The SLY Foodie

After an afternoon at the beach, it seemed that the most logical thing to have for dinner was seafood. Then I thought of Pacific Fish Grill, a new restaurant that opened at The Shoppes in Chino Hills. It seemed like we could go, enjoy a cocktail and have a nice sit-down dinner. Boy, was I wrong. It turned out to be a semi-fastfood restaurant. You would not have been able to tell from the outside of the restaurant. Since we were already there, we decided to go ahead and try it out.

As soon as you walk in, you see the register and a huge menu board above it. The decor seemed to be a little too nice for a fastfood establishment. Price points were comparable to other places that serve this type of food. They serve seafood, both grilled and fried. Grilled fish items come with rice pilaf, salad and pita bread. Once you place your order, it's up to you to find seating, get your drink and condiments at the bar located against the back wall. Restaurant staff will bring your food to you.

We ordered the Fried Scallops meal, which are bay scallops that are battered and deep fried, served with fries and coleslaw. It was actually pretty good. The scallops seemed pretty fresh, didn't have too much batter, it was seasoned perfectly and had just the right crunch. The fries were so-so, they sprinkled some parsley on it, which made no difference whatsoever. If you know me, you'd know that I think parsley is the most overrated herb out there. I didn't try the coleslaw, since I generally don't like it, and this one particularly didn't seem appetizing to me at all.




We also ordered the crunchy combination plate, which consisted of 3-4 pieces of fried shrimp, 2 pieces of fried fish and calamari. I was slightly disappointed to find that they were calamari strips and not the rings. To me, calamari rings are fresher and taste better. But the strips weren't bad. The fish wasn't really fresh, but it was to be expected from previously frozen fish. The shrimp was the best thing on that plate.

Overall, this place was only so-so, not a bad place to go to if you're craving seafood. But I wouldn't give it stellar reviews.