characteristic; freshness! The fish are delivered to the shop daily, sandwiches are made on the spot, and the bread comes from a local bakery delivering daily.
The basis of their sandwiches is their bread and fresh fish. The bread is crunchy on the outside, but cotton-candy soft and warm on the inside. It just makes you feel so cozy while eating it. Like I said, the fish is very fresh and succulent, which is necessary for a great sandwich. But what made this sandwich different from the rest is the yellow (what I would call it) fairy dust sprinkled on top of the sandwich. I couldn't quite put my fingers around the taste, but it kind of tastes like lemony honey mustard plus some secret ingredient. Whatever it is, it gives the sandwich dimensions and elevates it to the level of awesomeness.
My res mates' sandwich (their daily special) also sprinkled with that yellow fairy dust! I didn't try it though.
Overall Review:
Food: 9.5/10
The sandwich was exquisite, but the clam chowder just didn't do it for me personally.
Ambiance: 6.5/10
It was a cozy little shop, but a bit too cozy. There were two tables with two chairs and people had to leave (take out) because there weren't enough seats for them to dine-in. The sandwiches would be cold by the time they got home.
Price: 8.75/10
I think each sandwich is around 5-6$ but I needed the clam chowder also to make me full (sandwich + clam chowder around $10).
Service: 9/10
The owners were so nice and patient while we were deciding what to get. They're just all smiles. :) The food did take a bit of time to come, but I'm not complaining since they make it from scratch when you order.
Final Verdict: 9/10
I would definitely go back and try their other famous sandwich, the smoked salmon. I don't know what they put in the yellow powder, but they've got me hooked!
Address:
657 College St
Toronto, ON M6G 1B7
(416) 533-2822
Mon-Sat 11 am - 9 pm (I believe they don't have the hours on their website, so here you go :)
View Larger Map
