Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
I’d not been to Mother Ocean in a couple years, so it was time to check in. I remembered absolutely loving the fish and chips, and I had quite the hankering.
This local independent fishmonger was a welcome fixture in North Asheville when it opened in 2020, just in time for pandemic closures. Thankfully, it bounced back and is alive and well today.
Trucking in fresh seafood from the coast so consistently is no easy task, and one I’ve always respected and appreciated. Offering all manner of specialties at bulk market price, Mother Ocean also provides a menu of classic fried items cooked to order all day long.
To be clear, this review is about the prepared food eaten on this day, not about the wide array of fantastic seafood one can purchase and prepare elsewhere.
It was tough to decide what we wanted, as we were intrigued by the entire menu, but we settled on two “entrees” and a couple of sides.
She had the shrimp po’ boy, a Cajun fried shrimp sandwich, slathered with remoulade, topped with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and dill pickle chips, served between two slices of toasted baguette. It was classic perfection. The shrimp was cooked just right, the remoulade was perfect, and even the pickles were impressive. Her hush puppies, however, completely missed the mark. They were more like doughnut holes than puppies, very sweet and very … doughy.
My fish and chips basket was rather disappointing. The batter was doughy and wet, which caused the fish to fall apart in a terrible fashion. It was impossible to hold in my hand long enough to pour on the malt vinegar, let alone dip in the tartar sauce. The flavor was there, but eating it was frustrating. My Old Bay seasoned fries were very good, though.
The additional side we chose was the cole slaw, as we’re both connoisseurs in general. Mother Ocean’s was unacceptable. There was no salt and no vinegar. In fact, there was no flavor at all.
The truly difficult aspect of all this is that seafood, even fried seafood, is more expensive than ever, and I’ve never had so much regret about a $60 lunch for two.
I want to think this was a bad day. All restaurants have bad days. The cooks are human. I won’t let this stop me from trying again, but, at the same time, I have to be completely transparent with these reviews.
I’ll add that the staff was considerably kind and helpful. No disappointment with that.
I urge you to give it a shot for yourself, and, hopefully, you catch them on a better day.
