Whale's Tale - White Rock

Sadly, I prefer greasy fish 'n ' chips. I wanted to give The Whale 's Tale a try because how often do you find BAKED fish 'n ' chips, not fried? The two pieces of ling cod I got were interesting. The batter clings like a thin second skin to the fish, instead of being puffed out and crunchy like conventional fish 'n ' chips. That lets the flavour of the fish shine through, without the crusty taste/texture element to get in the way. My fish was clean tasting and moist. I 'm sad to say, though, that I LIKE the unhealthy outer coat to conventional fish 'n ' chips. Not to say that The Whale 's Tale 's version is bad. If I had heart trouble, I 'd go there for sure. It 's not cheap $17.80 for two filets of cod, and halibut/salmon are over $20 for 2.<br/ <br/ I couldn 't tell if the chips were deep fried or not. They have a coating so they 're unnaturally crisp, but it 's not one of those seasoned coatings. The Chinese owners were nice, coming out to ask how I liked the food, offering to refill the water bottle I brought on my bike trip, even asking if I wanted to have my picture taken when they noticed I was snapping shots of my dish. That 's a far cry from the brusque vibe you get at English style chipperies.

Quaint place, owner run and friendly service. Will definitely come back!

Worth the wait. Best cod on the beach. And yes it 's cod. Ling cod. Not haddock or pollock like other places serve and call cod. Fresh, delicious, heart smart (he 'dry fries ' i think it 's like air convection cooking? and it 's the only place I 'll eat fish and chips. Eddy 's batter is perfect. Just the right amount (read NOT thick and mushy on a massive piece of perfectly cooked (flaky and moist and tender fish. On top of a mountain of fresh cut fries. <br/ The place is small, but he puts two tables outside in the nice weather, it 's quaint, comfortable and you 'll usually find regulars. It 's THAT kind of place. People know Eddy by name. He works his butt off too. It 's just him who works the place and when it 's full, he is hopping! But service is good and while you 'll wait a little longer than the deep fry place, you 'll likely be glad you did. I find it worth it and after lunch here, you won 't be hungry again for a long while. <br/ The chowder is great too....so hard to find red chowder anywhere...The Whales Tale has got it! He also serves burgers and fish sandwiches...he does have ice cream, but if the restaurant is busy and it 's only ice cream you want, go next door. <br/ My favorite restaurant on East Beach.<br/ <br/ UPDATE June 2013 <br/ <br/ The Whale 's Tail has new owners. Lovely people! The food is still great (better even, if you ask me!! ...Nice big pieces of fresh, delicious, flaky fish, still NOT greasy, tasty, crispy, tender fries, AMAZING tartar sauce, coleslaw and fish chowder...I am obsessed. I think I 'm there at least one day almost every weekend. Still my favorite restaurant on the East Beach and all time fave fish chips. I can 't wait til my next visit.

Not Disappointed!. I put 'best restaurant ' in Google search for White Rock. After reading reviews I couldn 't be more pleased with the Fish Chips...my salmon was cooked perfectly the fries were amazing. Since these are baked instead of deep fried it takes a little longer to be prepared...but well worth it. The portion is very large...I took 1/2 home.

Baked not deep fried. The Whales Tale bakes the fish and not deep fried. If you want greasy fish and chips this is not the location. But if you want the biggest portions of fish of any fish and chip shop. You want it at a fair price and not have grease dripping as you eat the meal this is the place to go.They also have a low fat yogurt made with real fruits or if you want a lower price than other but the best in quality ice cream cone and at a excellent price then this is where you need to go.