We were looking for our last meal of fish & chips before heading back inland and Bouy's Best seemed…read moreto be the best option. When we first walked in, we were a bit confused since it seemed like it wasn't actually a restaurant and was instead a fish market - it turns out we went into the wrong door. Bouy's Best Restaurant is the building that says restaurant outside, not the market next door that only sells fresh, frozen, and smoked fish.
We elected to get the Captain's Platter to share as it seemed to include most of the fried items that they serve. It's great for sampling!
Captain's Platter ($34) - The Captain's Platter is served on two trays - one with the fries, and one with the seafood. The fries are pretty standard commercial battered fries. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. Not really much else to say.
The seafood plate consists of one piece each of lingcod, salmon, and halibut, two oysters, one razor clam, and two prawns. I love the batter they use here - it's light, lacy and crisp. Not quite as light as tempura, but it stands up against the fish well, and it adheres enough so that a hearty bit won't leave naked pieces of protein or hollow husks of batter. While there's a bit of oil soaked into the plate, the batter is not oily at all.
Starting with the fish - I understand now why salmon isn't used for fish and chips much since it gets dried out a bit. Still good, but not as good as salmon could be grilled or baked. The taste is quite different and a bit stronger to the typical generic farmed salmon. I'm not sure what the difference between halibut and lingcod is since I don't have too much experience with the various types of fish. One of them, which I think is halibut, tastes a little bitter and has some strange fatty and tendinous parts. I didn't enjoy eating it due to the texture and taste. The other piece, which I think is the lingcod, is also a little acrid, kind of bitterish with a very distinct taste. I think this is why fish & chips is traditionally cod - it's much lighter in taste. But if you're looking for something a little more flavorful, lingcod and halibut might be the way to go.
I don't really like oysters and the fried oysters included in the captain's platter did not change my mind. They are mushy, very briny flavored. The prawns are pretty solid, good and sweet. The tail part of the shrimp is so crisp you can easily eat it without any issues. Finally, the razor clam is very good. Nice, large, and chewy. My favorite was the clam, followed by the salmon, prawn, cod, halibut, and oyster. (3/5)
On the side, they server a cup of tarter sauce, cocktail sauce, and slaw. The tarter sauce is very creamy. They are heavier with the mayo than most tarter sauces. It's tangy and quite rich, but I feel like they add quite a bit less pickles than other places. The cocktail sauce it just a nice refreshing and acidic sauce to break through some of the fat in the batter and seafood. The slaw is interesting. It's quite sweet and acidic, with bits of pineapple mixed in. It works well with the seafood. There's a wedge of lemon included as well to add more acidity to preference.
Clam Chowder, Small ($7.99) - This is a decent clam chowder. The clam taste comes out quite well, followed by a bit of vegetalness from the mirepoix. The razor clams are cut into larger pieces than traditional clam, resulting in meatier and chewier pieces that I would normally expect. The broth is thick and rich, but I'd say not as creamy as most other clam chowders. It's more of a grey than off white in color. They are pretty generous with the ingredients, with the vegetables, tender potatoes, and the aforementioned clams. That all sounds good, but the major downside is how salty the chowder is. The amount of salt they add makes the clam chowder a little unpleasant to drink. I didn't end up finishing the chowder. (3/5)
Overall the food I had at Buoy's Best was kind of meh. After I ate the fish & chips I felt a bit burnt out on this dish (even though I had only eaten it twice that week). Was it the difference in flavor vs. other fish & chips? I'm not sure, but I don't think I would revisit Buoy's Best. I'm not saying the food served here is bad - it just didn't work for me personally. I suppose if you're bored with the usual fish & chips and want something a bit different, Buoy's Best is worth a try.
Bathrooms: One unisex room
