McDonald鈥檚 Canada made an announcement this month that they鈥檝e decided to serve fish n鈥� chips, for a limited time, as part of their 鈥淕reat Canadian Tastes鈥� menu.
As the only qualified (self-described) fish expert on our editorial team and someone who literally eats cheap fish n鈥� chips weekly, I took on the assignment of comparing the McDonald鈥檚 version to the closest thing; Ikea鈥檚 fish n鈥� chips.
Both of these massive chains serve up cheap food to throngs of humans, and both promote these menu items as being sustainable.
In fact both have third-party certification from the Marine Stewardship Council that the fish they鈥檙e taking out of our oceans won鈥檛 further mess up the global supply.
I started with Ikea鈥檚 which 鈥� full disclosure 鈥� I eat almost every time I go to Richmond. For $10.49 (all in after tax) you get this dish and a pop, which is a bargain.
I purchase this meal halfway through shopping for bookshelves not because I think their version of it is one of the best out there, but because I fiercely love deep fried fish and sliced potatoes. I simply cannot pass them up. Trying to get me to not order fish n鈥� chips after I see it on any menu anywhere would be like trying to get a cat not to chase a laser. Futile.
Theirs isn鈥檛 a bad version. It鈥檚 perfectly edible, and it even comes with a slice of lemon which makes it even more edible. That wedge is one of the main things that set it apart from Ronald鈥檚.
The presentation is decent. It鈥檚 fairly close to what they show in the menu photo of it (below). And the cafeteria setting, full of other people who have been shopping, is full of ambient light thanks to the large windows that surround it.
If Ikea鈥檚 is a bargain at $10.49 then the McDonald鈥檚 version for $8.39 (all in after tax) is a super deal, right? I mean, I suppose so.
It鈥檚 just as edible as Ikea鈥檚. If you like their Filet 鈥榦 Fish you鈥檒l be happy to know that it tastes eerily similar to that, but with a slightly different batter.
They鈥檝e chosen to style their haddock in what can only be described as 鈥渃hicken finger-shaped鈥�, yet for some reason the meal comes with a plastic knife and a fork, each wrapped in plastic. I was confused by this, as what they seem to have done is made an entirely new category of fish n鈥� chips; with its shape, it鈥檚 a type you could eat in your car/on-the-go, without the use of any utensils.
The presentation leaves quite a bit to be desired, but on par with other food you鈥檇 get here. The way it looks in the photo they show of it (below) is not far from what you get, except it comes in a box labeled 鈥淧outine鈥�, not the one you see here. I ate this meal at a table inside the McDonald鈥檚 at Terminal and Main and wish I would have known it was chicken finger-shaped and more of a to-go item, as the ambience of this particular location lends itself more to getting stabbed than enjoying haddock.
So who has the best of the two?
Ikea.
Their 1/6th of a lemon that they include with the meal adds a layer that the burger chain鈥檚 simply doesn鈥檛 have. And while the shape of McDonald鈥檚鈥� is slightly more evolved, the classic wins.
All snark aside, Ikea and McDonald鈥檚 both offer great value in these meals. The fact that they鈥檙e MSC certified while also being affordable is commendable.
If you鈥檙e looking for the best fish n鈥� chips in Vancouver, head to:
鈥� on Main Street. It鈥檚 owned and operated by one of the chefs who started Ocean Wise.
鈥� in Steveston. The ambience here is everything.
鈥� next to Granville Island. Location + brilliant fish = yay.
