With halibut season kicking off this month, we’re diving into a fishy faceoff. We brought in chefs Mona Sleiman of Quench Catering and Anthony Rose of Fat Pasha to judge a blind taste test between Toronto’s top fish and chips spots: the classic Olde Yorke and the hipster fave Sea Witch.
Let’s reel in the winner!
First up is Olde Yorke’s New England–style chowder. Mona and Anthony both agree it’s super creamy, but Mona thinks it’s a bit too starchy with all the potato. Next the Witches Brew from Sea Witch. Both chefs agree this chowder is chunkier and has more going on, but Anthony thinks it doesn’t pack the flavour punch they were expecting.
Olde Yorke: Mona: 6, Anthony: 6.5
Sea Witch: Mona: 6, Anthony: 6
Both Mona and Anthony are impressed with Olde Yorke’s crispy, flaky fish. They both say that the fries are good and both enjoy the tartar sauce. Next, Sea Witch’s fish and chips stand out with a crispy, juicier batter. The fries are crunchy and the tartar sauce is a hit. Mona enjoys the larger pieces of fish but finds it a bit heavy.
Olde Yorke: Mona: 8, Anthony: 7.5
Sea Witch: Mona: 7, Anthony: 8
The chefs dive into Olde Yorke’s deep-fried Mars bar and vanilla ice cream. Anthony doesn’t really taste the chocolate bar, but both agree it’s surprisingly rich. They next try Sea Witch’s deep-fried Oreos. Anthony finds them a bit too rich, and Mona likes the Oreo flavour but isn’t thrilled with the dryness of the cookie.
Olde Yorke: Mona: 7, Anthony: 7.5
Sea Witch: Mona: 6, Anthony: 7
FINAL SCORE: Olde Yorke: Mona: 21, Anthony: 21.5 Sea Witch: Mona: 19 Anthony: 21
WINNER: OLDE YORKE!
