Fresh Off The Boat

If you’re strolling down Queen West looking for a low key spot to get a great meal, I know just the place. Fresh Off The Boat is a tiny joint on Queen and Spadina which, as you can probably gather from the name, serves all sorts of fried seafood goodness, usually in the form of a burger or roll. There are of course grilled options for all you clean eaters out there, but I would highly suggest scheduling your cheat meal the day you decide to pay it a visit.

On a rainy Tuesday, Nish and I made our way over to Fresh Off The Boat to blow off some steam after a very hectic few days. I ordered The FOB, the signature dish, while Nish opted for their Softshell Crab Sandwich. To be completely honest, I wanted to order the crab sandwich for myself and force Nish to get The FOB, but after bullying him into not getting the same thing as me when we went to The County General, I figured I’d let him have his way this time.

Deep fried catfish and kimchi cradled in a bun and topped off with aioli. Served with a side of fries and coleslaw.

A real thing of beauty. Difficult to get your hands around, but well worth the struggle. Remember, the best sandwiches are always the ones that play hard to get.

The SoftShell Crab Sandwich is quite literally an entire soft shell crab dipped in batter and thrown into the deep fryer.

If I’m to be completely honest, I wish it was topped off with aioli, but otherwise I thought it was delicious. Nish, on the other hand, vehemently disagrees and says it lacked flavour. I think the mistake he made was not putting the coleslaw to use.

Fresh Off The Boat is worth the visit if you’re in the neighbourhood looking for a quick bite to eat. A forewarning to the timid: it is extremely filling, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself waddling home afterwards; I recommend leggings.