Big Fish

Cross-Posted from Calgary is Awesome.

B. is currently in the process of installing hardwood throughout the entire main floor of his house, which means less culinary adventures and more going out for brunch! I was especially spoiled recently because the seafood-hating B. took me to Big Fish, a seafood restaurant owned by Cuisine Concepts, who also owns the adjoining Open Range as well as Diner Deluxe and Vue Cafe.

Big Fish serves up brunch in their sunny, spacious dining room every Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 2. Many of the menu items feature seafood and/or local ingredients, with most of the dishes in the $12-$15 range. The service is also a little more upscale, so it offers a more comfortable, quieter environment compared to the bustling Diner Deluxe just down the street.


I had the Pan Fried Trout Rosemary Hash with Lemon Butter and Soft Poached Eggs ($13), which also came with two slices of a lovely grainy bread filled with pumpkin seeds. The fish was a little overdone on the outside, but it gave way to flaky flesh and the potatoes were well-seasoned (ok, maybe a little too much for my salt-sensitive palate) and tender. I was hoping to get a picture of the yolk dribbling over my potatoes, but that was not to be.


It didn't matter too much - the overcooked eggs was more than made up for by the delicious house-made berry apple jam and ketchup.


Ketchup from scratch is completely different from the stuff that you get from a bottle or foil packet - Big Fish's version was very tomatoey and not as thick and sweet as the commercial equivalent. It was also spiced with something that I couldn't quite put my finger on, which had B. and I dipping our hash browns and forks in, trying to figure it out.


B. had the Soft Shell Crab Sandwich with wild boar bacon and organic tomatoes ($15), which came with a light salad and hash browns. I'd always thought that soft shell crab was its own species, but it turns out that it's just young crab that hasn't developed a hard shell yet. (So essentially, eating a baby.) The soft shell crab was battered and fried and the bite that I stole from B. really (to bring up a stereotype) reminded me of fried chicken.

Aside from its weekend brunch, Big Fish is also a well-known lunch and dinner spot, offering specials throughout the week like two-for-one oysters by the dozen on Mondays and free corkage on Wednesdays. They are also participating in Dine Out Calgary, offering fish-filled lunch and dinner menus for $25 and $35, respectively.

Big Fish
1112 Edmonton Tr NE
Calgary AB T2E 3K4
(403) 277-3403
Open Mon-Thu 11:30 AM-10 PM; Fri 11:30 AM-11 PM; Sat 10 AM-11 PM (brunch served from 10 AM-2 PM); Sun 10 AM-2 PM and 5 PM-10 PM. Reservations recommended (also available for brunch). Free parking available on adjacent streets and in parking lot behind building.