After hearing through the social media grapevine that The Happy Hooker has added some new goodies to their menu, my friend Alex and I made our way to the Dundas West seafood / fish 'wich shop last week to do a little taste test ourselves (click here for my blog post on The Happy Hooker's full menu).
I've always been a big fan of The Happy Hooker (Twitter: @HappyHookerTDOT, Facebook: The Happy Hooker). Their range of casual seafood selection encompasses small snacks from fish tacos and baja fries, to more substantial "between the buns" list of fish 'wiches and shrimp po'boy. You won't find anything elaborate or fancy like seafood towers here but what you will find is a wide range of fresh, top-quality, grab-and-go seafood options. I must admit that even though I love meaty burgers and pork belly banh mi's, I can never say no to the lighter menu at The Happy Hooker.
*By the way, is it true that Asians love fish sandwiches more than any other ethnicity? Coming from Hong Kong I know for a fact that Chinese people love McDonald's filet-o-fish...I admit I'm guilty of that myself*
LOBSTER POUTINE ($9)
Offered on weekends and sometimes Mondays, The Happy Hooker's lobster poutine is quite a looker. These hand-cut fries, mixed with a generous amount of cheese curds, are first lathered in gravy (made in-house with lobster and beef stock) then finished with hunks of fresh lobster meat. After tasting the poutine, I thought the gravy should be thicker and could use a bit more flavour. I told Attilio Pugliese, chef & owner of The Happy Hooker, my thoughts about the gravy; he agreed and will be tweaking it.
DOUBLE FILET OF FISH ($7)
I inhaled this fish sandwich! Topped with thick, tangy house-made tartar sauce and shredded cheese, two large pieces perfectly fried Alaskan Pollock are nicely sandwiched between a soft Wonder Bread bun. So incredibly good. There's an option for bacon...if you must.
SHRIMP PO'BOY ($8)
Unreal. Believe it or not this shrimp po'boy actually tastes even better than it looks. When it was brought over all I saw were beautiful shades of green and red, and the six gorgeously plump shrimps. The shrimps, ultra crispy on the outside, were the result of being triple-breaded with flour, corn meal and bread crumbs. Tossed in fennel salt and drizzled with lemon aioli, they are placed alongside tomatoes, arugula, pickles, and pickled habaneros...all fitted in a Portguese bun. Excellent flavours and textures all-around.
"YANKEE STADIUM" LOBSTER ROLL ($15)
Comes with kosher pickle and fries (not shown).
Similar to the lobster poutine, The Happy Hooker's lobster roll is available only on weekends and sometimes Mondays. Here we have huge chunks of fresh East Coast lobster thoroughly dressed with light mayo (I emphasize chunks of lobster as opposed to shredded-up lobster, and thoroughly dressed as opposed to overly dressed) and finished with a sprinkle of celery salt. This delicious mess is then placed in a toasted and generously buttered Wonder Bread bun. This lobster roll is so tasty it's ridiculous.
Since winter is now upon us y'all should know that The Happy Hooker offers delivery! For a $5 delivery fee and a minimal order of $15, The Happy Hooker will deliver from College to Lakeshore (north and south) and Bathurst to Dufferin (east to west).
You downtown peeps dunno how lucky you are *sigh*....
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