Harbour Restaurant a success, even without an actual harbour nearby

I'd like to take this time to just mention the new addition to the Guelph restaurant world: Harbour Restaurant has opened up where the once awesome Red Papaya and then totally awful Cherry Blossom have resided. You know, by the Short Stop and where all the fast food places are near downtown Guelph.

Growing up near Steveston, BC, the capital of all fish and chip restaurants (besides the obvious Maritime province places) the idea of a fish restaurant in Guelph seemed kind of sketchy. Especially when you see people fishing by the Speed River as you walk to it… This restaurant also had points against it for being so damn expensive. A two piece meal is about $18!

They have the Cod, Halibut and Pollack fishes but Edesio and I shared a two piece "Chef's Recommendation" (some weird fish I never had before) and got a small coleslaw (about $3). We were very impressed. The fish was nice and flaky with the right amount of greasy and crispiness (all important) and the atmosphere was very nice (even though it should be a little more intimate and nice and less fast food looking for the prices you pay). There were actually tons of people all at this restaurant. The turnover was pretty fast and people just kept coming in! These Harbour people definitely have a system figured out because our food came quickly with very friendly service.

It was also good that there was a bottle of tartar sauce on the table (I hate when I only get a little bit) but they could be even better by making their fries crispier and using homed tartar sauce (the Heinz type stuff just doesn't do it for me. I need to taste more pickle than mayo!).

So overall, I recommend trying this place out. I also recommend going with a friend so you can share a two piece meal (this stuff is too greasy to eat more than once piece by yourself anyways, and it's way cheaper than two one piece meals). If the crowd of people is too much for you, they also have take-out! Even wrapped in the nice newspaper-style paper.



PS: For those of you who are very sad that Red Papaya is gone and miss their awesome pho and such, follow their staff to their new(ish) very awesome restaurant Tom Yum. It's near No Frills (the one by the university). Make sure you thank these people profusely for having a healthy alternative to the university's overpriced and often sub-par food. We want these people to stay in business always!