Red Fish Blue Fish

A Visit From Eat Like a Girl

redfishbluefish — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:21:33 +0000

We were happy to have Niamh from eatlikeagirl.com pay us a visit during her tour of Vancouver Island. You can read about it here. Thanks Niamh!

Great Canadian Burgers: 5 Top Chef Recipes

redfishbluefish — Sun, 20 May 2012 03:38:29 +0000

By Ivy Knight

From Readers Digest Canada, June 2012

Qualicum Bay Scallop Burger

Fire up the barbecue and prepare for a taste explosion, because we’ve found five gourmet burgers from across the country that are sure to put your backyard grill on the map.

“There’s something about the candy-like sweetness of the scallops with the crunch of the tempura pickles and the rich tuna-belly bacon,” says Kunal Ghose, chef/co-creator of Red Fish Blue Fish in Victoria. “Combined with tangy tartar sauce and lemon-pickled onions, the Qualicum Bay Scallop Burger is my favourite on our menu.” Home chefs can try this simpler version starring scallops and double-smoked bacon. Serve on a Portuguese bun with tartar sauce and chopped pickled onions mixed in.

Click here for a step-by-step guide to preparing the Qualicum Bay Scallop Burger

Kunal on Top Chef Canada

redfishbluefish — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:46:18 +0000

High-stakes cookoff

16 chefs are competing for big prizes on Food Network Canada’s top-rated show

BY MICHAEL D. REID, TIMES COLONISTMARCH 17, 2012 7:08

It’s not as if Red Fish Blue Fish needs the publicity, but it’s inevitable when your executive chef appears on Top Chef Canada.

The funky seaside fish shack’s co-founder Kunal Ghose is one of 16 Canadian culinary hopefuls vying for $100,000 on Food Network Canada’s top-rated show, which began its second season this week. (It airs Mondays at 7 and 10 p.m. PT.)

Within days of his appearance on the first episode, a wave of first-timers have checked out the converted steel shipping container that houses the popular harbourfront restaurant.

Although it wasn’t Ghose’s motivation, the peripheral PR bonus is history repeating itself. The same thing happened after his tiny zero-waste eatery known for its biodegradable wood cutlery and sustainable seafood dishes, notably its fish tacones, was featured on Eat St. And business boomed after the stars of NBC’s Today show raved about the tempura salmon, halibut, seared Qualicum Bay scallops and curry chips they dined on during a whirlwind visit two years ago.

“I’ve just always wanted to be on the show,” says Ghose, a longtime fan of the American show Top Chef who made the cut after unsuccessfully applying to bring some zesty West Coast flavour to the Canadian spinoff last season.

“It’s been fun and pretty amazing. I love cooking. It’s a chance for me to express myself creatively.”

Ghose, 39, is one of three competitors with Vancouver Island connections. The others are Joel Aubie, 27, an avid surfer from Bathurst, N.B., who is head chef at Tofino’s Shelter Restaurant and worked at Wickaninnish Inn, and Carl Heinrich, 26, who hails from Sooke and worked at Camille’s, among other hotspots, before becoming executive chef at Toronto’s Marben.

It’s a friendly rivalry, says Ghose, noting Aubie even invited him to participate in Tofino’s Feast! culinary festival in May.

Since Top Chef Canada premièred last April, it has become Food Network Canada’s mostwatched series. In each episode, hosted by Indo-Canadian actress Lisa Ray (Water, Bollywood Hollywood), the chefs compete in challenges to test their culinary skills in the battle to win $100,000 courtesy of Kruger Sponge Towels and a $30,000 GE Monogram Kitchen.

Toronto chef and restaurateur Mark McEwan (Bymark, ONE) presides as head judge, with colourful Los Angeles restaurateur Shereen Arazm (Terroni, Geisha House) returning as resident judge, and celebrity judges helping to grill competitors.

Ghose admits even he was surprised he finished in the top four last week when challenged to create a dish that gives the judges a sense of their hometown. (Other top dishes were served by Curtis Luk, Trista Sheen and Elizabeth Rivasplata.)

“My mom’s British and Victoria’s a very fish-and-chippy type town,” said Ghose, explaining why he opted to create an Indian take on fish and chips with a nod to his half-Indian heritage. Influenced by his Bengali father and his mother of Scottish, Greek and Chilean heritage, Ghose says food has always been an adventure for him, and the kitchen his “playpen” as a child.

“I was definitely aiming to please you,” Kunal told Ray after creating his exotic fish and chips.

“It worked,” Ray replied, smiling.

Ghose said he took some ribbing off-camera for “playing it safe” and appealing to Ray’s heritage.

The toughest challenge he faced while taping in Toronto last summer was enduring the “almost unbearable heat,” he said.

“Being away from your loved ones and your business for a long period of time was also difficult,” he added. “It was the first time I had really stepped away in five years, but it gave everyone who works with me [at Red Fish Blue Fish] a chance to shine.”

While doing Top Chef Canada was an eye-opener, he says it wasn’t as daunting as some might expect.

“I’ve been cooking for a long time,” said Ghose, who managed a 60-item salad bar at age 13 and soon became a “kitchen grunt.” His many gigs since have included being kitchen manager at Cactus Club on Robson Street in Vancouver before being hired at Vancouver’s popular Go Fish, where he created his fish tacones, a Japanese hand roll/Mexican taco hybrid, during its infancy.

“Every challenge on Top Chef Canada is totally legitimate,” adds Ghose, recalling one of his first impressions. “There’s no editing or redoing stuff, which was amazing. They really switch it up. It’s fun, but it can be nerveracking.”

The most rewarding aspects, he said, included seeing just how such a show is put together and the element of surprise.

“It’s cool. You never know for sure what’s coming,” he said. “And you’re only as good as your last meal.”

Whatever fate awaits him, his passion for Red Fish Blue Fish, where he cooks three days a week, remains undiminished.

“I’ve developed an even greater love for cooking,” says Ghose, who recently celebrated his mother’s 70th birthday by creating an eight-course meal for her – a small-plates tasting menu based on food she used to make.

What keeps him going, he says, is the sense of pride that comes from running a “feel good” operation.

“You’re making so many people happy with food every day. What could be better than that?” mreid@timescolonist.com

View season two, episode one of Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada

Red Fish Blue Fish on Eat Street

redfishbluefish — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:22:40 +0000

Untitled from RedFish BlueFish on Vimeo.

Eat Street came to visit us last year! Here is a clip from the segment, as seen on Eat Street on The Food Network. If you want to see the entire episode, visit their site here.

Eat Street Video

redfishbluefish — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:24:29 +0000

The Hungry Traveller

redfishbluefish — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:56:03 +0000

Wake up to great taste in once-sleepy Victoria

Appeared: in the globeandmail

by SARAH MACWHIRTER

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Approach this takeout joint from behind, and you’ll see two cargo containers sitting on the dock alongside big recycling and composting bins. Get closer and you’ll see people – not seagulls – buzzing around, placing orders, downing first servings and ordering more to take home. The most popular item is the barbecued wild salmon tacones. One bite and you’ll see why. The taste of the grill on the wrap and the unexpected flavours inside (sweet-smoked chili adobo, pea shoots and lemon pickled onions) will have you wishing you could stay and soak up the view of kayakers, float planes, sailboats and old-fashioned tour boats in the inner harbour, while testing all the fare on the sustainable Ocean Wise menu. (The Fanny Bay Oyster Sandwich, with golden shallot aioli, tartar, tempura dill pickle and lemon pickled onions, comes highly recommended.) But the harbour is beautiful, the autumn sun is shining, twentysomethings are singing on the breakwall, and the next food stop is calling your name. 1006 Wharf St. (on the pier); 250-298-6877; www.redfish-bluefish.com.

Six meals in Victoria, B.C.

redfishbluefish — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:12:00 +0000

October 4, 2008

Six meals in Victoria, B.C.

Appeared: in the Toronto Star.

by
Richard Ouzounian
Theatre Critic

RED FISH, BLUE FISH, 1006 Wharf St., 250-298-6877: This new spot instantly became one of my favourite seafood places anywhere. It’s right on the pier, strictly no-frills, but the food is world class, especially their variety of Fish Tacones and their unforgettable spicy Seafood Poutine. The prices are low, the vibe is chill and – if you needed one more reason – they only cook sustainable seafood … yes, it’s a Green Fish, too.

A Star Upon Thars

redfishbluefish — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:14:37 +0000

Appeared Originally in Monday Publications Monday Magazine

By James Russell

Red Fish Blue Fish serves the best dish.

I usually like to wait a couple of months before reviewing a new eatery, but the enormous buzz about a brand new, environmentally proactive waterfront gourmet chippy and seafood taqueria impelled me to break the rules. I had managed to make it this far into summer without treating myself to fish and chips so I was ready, and from the rave reviews I had heard through the grapevine, I figured Red Fish Blue Fish was as well. Maybe you’ve heard about it too–the rooftop garden, a commitment to recycling and (finally!) an approval to operate out of a renovated shipping container right on the docks of Victoria’s inner harbour. The only hitch is they aren’t allowed to set up tables on the dock, so seating consists of some funky little stools that can double as tiny tables in a pinch. (I wonder if they ever thought of calling it Red Tape, Green Fish?)

High-end local fresh seafood is the catch here, thus combining the informal fun of take out fish ‘n’ chips with the quality, taste and aesthetics of gourmet cuisine. And like most of today’s conscientious chefs and restauranteurs, the folks at RFBF embrace many of the principals (simultaneously common sense and revolutionary) of the slow food movement and the 100-mile diet. Add a menu where 100 percent of the seafood is guaranteed ocean-friendly by the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise initiative and a policy that all the waste–yes all of it–is dealt with by reFUSE food waste and recycling company, and you’ve got yourself a leader in the ever-growing sustainable food movement.

And wow, is the food ever good! We rarely get to the water downtown but this night w found ourselves on a gorgeous sunny evening on the docks at the foot of Broughton Street perusing a menu that features fresh local wild salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, Fanny Bay oysters and Qualicum Bay scallops, served in a surprisingly varied number of ways for a tiny take-out restaurant.

Let’s star with the fish and chips. Choose from halibut, salmon and cod, and when you hear the crunch of the light tempura and taste the freshness of the fish, you too will know that this may very well be the best battered fish in town. There’s none of that greasy heavy feeling you sometimes get, the batter is crispy all the way through, and hey, let’s not forget the chips–hand-cut, twice fried, made from Kennebec potatoes and perfectly seasoned.

And while the fish and chips alone is worth the trip, don’t overlook the fish tacones (taco cones). After sampling the sweet-smoked chili adobo wild salmon tacones ($5) and the grill seared albacore tuna tacone with spicy spot prawn mayo ($6), I can safely say these have to be the tastiest addition to Victoria cuisine in a long time. I was expecting the San Diego style, battered, deep-fished fish taco, which I love (maybe they’ll do this as a special sometimes), but the RFBF version features perfectly seared and seasoned fish wrapped in a thin warm flour tortilla cone, accompanied by gorgeously pink lemon-pickled red onions and fresh daikon sprouts. And you will not find any overcooked seafood here. The tuna version was very rare, as it should be, and the salmon was a lovely medium.

Other offerings include sandwiches on fresh Portuguese buns, including a unique Qualicum Bay scallop version with golden shallot aioli and tempura dill pickle, along with some yummy sides like mushy edamame peas, red curry chips, and a lovely white fish and corn chowder made with coconut milk and the smoky spiciness of chipotle peppers. A higher priced section of the menu features local organic greens (from La Retraite farm in Saanich) forming the base for five ounces of a selection of BBQ seafood. The presence of romaine hearts gives the salad a Caesar-like texture, and thus stays crunchy under the warmth of the seafood. We tried the lemon-honey basted Fanny Bay oysters (4) on greens ($15), and lie everything else, the oysters were immaculately cooked and the entire meal screamed freshness.

Finally, I must emphasize the almost sentimental joy and fun of going for take-out fish ‘n’ chips down by the water at a place that is funky, fresh and contentious. And the fact the food is of the highest quality makes this place a mandatory pilgrimage spot for foodies, families, tourists and locals alike. Yes folks, if Victoria were a magical Dr. Seuss world where people had stars on their bellies, the folks at Red Fish Blue Fish would have five stars on thars.

artist@mondaymag.com

Red Fish Blue Fish
1006 Wharf Street

11am-9pm

298-6877