Well, there I was stuck at one of those strip malls on Balboa avenue, waiting for a prescription to be filled, I was told it would be a 90 minute wait! Sheesh.......well what to do? I could drive home...but then I'd have only about 30 minutes, and would have to turn right around and drive back, it just seemed like a waste of gas. Wait a minute(big smack to the side of my own head), I could eat! Yeah, that's the ticket...I could stuff my face silly, with really unhealthy food. That'll teach myself a lesson for getting sick..... And I know just the place.....
Mr Fish and Chips is a small Mom and Pop shop towered over by the Long's Drug Store and Von's Supermarket in a fairly large strip mall on the corner of Balboa and Genesee. And just as this little shop is tucked away from the street, it also has a tendency to get sort of "lost in the mix" when I think of places to eat in the area.
The shop itself is pretty small with just a few tables, and the size and arrangement of the furniture always gives me the feeling that the restaurant is pretty crowded.
You can tell by the name of the restaurant what the specialty of the house is here....it's seafood, fried seafood. I can think of only a few items that aren't battered or in some way deep fried, and they all end with the word salad.
I usually get the fish and chips here, but I also like the onion rings, so today I decided to go for the gusto and got the Seafood Dinner(1 fish, 5 scallops, 1 "jumbo" shrimp - $7.99) with coleslaw. The hardest decision was determining whether to get the fried zucchini or onion rings.....
Soon enough my order was ready. I always smile when I grab my tray of food 
here, all available accompanying "dressings" are always placed on the tray with my food! The coleslaw was as I remember, very mild in flavor with a touch of mustard...kind of bland overall, but it helps to cut through all of the batter. And let me tell you, there's a whooole lot of batter going on....
Not quite your traditional fish and chips........
The batter is the same for just about all the items...a flour based batter with a leavening agent to give the batter a nice crunch and lightness. The onions rings were a wonderful, crunchy, slightly sweet(in an onion-y way) treat. The "Jumbo" Shrimp was gummy and overcooked, the scallops, though hidden in a large dollop of batter were decent with cocktail sauce.
The fish was pretty good, moist and tender white fish, in a crisp batter....very nice with malt vinegar. I have never liked the Tartar sauce here, it's too bland.......
Overall, Mr Fish and Chips won't be setting the culinary world on fire, but it is a good value, and it'll cure any fried food cravings you may have.....in a good way.
Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 279-3474
Open Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
Closed on Sundays
I love a nice fish fry! This looks like the perfect meal to enjoy before picking up some Lipitor :-)
Posted by: howie | Monday, 05 March 2007 at 10:59 PM
How does it compare to Point Loma Seafoods? It would be nice to have another good fried-fish option, without the crowds.
Posted by: Joseph E | Tuesday, 06 March 2007 at 12:16 AM
Kirk!
Fried food when your sick? Are you crazy? LoL - that place looks yummy, the only thing I have close to what you have is H&H Salt. Obviously there is no decision to make I would order both rings and zucchinis, why stress it ;-)
Posted by: nhbilly | Tuesday, 06 March 2007 at 08:57 AM
Hi Howie - Yes, eat enough of this, and you'd really need the Lipitor.....
Hi JosephE - I think the seafood at Point Loma is better, but enjoy the batter at Mr Salt's more, if that makes any sense. Also, taking into account that the area around Mr Salt's is saturated with various fast-food/chain restaurants, I think it's a bit of a nice change of pace.
Hi Billy - Crazy...yes, that might be me. I don't know about you, but when I've been sick, and am in the process of getting better, I just want carbs/fat/fried/salty foods. Of course, this could just be fallout from lack of sushi! ;o)
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 06 March 2007 at 03:56 PM
You should have asked for both fried zucchini AND onion rings! But given that you only had one choice, I'd say you made the right one.
... Yum. Must. Have. Onion Rings. Now.
Posted by: Passionate Eater | Wednesday, 07 March 2007 at 10:01 PM
Hi PE - You can't go wrong when both choices are pretty good....
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 08 March 2007 at 08:03 PM
The batter looks a little pale. I like my chippy food a little darker with a solid crunch, but I trust the seasoned taste buds of the Kirk.
Posted by: Chubbypanda | Tuesday, 13 March 2007 at 02:34 PM
Hi CP - It is pretty good, probably not a beer batter - maybe a seltzer batter.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 13 March 2007 at 07:41 PM