Grandin Fish ’N’ Chips in Edmonton serves fish that is mild and flaky, but coated in batter that is utterly flavourless. Its on-point room dressing does little to salvage the lack of seasoning and unbalanced desserts.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
Grandin Fish 'N' Chips is a fast-casual seafood joint on the southern perimeter of Edmonton's downtown. It's right next door to sister gastro-lounge The Common, but despite shared parentage, the vibe is decidedly laid-back. The room is dressed appropriately in navy blue and white, and fishing paraphernalia adorns the walls with considerable restraint.
The entire space has an old-timey feel: the strains of Elvis, Chuck Berry and The Supremes linger in the air and the chinaware is old-school. There's a stunning view of the government buildings through the big picture windows, but how well does seafood hold up this far inland?
Grandin's menu includes various permutations of fish and chips, such as basa, cod, haddock, or "of the day," three salads, and a few features that range from fried escargot and sausage rolls to a fish "double-down" (which reads more like a dare than a dish).
A decent wine list may be found on the menu's flip-side. A solid half-dozen cocktails are all rum-based – perhaps an homage to the quintessential sailor's spirit? Indeed, a classic daiquiri ($9) is rum-forward and lively with lime. A rum barrel ($9) is more or less an old-fashioned made with rum instead of whisky. It's an agreeable mix, but a comically oversized orange slice garnish precludes sipping from the glass.
All varieties of fish and chips come with slaw, fries and tartar sauce, though one may swap out the tartar for any other variety of sauce on Grandin's menu. Trading tartar sauce for Béarnaise adds a little kick to the fries (if one must be pedantic, Grandin's frites are clearly French fries and not the chunky chips that hail from across the pond), but does very little to bolster the flavour of the fish in haddock and chips ($14). It's a colossal let-down; though the haddock itself is mild and flaky, the batter is utterly flavourless. A side of garlic butter ($1.50) tastes like clarified butter cut with a few chives. The garlic, if any is present, is undetectable.
PEI mussels ($16) arrive in a pleasant white wine, butter and shallot sauce. The mussels are meaty and plentiful, though the few unopened shells ought to have been removed before serving. An accompanying baguette is a good vehicle for sopping up juices. Though Grandin's salad niçoise with seared saku tuna ($16) looks intriguing, it's sold out for the night. Green salad ($7) promises spinach and butter lettuce in a honey-truffle vinaigrette. The greens are fresh, but the dressing tastes more of honey than of truffle.
Desserts, billed as "Pudding," include a chocolate neptune ($7; flourless chocolate cake), blancmange, and banoffee pie. Though a flourless chocolate cake is generally safe territory, Grandin's has the peculiar texture of extremely underdone cake batter. A scoop of Earl Grey ice cream on top overpowers with heavy bergamot. It's woefully unbalanced. Indeed, lack of balance is an issue for Grandin Fish 'N' Chips; good seafood is clearly available inland, but without proper seasoning, it goes belly-up.