Billingsgate Fish Co. (Lighthouse Cafe)

My in-laws were sweet enough to take my parents (and us) out for dinner at Billingsgate Fish Co. (the Lighthouse Cafe) last night. I had no idea what to expect from the place, except that Mom E. had assured me their steak was really good.

The entry of this establishment led to the fish market first. It was a surprisingly small store, although they did seem to sell a lot of different types of seafood. Most were prepackaged and already frozen, except for a lobster tank here and a crab tank there. I think I've seen more live seafood at T & T (or in most Chinese supermarkets), but the selection at Billingsgate was certainly respectable.


The restaurant was set up very much in the fisherman-lighthouse theme. It was almost borderline tacky, with fake fish and other nautical symbols and pictures displayed prominently on its walls and from its ceilings. However, there was definitely something kind of quaint about this eatery as well; its small tables and simple chairs worked well with the rest of the decor and gave us a very comfortable, casual feeling.

The menu listed a pretty fair selection of entrees and appetizers, although the dessert variety looked a tad sparse and salads were definitely missing from the menu (except for ceasar salads). The prices were also reasonable, with most entrees ranging from $18-30. I opted for the striploin steak, having been shellfish-spooked from my rather nasty seafood-induced experience recently. Hubbs got the steak and seafood combination.

After we ordered, the bread was brought out. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't the standard crusty bun fare; this bread was sundried tomato foccacia, and although it wasn't served with oil and vinegar (just butter), it was still very tasty and a treat to have. When the meals came after a bit of a wait, my striploin was a little overdone (I asked for rare and got medium rare), but was still very good and tender. The steak had been topped with a variety of grilled mushrooms and some grilled garlic, and these made it far better tasting than what it would have been on its own, or with a ton of HP sauce, or gravy. On the side came steamed veggies (which I didn't eat), and roasted blue and white potatoes. The potatoes were also prepared well, and had a nice crispy edge to them that made them delicious. Hubbs said that his lobster (that came with a dipping butter) was excellent, and that his steak also tasted great. My parents also remarked that their orders (wild sockeye salmon topped with lobster meat, served in a cream sauce) were done really well and tasted good. I didn't ask my in-laws about their meals, but presume that they too found their entrees pleasing to the palate.

The service was also efficient and unobtrusive. Mom E. must have known the server lady, because they struck up quite the conversation. The rest of our servers were pretty quiet and not too keen on interrupting our conversations to refill our water, etc., which was nice.

In summary, we really enjoyed our time at Billingsgate. Sure, they aren't your five-star fancy classy restaurant by any stretch of the imagination, but the food was affordable and tasted good, and sometimes a casual ambience all that a gal wants.

Rating: 9 / 10