Yesterday, along with a bunch of others, I braved the smog (blame Canada) to go to this Algerian…read moreseafood place. It was pretty quiet inside, outside of the TV playing somewhat loud highlights from the World Cup on loop (why,) with the servers and staff being helpful and friendly. In comparison to the other pick-your-own seafood spots like AbuQir or Hamido, the spices are a tad lighter here, being almost closer to Astoria Seafood, minus the olive oil. I didn't mind, though, as the fish was all fresh and perfectly prepared. To drink, our table stuck with water, though there are a few mocktails and some sodas, including some Algerian ones. They put down some simple bread with a bit of garlic and herbs, which was refilled.
For non-seafood dishes, we had a few. The first was the $8 Hmiss, or Hammis, a dip made with roasted pepper, tomato, and garlic sautéed in olive oil. The warm dish was earthy and garlicky, and went perfectly with the bread, with the flavor reminding me of a warmer version of some Turkish eggplant dips.
There was also the Peasant Salad for $12, with cucumber, tomato, red onion, and Kalamata olives topped with feta, oregano, and dill. If you're familiar at all with Horiatiki/Village salad, it's basically the same thing, though with crumbled feta instead of a block, and it was refreshing and tasty. Finally, we eventually got an $8 side order of Basil Garlic Mashed Potatoes, which were decent.
The first seafood to arrive at the table was the $16.99 Algerian Sardines, which consisted of sardines from Morocco with a spice mixture. The man in front recommended them fried, and the portion was nice, and the flavor was excellent. The fish was fried perfectly, with the bones fried enough that the entirety of it could be eaten. This was delicious, and one of the highlights of the meal.
As we loved these sardines, we eventually got a small order of the other option, the "Marinated Sardines" from Spain. These were a bit more expensive by weight, being $10.56 for 0.48 pounds, but by comparison, these were much flatter and larger. The half pound consisted of three large pieces, which were broken down and divided among the group. While I slightly preferred the spices from the Algerian version, I liked the texture of these more, as they were more meaty. I don't think you can go wrong with either, as both were excellent.
There was also one pound of Mussels for $17.99, which was available in one of two cooking preparations, Moules Marinière or a version with tomato sauce, herbs, and feta. I went with the latter, and they were excellent, with all of the mussels being open. The feta added a unique, slightly salty touch, with the broth being delicious. They had brought us out some extra bread, and we made good use of it. If I were here alone, I might have this along with some sardines and leave very happy.
We also got two whole fish, which were both ordered grilled and butterflied. First was the Dorado, or Orata, for $29.24 for 1.54 pounds. As is typical for this fish, it was delicate and light, but had plenty of flavor. The other was the American Red Snapper, which was a bit more expensive at $37.90 for 1.58 pounds. By comparison, this fish was a lot thicker and therefore, a bit more flavorful. We enjoyed both, with a slight preference going towards the cheaper fish for most outside of me and one other.
Another highlight was the Scallops for $37.23 for 0.98 pounds, which came out to 14 large pieces. As recommended, we got these sautéed, with the scallops coming in a delicious garlicky juice on the bottom with plenty of other herbs. The scallops were tender while staying plump, though I slightly preferred the more caramelized tops at AbuQir, with these having a more uniform texture.
The rest of the people liked what I couldn't eat, the $24.99 Octopus for around half a pound. The octopus came out pre-cut, which made splitting it very easy. I can't comment much on the flavor or saltiness as some other reviewers brought up, or else I'd be in the hospital right now post-anaphylaxis, but people liked it a lot.
If you don't want to bother with the lines or crowds at the other fish spots, I would highly recommend going here. The fish is fresh, perfectly prepared, and seasoned just enough to highlight the natural flavors. I would go back.
