Fisherman Frank's

When I first saw in an article at Vancouver is Awesome, that a new food truck was showing up in Steveston, my first question was how is that possible? We have all recently read about the grief our friends from Shameless Buns had endured thanks to Richmond City Counsel and (no doubt) local Steveston restaurants who did not like the competition provided by SB and others (sorry but food trucks are everywhere and here to stay). It turns out that Fisherman Frank's has a connection to the federal Steveston Harbour Authority (as a client and fisherman out of Steveston Harbour for 40 years) and has set up in the SHA parking lot with their approval and it is not really any of Richmond's business! At least that is my admittedly oversimplified understanding of the situation from talking to the fisherman himself and from more carefully reading the article on Vancouver is Awesome. We are still pissy that Shameless Buns has been relegated to Terra Nova Park by Richmond, but we're happy to see that Fisherman Frank's (after a lot of work) has been able to sidestep the bullies!

This beautiful past Saturday morning, we arrived to sample FF's wares, which we enjoyed at a shaded picnic table just in front of the Cannery National Historic site. You could not be blamed for expecting to see pictures of great fish and chips but that is not what these folks are about!

First off, FF's has a mixologist on their staff (of 2) who will not settle for selling Coke and bottled water. We started with a Blackberry Ginger Fizz featuring locally farmed blackberries and finishing with a sprig of mint. It was delicious and profoundly refreshing for a hot day!

You won't find anything deep-fried at FF's but you will find very good quality seafood prepared in a way to make it shine. They had only a few servings of Seviche so we selfishly grabbed one. Served on a tostada where shrimp, scallop and tuna marinated in lime and I'm not sure what else.  Topped with avocado, cilantro and tobiko, this was a wonderful fresh seafood treat.

From the regular menu, we ordered the Pink Canoe. Not quite a po'boy but headed in that direction. Shrimp and scallops in big EZ sauce (not sure but mayo-based, a little spicy and maybe some Old Bay?), with double-smoked bacon on a roll. This was what all sandwiches aspire to be! We loved a big bite but we also fell to picking out little pieces of seafood and savouring them by themselves.

We also loved, "Not a Taco Truck". Two tacos made with lingcod this time, marinated in achiote to give it a bit of colour and a vague hint of pepper. The pineapple slaw was made with decent chunks of fresh pineapple and it was all accompanied by a cilantro crema and a pepper that I assume is a shishito. Another showcase of quality seafood!

So we are already big fans! Local and impossibly fresh or fresh frozen (just as good!), served in a way to emphasize its quality and thus wonderful flavour. A bonus is that since nothing is deep-fried, we might consider it healthier (we don't really eat out for our health)! These guys are enthusiastic about what they do and are willing to talk to you about it and I love that! I wish I had asked more questions (there will be a next time)!

Food                  5 out of 5

Service              5 out of 5

Comfort             5 out of 5 (It was a beautiful day and we found a picnic table nearby in the shade)

Value                 5 out of 5