THE BARKING FISH
by Noelle Chorney

154 2ND AVE. SOUTH
Call 665-2220
(4.5 Planets)

After visiting the Barking Fish, I’d bet that even many die-hard fans of the Black Duck—the pub which used to exist in the spot now occupied by the Barking Fish—would say, “The Black what?” I know it’s sad that we lost a pub that was truly an institution in this city—and especially one that had great scotch. But all good things must come to an end, and when the good thing is replaced by another good thing, I can’t complain.

I’ve been hoping for great things from the Barking Fish since I first heard of its impending arrival on the Saskatoon dining scene. Mainly, I was excited to hear that a tapas bar was opening in Saskatoon—although I’ve basically worn my heart on my sleeve when it comes to my love for tapas bars, so I’m sure that surprises no one.

Happily, my first visit to the Barking Fish was promising. We stopped in for a drink, and immediately loved the feel of the place. It seems to morph easily from a quiet dining spot to a late evening, stylish cocktail destination.

And they certainly have an impressive cocktail list. I had trouble getting past the first red wine listed by the glass—Bogle Petite Syrah. Petite Syrah is one of my favourite grapes, and I’ve had many a happy moment nursing a glass of the Bogle and reflecting on all the things I’m thankful for (the big, fruity, ruby red wine in my glass being first and foremost).

While sipping my syrah, I enjoyed looking at the rest of the cocktail list. I saw some interesting things, including other familiar and friendly bottles of wine, some creative martinis (including a hot one with steamed milk), and a nice selection of cocktails that included sangria, sake Caesars, margaritas, mojitos, mint juleps and much, much more.

We were warned when we arrived that the menu is still being tweaked. Things may be added or removed—although I can happily say that I would vote in favour of keeping all the dishes I tried. The menu is divided into “Small Plates,” “Not So Small Plates,” “Not Yet Large Plates” and “Shared Plates.” We couldn’t tell the difference between the sizes, but it didn’t really matter, because we shared them all. Prices all ranged between $8 and $15 a plate.

Much to my excitement, there were several raw selections on offer. Rare ahi tuna, beef and salmon tartare, Salmon ceviche, Sushi rolls, fresh-shucked oysters and sashimi were all there, to my delight. It’s a rare occasion in a non-sushi prairie restaurant that there are too many raw items on the menu for me to try them all—I’ve been in places where they offer a single option of ceviche, or tartare, but not several! (For those of you that are not into raw meat, fear not—there are even more cooked items than there are those of the raw variety. There are also several beef, chicken and vegetarian options for anyone not into seafood.)

I would’ve been on my own for the tartare, as my dining partners weren’t up for the challenge, so I had to pass. They were up for the tuna trio though, which offered up seared rare ahi tuna, ceviche (‘cooked’ in lemon juice), and sashimi style. My husband took charge of ordering the first round of shared plates by adding his own vote for the house-made crab cakes and tempura shrimp and veggies.

I hit my first (and, as it turned out, only) dilemma at this point, since my Bogle Petite Syrah, big delicious red wine that it is, was not going to go well with Asian-influenced seafood dishes. No worries though—I didn’t mind setting this particular glass of wine aside for later. Luckily, the selection of white wines on offer matched the food very well. We opted for an Austrian wine with a cool name: the Jurtschitsch “Gru Vee,” which is actually a Grüner Veltliner grape that I had recently read about. The wine was nice and crisp, and just slightly off-dry—a perfect match for the sometimes spicy, often saucy, seafood nibblies.

The first thing I thought when I tasted the tempura shrimp was, “This guy can really fry.” The chef in the Barking Fish’s kitchen has got the hot oil down pat. The tuna trio was served with crispy homemade root veggie chips, including potatoes, sweet potatoes and beets. The beets were a hit, and the tempura batter had perfect crunch, surrounding super-fresh, just-cooked shrimp and tender crisp vegetables.

While I was enamoured with the tempura, my dining partners were going ga-ga over the crabcakes. Chipotle peppers offered up a spicy smokiness, and the crispy panko crust was just right. But of course it was—didn’t I already say this guy can fry?

In between mouthfuls, I was using the hard sell to convince my companions that they were in the mood for oysters—which I finally did, by promising that the oysters wouldn’t be too big. Oops. When they arrived, they were definitely large—perhaps too large for beginners. After a brave attempt at trying one of them, my friend offered me the other three—which was fine with me. They were rich, briny and delicious, but like I said, certainly an oyster for die-hard oyster lovers.

We still had room for more, so we tried the beef short ribs, braised in a spicy maple syrup, the curry coconut shrimp, and a vegetable lettuce wrap. I love the interactive aspect of the lettuce wrap, so I often feel the need to order them just for the entertainment value. These were tasty—the filling itself was good enough to eat on its own, without the extra effort of the lettuce.

The beef short ribs were very close to being meat candy. It was sweet on the outside, and so tender we could barely pick it up. My husband marveled, “Look! It’s beef you can cut with a chopstick!” While he enjoyed the beef, our friend tucked into the curry coconut shrimp, and declared herself in heaven.

We had to slow down at this point in order to save room for dessert—and we were lucky enough to try a dessert that was still being tested for the menu. We shared a rosemary-Galliano crème caramel and some Galliano chocolate truffles—and if the chef judged the value of his desserts by our reaction to it, it should be on the menu by now. I had to try the hot martini (vanilla cognac, Amaretto and steamed milk), which was tasty on its own, but I must say our server’s recommendation of the Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Port was also bang-on with dessert.

Truly, this was a good, good night.