Driving past Mira Mesa High my old high school I approach The Fancy Fish. It’s in what was the Ralphs shopping center. H-Mart replaced Ralphs in 2012. Past H-Mart I find The Fancy Fish. I remember this space. Dairy Queen was the first occupant. I started working at Ralphs during the grand opening of Ralphs and this mall. I became friends with the Dairy Queen girl and she gave me free ice cream when I visited. I tried lots of flavors but extra thick vanilla shakes were my favorite treat. When we needed a break from the suburbs we hiked Los Penasquitos Canyon Trail. In the spring there was a small waterfall two thirds of the way to the 5 freeway.
The Fancy Fish has many choices on their menu. First visit I tried the fish, chips and shrimp combo.
It was hot out of the fryer and dinner size. Fries were crunchy and full of delicious potato flavor. White fish had a crunchy tempura batter which imparted a slightly salty fried flavor. White fish itself had a very mild flavor while the texture was flaky like cod. Shrimp had fresh shrimp flavor but I would prefer a different batter as it wasn’t crunchy and it was a bit gummy instead.
2nd visit.
Grilled swordfish with teriyaki sauce. First thing I noticed was that the swordfish was kinda hard. Swordfish is denser than most fish I eat but I suspect this swordfish was frozen and defrosted. Reminds me of frozen mahi mahi I purchased from Costco. There was that distinctive mild swordfish flavor with a light flavor from the seasoning and the grill. I didn’t like this dish as the quality of the swordfish was low.
Onion rings had a hard crunchy batter and I enjoyed the fried onion flavor.
Grilled zucchini had a light flavor from the grill. Lots of zucchini flavor. It would have liked some seasoning.
3rd visit I showed up close to 6pm on a Monday and there were only 2 other tables with people. I tried the mahi mahi pan cooked. There was a bit of char from the pan and a bit of flavor from the teriyaki sauce but not much from the mahi mahi. There was a bit of a fishy flavor. I suspect the mahi mahi wasn’t that fresh.
Young lady at the counter/waitress was very friendly and provided excellent service. The Fancy Fish is ok but I prefer the fish down the street at California Fish Grill. I miss the summer nights when I cooled off with a treat at Dairy Queen after work.
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Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights
Of lighted streets on quiet nights
Subdivisions
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Rush – Subdivisions
The Fancy Fish
9430 Mira Mesa Blvd #5B
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 586-6228
Those fish and chips look excellent. A British classic I always enjoy!
Give them a try next time you are in the neighborhood.
Gosh free ice cream from Dairy Queen! Sounds like a special time for you and Dairy Queen!
Hmm sounds like they need a fresher source to purchase their fish from. Fresh fish never has that fishy smell or taste.
Those were the days!