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'Would you like coffee or tea?" the general manager at Dundarave Fish Market kindly inquires when I sit down to lunch with Joely Collins, the vivacious Vancouver actress.

Coffee or tea?

Collins shoots me a worried look. I shake my head emphatically. There may be many teetotallers among the ladies who typically lunch at this cozy fish shop-cum-restaurant deep in the heart of West Vancouver -- and Collins did recently move to this neck of the woods. We, however, are here to celebrate the Vancouver International Film Festival premiere of Almost Heaven, Collins' new film in which she stars as the hilarious host of a fly-fishing television show and also served as executive producer.

"I think we'll have wine," I reply.

"A bottle," Collins adds. "We're not really coffee-and-tea girls."

We should actually be drinking scotch, in keeping with the theme of the movie. The story revolves around a self-destructive Canadian director (played by Donal Logue), who is hauled in to save his ex-wife's sinking show and cast off to an idyllic river set in rural Scotland, where he finds new love and redemption, if not sobriety.

We'll settle for white. "Or rosé," Collins suggests.

"We don't have any rosé," the server apologizes.

"No rosé," Collins cracks in mock horror.

"That's it. We're out of here."

This is definitely going to be a fun lunch. And a crisp bottle of Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc ($52) is the perfect starter.

"Fruity and fresh," Collins happily exclaims after the first sip. "This is a total breakfast wine."

Almost Heaven doesn't have its premiere until Monday night, but Collins is already on glamour patrol. Within a few hours, she'll be strutting her stuff at the Brightlight Pictures pre-festival, red-carpet soirée. Heavy carbohydrates are not recommended.

"I have to fit into a little black dress," she says, perusing the menu. "Protein and lettuce, please."

Her cell phone rings. "It's dad," she says. "I'll call him later."

Dad is Papa Phil. Yes, that Phil Collins, the Grammy and Academy Award-winning international superstar who is perhaps still best known as the lead singer and drummer of Genesis. He legally adopted Joely after marrying her mother, Andrea Bertorelli, in 1975.

They've been long divorced, but the whole extended family is still very close and obviously supportive. Dad has written the theme song for Almost Heaven, although it won't be added to the soundtrack until the film gets it theatrical release this spring.

Dad, alas, never taught his daughter how to fish. Collins learned how to cast a fly with the help of Cathy Ruddick, an instructor from Maple Ridge, where the film's river scenes were shot.

"She was amazing," Collins enthuses. "Even on a windy day, with a helicopter flying overhead, she could nail the fly exactly where she wanted it."

Collins says learning how to fish gave her a new respect for the species, but she still loves to eat it, so long as it's not wiggling on her plate.

"I was in a Japanese restaurant once -- in Vancouver, although I won't mention the name - when someone ordered the lobster sushi. The chef took a live lobster, chopped it in half and put the head and the claws on ice," she recalls with a grimace.

"The little guy was still moving when they took it to the table! And then it grabbed the woman's chopstick and wouldn't let go. She started tugging at it and tried to eat him while he was still doing that robot thing with his claws. I was so disgusted. I appreciate fresh, but that was too much."

Fortunately, our Rip Tide Squid ($8.50) is nicely fried without being chewy.

"Mmm, I like it," Collins murmurs approvingly, dipping the gooey, chili-coated morsels into a side pot of tobiko aioli.

Collins once tried going vegetarian, but it proved to be a work hazard for an actress who has to watch her figure.

"All that rice and beans -- I gained 10 pounds and felt bloated all the time," she explains.

Mind you, the catering on her the U.K. leg of her film set wasn't much better. "The Scots have the worst diet in the entire world. Everything is deep fried.

"But at least in Europe, you can have beer or wine with lunch," she adds. "I don't know if it's a union rule or a cultural difference, but you do not drink at lunch on film sets in Canada."

You don't get fed anything too fancy, either, unless you're on an American show that has a lot of money to blow. "Apparently on The X-Files, they had lobster lunches with white tablecloths and silver cutlery," she confides.

The décor at the Fish Market is rustic, but comfy. We requested the private room upstairs and it feels like a homey attic den with its hardwood floors and bouncy banquettes built into slanted walls, and scattered with jewel-toned throw cushions.

The courses that follow are just as pleasing. The Tug Boat Lettuce Wrap ($10.95) is a do-it-yourself dish that comes with a big bowl of hoisin chile-glazed albacore tuna (well done), a zesty wasabi and sesame aioli, and giant leaves of romaine. Collins enjoys it so much, she takes the leftovers home.

"I'm actually a good cook, I'm just lazy," she laughs.

She has no complaints about Vancouver's culinary offerings when compared to Los Angeles, where she also spends a lot of time. But she's constantly dismayed by her home city's casual sartorial habits.

"I love the relaxed vibe, but I'd really like to see a little more glamour," she says. "I'm a dress-up girl. I hate that no one dresses up for anything. And I really don't like seeing sneakers and jeans at film openings. There's a time and a place to bust out a glamorous dress and a great pair of shoes."

For Collins, that time is tonight. And it's a good thing we came to the Dundarave Fish Market, where they obviously cater to a body-conscious clientele. The specialty here is fresh fish, ordered by weight and prepared with several choices of sauce and seasoning.

We decide to share the six-ounce spring salmon ($22) with key-lime tequila butter. It's served with a huge mess of grilled vegetables (shallots, carrots, spaghetti squash, zucchini and turnips) -- but not potatoes. "We're pretty much a starch-free zone," the waiter explains.

"Welcome to West Vancouver, Beverly Hills of the north," Collins quips as we howl. Must've been the wine, because it certainly wasn't the tequila lime butter, which was disappointingly light. Still, Collins approves overall and will return.

"It was good quality food, in a relaxed atmosphere, with friendly service," she declares. "The waiter was very thoughtful and accommodating, without too much fuss. I feel like we've been taken care of."

Coffee?

No thanks. We have to get dressed.

Dundarave Fish Market is located at 2423 Marine Dr., West Vancouver; 604-922-1155.