Fish Boutique has closed
mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Writers of this blog include Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy, among others. The guys are both busy with jobs and such. Cathy has time to blog.
Boutique- a French word for "shop", a Greek word for "storehouse". Usually associated with clothing or such, but since I am literal, those definitions make perfect sense for a place which sells and stores fish, with the bonus of serving meals…'Bistro' is so overused. When I saw the "Fish Boutique" in the Trader Joe's mall in Mira Mesa (just next to Stone Flats) one morning when we were going to 'just get milk' (the euphemism we use when we know we will be spending at least $20)…
I knew I needed to walk up to see what I could see:
A menu on the door. Not inexpensive, not overly extensive, but descriptive and tasty to my brain. 
A fish counter…actually two- there is another one to the right, with a take out menu above it. Apparently they serve and sell wine.
A relatively small, un-fussy, bistro-like eating area. The fish counter area is to the right, at the other doorway.
I later learned the owner calls the food here "European modern" and that is an accurate description.
The two areas are separated by the black beaded curtain-you can see the other fish counter in this photo.
We wanted to try 'basics' on our first visit. Fish and chips ($9.50). The fish was flaky, very fresh cod, breaded in a crispy, panko/bread crumb batter (not beer batter) and served with house made smoked ketchup, cocktail sauce, lemony tartar sauce and pepper seasoned shoestring fries. An unusually high end preparation for a more or less 'common' entree. We really enjoyed this.
I ordered the sauteed shrimp sandwich($9.50)- served on a ciabatta roll.
Yes. Six very large, fresh sauteed butterflied shrimp, served on the soft yet hearty roll, topped with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar…and underneath those shrimp- thick pecan smoked bacon slices and mixed lettuces. This was heaven. I took bite with the bread, but ate the rest as a sort of salad meal. It was that good.
Of course, after coming home, we found a two for one coupon and I went back and ordered from the take out area.
Two slices of the crabmeat-spinach quiche. ($4…would be $4 each without the coupon; worth the $4 each price)
This was made of hand picked (none of that pasturized, canned stuff here) crabmeat- both King and Snow Crabs are used. The crust, as you can see, is hand made. The quiche was excellent-filled with crabmeat, spinach and a delightful custard-cheese (and nutmeg?) base. I served one half piece to each of us as a side with a steak meal at home. It could have been a meal in itself. We had to split the other piece for breakfast the next morning and I wanted more…
The fresh fish prices are good, considering the fish is fresh daily…and daily add-on a piece of cooked fish to a salad prices are posted on the door (skate was $6 the other day). As I said, not inexpensive but very much worth it. The chef, the waiters, everyone working here are very knowledgeable and helpful. Excellent European Modern food in an unexpected location.
Fish Boutique 9844 Hibert Street San Diego 92131 (858) 481-0505
Thanks for the menu photo! I was wondering what they served.
Ooh. right in my backyard too.
This place opened recently, and I haven’t gotten around to trying it. I had heard that the food was on the pricer side. The sit-down area looks very upscale!
hi cathy – i saw their coupon somewhere (the reader i think)…so swanky! love the black chandeliers. you’d never think they sell fish there. i wish this place was closer to me, haha!
I used to put photos of menus all the time, Soo; need to get back in the habit. Sorry it’s so murky, but enlarging helps to read.
You need to-and can easily- try it, Janfrederick. Look for coupons in your local paper and the Reader.
It is ‘fancy’ for the area, Sandy. I do think if it was in a different location, people would willingly pay even higher prices; the food really is that good.
Yes- coupon without an expiration date in the Reader, cc. Straight up the 15 to Mira Mesa Blvd. and make a right then the next right into the shopping area. You will like the food here.
I love the pics of the quiche! Looks fabulous. All your menu pics are great!
Looks good except for the bread used for the shrimp sandwich.
Hi Cathy! I have their coupon pinned to my board but have yet to stop by since the reviews I’ve read so far have been quite mixed. I wanted to stop by to check out their fish selection but thought I’d wait a little while longer for them to work out the kinks.
The bread was fresh, dense and chewy, nhb. It did taste good but I didn’t think it went with the delicate shrimp…would have been too filling.
Hi Carol. The people working were very attentive and asked for feedback. Using the two for one would make it cost considerably less even if there were kinks. I’ve heard the crab cakes are heaven.
The interior dining area reminds me of a clothing boutique or makeup counter! The food looks great, although I prefer beer batter for fish rather than crumb coating.
Hi Alyssa. The decor is a bit different and unexpected for a fish store and restaurant. The breaded fish was fresh, made really well and tasted so good; I didn’t even think about beer batter.
Got the king crab feast, cioppino, fish and chips, calamari, and clam chowder last night for Mother’s Day dinner. King crab feast and cioppino were excellent especially for the price. $28 for the crab feast. Huge portion for two people to share. $17 for cioppino. Large portion for one. The cioppino had clams, mussels, shrimp, one scallop. Everything was cooked perfectly. The crab legs were perfect as well. Fish and chips $10 and calamari $9 were done well, but the clam chowder $6 wasn’t creamy enough. Dessert was good for $6. I will definitely come back for the crab feast and cioppino. The prices are reasonable for how nice the decor is. However, it is confusing because the decor and fish market don’t seem to go together. Hopefully, they’re still in business because it wasn’t that busy even though it was Mother’s Day.
The meal sounds wonderful, Lilly; a perfect special day. We went for lunch last week and it wasn’t crowded. The quality is so worth the price and I hope Fish Boutique stays in business. Welcome to the commenting side of our blog.