On Wednesday, Glowbal Group introduced Vancouver to their latest creation, The Fish Shack. Located on Granville at the old location of Sanafir, this place has been completely transformed. Walking into the room, you can tell that a lot has changed. The candle wall from Sanafir days are gone, as are the beds on the second floor. Instead, there are now TVs strewn throughout and lots of touches that conjure up the ocean.
I love the area above the bar/shucking station, the ropes and knots help give this room a very nautical feel. With a daily promotion of "Buck a Shuck Oysters" from open until 5pm, these two will be kept busy for sure! And Bar Star Ryan (aka @MartiniSlinger) awaits to serve up one of their four signature Caesars. At just $8 each, order yourself up a few dozen oysters and give them all a try. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon! And for those of us who need a little more information on the various types of fish on the menu, well, here you go. This gives you the run down on the size of the fish as well as some interesting tidbits too. Who knew there were 144 species of Anchovy!?
So these are the fresh oysters that they are serving today, but this will change as seasonally. Okay, enough with the decor, let's eat, er,rather, let's drink!
This is the The Fish Shack’s Very Own - one of their four Caesars. Made with vodka, both clamato and tomato juice and the regular fixings of tobasco, and worcestershire, there are also a few new other flavours, sich as lime juice ,their own caesar mix as well as mustard. The garnish is pretty amazing too, with a long pepperoni stick and a jumbo prawn. This is almost a meal in itself! And to the Oyster Bar we go! These were cleanly shucked, which was impressive given the speed with which they were pumping these out. No shells fragments were present, and the oysters themselves were not slashed or mangled in the process. These were really well done. If you're like me, when ou think of clam chowder, you instantly know which one you like, either the New England one (white) or the Manhattan (red). And it's always a struggle for me to remember which restaurants have the one I like. Well, The Fish Shack has solved this problem by serving both. Here is the New England version in a sourdough bread bowl. The soup was really mild, and it was hard to pick out various flavours or seasonings with such a small bite. And here is the Manhattan version. I'm not a big fan of this but the tomato/clamato based broth had stronger hits of flavour, compared to the New England one. I might have to come back and do a head-to-head competition between the two.
This is a miniature of their Dungeness Crab Cocktail, and I really liked it. The crab was sweet and juice and the mixture of the greens on the bottom helped to make use of the cocktail sauce. A nice light healthy bite.
Another variation of the Dungeness Crab Cocktail is the Shrimp Cocktail. Take note, this isn't a prawn cocktail so the shrimp are much smaller. But it's about half the price of the Crab version, so you get the same idea with less of a hit to the wallet. This was probably my favourite of the night, a KentuckyFried Oyster Sandwich. The fried oysters on this was spot on, great crunch in the well-seasoned breading, with a juicy oyster on the inside. The juices practically bursted out when I bit into it. It was damn good. The other burger we tried was the Blackened Snapper Burger with a tomato salso and a lime mayo. The bun was really fresh and soft and really contributed to the whole dish. There was a bit too much dressing on this for me, but the fish was done perfectly. I liked that fact that this was a healthier option, without a heavy batter and not deep-fried. I'd probably ask for the salsa and mayo on the side, or at least an "easy" serving of both. And this is the star of the show. Although I didn't get a chance to sample this, it will be what I'm ordering on my first visit, along with the two clam chowders. This is The Fisherman's Catch. There are are two options of this available, at a $20 price point and a $30 one. For the $30, you get: lobster, dungeness crab, snow crab, mussels, prawns, calamari, crayfish, potatoes, corn, chorizo. They bring it to your table, give you a bib and slice the whole thing open for you to attack. You get a mallet and whatever other tools you need to get at the food, but this is the key to their motto: Hook it and Cook it. The party was a lot of fun and allowed us to get a good sense of the revitalization of the old Sanafir space into the newest seafood shack in town!
The GLOWBAL COLLECTION Trolls Fresh Waters with the Ultra-Casual Fish Shack Opening, Fall 2012
New quick-casual eats to shore up the Granville Street food scene.
Vancouver, BC (September 13, 2012): Emad Yacoub and Shannon Bosa-Yacoub owners of The GLOWBAL COLLECTION are going overboard for laid-back, quick fare with their newest spot to eat -- The Fish Shack -- opening later this fall. With casual, sun-bleached surroundings and a chalkboard menu of satisfying comfort food, The Fish Shack hooks guests with value and fast, fresh fun food from exceptional suppliers. Think daily fresh fish specials, fish & chips, chowder in bread bowls, fish boils, po'boy sandwiches and shellfish galore. "We are excited by the possibilities of a new down-home direction," says Yacoub. "This is not fine dining; it is laid-back at every turn, from the jeans-clad service team to the menu to the decor. The Fish Shack is a place to catch a sports game while enjoying a beer and a relaxed meal." As for design, the expansive bi-level, 100-seat space is undergoing a renovation led by Vancouver's BOX Interior Design. Given the concept, a nautical theme is a natural fit. Deep marine-blue walls complement the lifejacket red upholstered banquettes with a quick-trip-to-the docks feel. A blackboard painted wall beside the bar and upstairs above banquette seating, shouts out the daily food specials. Diners will have to wait with baited breath for further details regarding the new space. Be on the lookout.
About The GLOWBAL COLLECTION The GLOWBAL COLLECTION is comprised of eight restaurants: glowbal grill steaks & satay, COAST Restaurant, Italian Kitchen, Trattoria Italian Kitchen, SOCIETY, Black+Blue, two IK2GO locations; and two lounges: AFTERglow and O Lounge. A ninth restaurant, The Fish Shack, will open fall 2012. The energy, bustle and allure of these celebrated Vancouver restaurants are what most people notice first. In addition, flawless service, exquisite wine lists, and some of the most inventive, celebrated cuisine in Vancouver define every restaurant in the collection. glowbalgroup.com.
A few months ago, I tried dinner at Sanafir on Granville. It's one of those places you tend to have a few drinks in, but never really have a sit down meal. So this time, we decided we were going to go for it. Their menu is broken up into Tapas and Ceviche, a few more substantial items in the Mezze section, and then rounded out with a Mussels and Clams section, a few Curries, and finished off with Larger Plates. We kicked things off with the Grilled Octopus from the Mezze Section.
For ~$8, you get a smattering ofgrilled octopus, but also some potatoes, musssls and chorizio, and chillies! Oh, yes, this had a kick to it, not overwhelming, but definitely heated!
The next dish to arrive was the Large plate of Vegetarian Mushroom Risotto. This was made with farro, so not your usual aborio rice. I actually enjoyed this better, since this gave the dish an added depth of texture that you wouldn't normally expect. There was a variety of wild mushrooms, so you could get something different in every bite. Oh, and yes, fresh peas! I never realize how much I like them until I get them, but yes, definitely a nice spring touch!
Now here is where my camera gets a little stupid. The food isn't nearly as "yellow" as it comes across...these were NOT the Yellow Curry Mussels, even though it may look like that. In fact, we ordered the Roasted Garlic and Tomato Clams.
These clams were really good, every clam still sitting pretty in its shell. Lopped with lots of chorizo, this was another mildly spicy dish. Good thing they werve it with some grilled naan bread. Perfect to soak up the sauce!
We were treated to a dessert from the staff and it was a labour of love...times three!
I didn't take notes of the dessert, but from what I can remember, this was a chocolate ganache with crispy rice. I remember it being really rich and I don't think the two of us even finished it!
The second one (and my favourite) was the chocolate cake...the mint was a nice light touch compared to the heaviness of the cake...dark, chocolate cake...and dense, almost like a really rich brownie.
For the life of me, I can't remember which one this was...if you've had it and recognize it...please comment below!
Walking into the room, you can tell that a lot has changed. The candle wall from Sanafir days are gone, as are the beds on the second floor. Instead, there are now TVs strewn throughout and lots of touches that conjure up the ocean.
With a daily promotion of "Buck a Shuck Oysters" from open until 5pm, these two will be kept busy for sure! 
And Bar Star Ryan (aka @MartiniSlinger) awaits to serve up one of their four signature Caesars. At just $8 each, order yourself up a few dozen oysters and give them all a try. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon! 
And for those of us who need a little more information on the various types of fish on the menu, well, here you go. This gives you the run down on the size of the fish as well as some interesting tidbits too. Who knew there were 144 species of Anchovy!?
And to the Oyster Bar we go! These were cleanly shucked, which was impressive given the speed with which they were pumping these out. No shells fragments were present, and the oysters themselves were not slashed or mangled in the process. These were really well done. 
And here is the Manhattan version. I'm not a big fan of this but the tomato/clamato based broth had stronger hits of flavour, compared to the New England one. I might have to come back and do a head-to-head competition between the two. 
This was probably my favourite of the night, a Kentucky Fried Oyster Sandwich. The fried oysters on this was spot on, great crunch in the well-seasoned breading, with a juicy oyster on the inside. The juices practically bursted out when I bit into it. It was damn good. 
The other burger we tried was the Blackened Snapper Burger with a tomato salso and a lime mayo. The bun was really fresh and soft and really contributed to the whole dish. There was a bit too much dressing on this for me, but the fish was done perfectly. I liked that fact that this was a healthier option, without a heavy batter and not deep-fried. I'd probably ask for the salsa and mayo on the side, or at least an "easy" serving of both. 
And this is the star of the show. Although I didn't get a chance to sample this, it will be what I'm ordering on my first visit, along with the two clam chowders. This is The Fisherman's Catch. There are are two options of this available, at a $20 price point and a $30 one. For the $30, you get: lobster, dungeness crab, snow crab, mussels, prawns, calamari, crayfish, potatoes, corn, chorizo. They bring it to your table, give you a bib and slice the whole thing open for you to attack. You get a mallet and whatever other tools you need to get at the food, but this is the key to their motto: Hook it and Cook it. 
The party was a lot of fun and allowed us to get a good sense of the revitalization of the old Sanafir space into the newest seafood shack in town! 
