Trip to the US: The Fish Market, Palo Alto

Overall comment: Fresh seafood, good ambiance, attentive service "crew". Not overly-priced (dollar to dollar).
Halal: I don't think halal certifications are widely used or ever used in the US. But this place is certainly pork-free.

One of the more recommended places to dine at Palo Alto is The Fish Market. This restaurant is the 1st of all its outlets & has been around since 1976! Fuh! Such history! The restaurant features a fish market itself, a bar, & a restaurant that caters for people of all walks of life.

KW & I were there twice during our business trip to Palo Alto. It is that reliable & good that we don't mind returning for another good meal. One our 1st visit (this year...KW has been here previously), we had quite a late dinner, so the restaurant was about to close. Our 2nd visit was at a better/earlier timing, so we had the opportunity to slowly savor & enjoy our food together with 2 other colleagues :)

The restaurant from the outside (taken during our 1st visit)

The restaurant from the outside (taken during our 1st visit)

The restaurant from the outside (taken during our 1st visit) 

Business hours 

Inside the restaurant... 

The market (photo taken during the 2nd visit)

Fresh fish & an assortment of seafood is sold here. I'm not sure if it's more expensive or cheaper here since I haven't done any marketing here in the US.

The restaurant & bar (photo taken during the 2nd visit)

The restaurant has plenty of tables & chairs, where most of the time, during peak hours, all tables will be taken up!

The menu

They've loads of seafood dishes & also some chicken/beef dishes for those who would prefer to not have seafood.

Large selection of drinks

Since it was a late dinner on our 1st visit, we decided to go simple & share a bowl of soup & a serving of grilled fresh pacific mahi-mahi.

Manhattan Red Chowder (USD6.25/bowl or USD4.95/cup)

The chower ain't too bad. It's chunky & loaded with ingredients, but I still found it lacking in clams! There were loads of potatoes & celery & the tomato-base was quite appetizing. I think this clam chowder could be further improved ;) Oh yeah, it came with 2 small packets of "oyster crackers" as well, which weren't exactly very tasty 

Pacific Ahi Sashimi (USD11.75/serving)

I finished all of it up myself as KW doesn't fancy sashimi. The tuna pieces were fresh & the seaweed salad that came with it was a lovely bonus. Yums :)

Grilled Fresh Pacific Mahi-Mahi (USD22.95/serving)

Photo below shows half the serving only. The other half is KW's. They actually split the serving up for us & served us in 2 separate plates! How nice of them! The 1/2 serving is like 1 Asian-sized serving! The fish was grilled to perfection. It's a more solid & 'chunky' fish, not the flaky type, but it certainly has more 'bite' than the usual Dory/Halibut  fillets that we have here in Malaysia. The sides of cheese-baked mashed potatoes & herbed cherry tomatoes were oh-so-yummy as well! Thumbs up! 

On our 2nd visit, together with 2 other colleagues, we enjoyed yet another seafood-ish meal at The Fish Market :)

I can't recall which fish this is! But my colleague said it's really good... 

Fish & Chips Combination (USD17.25/serving)

Cod, Prawns & Scallops

It looks really good! The nice panko (Japanese variety of bread crumbs) batter that covered the seafood were crispy & crunchy without much oil left on the deep-fried seafood pieces. I had the scallops as my colleague didn't fancy scallops & oh, my, they were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside! Perfectly cooked scallops! :D

Sauteed Button Mushrooms with Garlic Butter (USD4.75/serving)

These were really cute & delicious as well. The mushrooms were fresh & the gravy was milky & herb-infused. Very fragrant & satisfying.

East Coast Clam Bake (USD27.95/serving)

Lobster, Prawns, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Corn on Cob, & Potatoes simmered in an Old Bay broth, served with garlic bread

This was one satisfying seafood meal. KW & I shared this platter as we were not VERY hungry. You'll actually get an assortment of fresh seafood + nutrition of all sorts - there are carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, & minerals from all the goodness of this platter. I would recommend this platter to those who love seafood!

As a group of girls, desserts is almost like a must-have. We didn't want to over-stuff ourselves, so we just ordered 2 types of desserts to be shared among the 4 of us :)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (USD6.00/platter of 6 strawberries)

You'll find 2 coated with dark chocolate, 2 with milk chocolate, & 2 with white chocolate. Nothing beats fresh, juicy, & LARGE strawberries with chocolate...yums!

Key Lime Pie (USD6.00/serving)

Traditional-style, graham cracker crust with whipped cream

This was pretty good. I'm not a great fan of key lime pies as it's sour, has that 'tart' taste & is sometimes too sweet as well. This one's not too bad, but I still don't really fancy it. KW ate it all up in the end since she loves sour food.

Looking at the variety of fresh seafood served here, don't you feel like having some seafood now? :D If you happen to be in Palo Alto or somewhere in US with The Fish Market restaurant, do give the place a try.


The Fish Market
3150 El Camino Real
Palo Alto
CA 94306
United States of America.
Tel: (+1) (650) 493-8862 (TUNA)
Fax: (+1) (650) 493-4738
URL: The Fish Market


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * * 1/2
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * *
Service: * * * *


Overall:






I love seafood,