Nothing signals that summer is here than feasting on a large plate of fish and chips at Hutch’s on the beach, after you’ve enjoyed the sights and sounds of all the activity at the beach. We had spent the morning trying to launch our friend’s sailboat and by noon we were getting frustrated, tired and needed to replenish our fuel or risk passing out in the heat of the midday sun. We were 2 minutes walk from Hutch’s, so it was the obvious choice.
Be prepared on warm days to experience long lines to place your order and people hovering over you to claim your seat in the cool 50′s styled dining room as the place gets very crowded. On these beautiful summer days, the beach and boardwalk (paved trail) is usually packed and everyone seems to end up in Hutch’s to cool down, grab a bite or get a frozen dessert from the ice cream store built within the restaurant itself.
We were lucky enough to find an empty booth, so the girls claimed it before someone else did, while I joined the line to place our orders. The line was rather long and went to the outside of the building, No worries as it moved quickly. Order placed I went back to our table since you’re given a ticket with your order number, which is called over the overhead speakers when it’s up. I think we waited about 10 minutes, which wasn’t that long of a wait considering the amount of people that packed the restaurant.
Marko and Toni each got the large fish and chips plate which goes for $10 (still can’t believe they eat it all). You get two pieces of battered, deep fried fish covered with a pile of fresh cut fries. Since I’ve been trying to eat a little healthier and we knew from our last visit that the large order is huge, Caron and I decided to split one. If you’re like me and like your fries with mayo, be sure to ask the person at the sales counter to include a small container for you. I doubt that it’s made inhouse, but it’s tangy and creamy – perfect for dipping those wonderful fresh cut fries.
The chips are short and thick and I honestly believe that they could have been cooked a couple minutes more. But we were hungry and were enjoying them just the same. The fish on the other hand was VERY greasy and the batter seemed to have been over cooked. However this was probably due to the thickness of the fish, which I’m sure had to stay a bit longer in the deep fryer to cook all the way through. The thickness of the fish is also to blame for the sort of wet or soggy interior when you broke through it with your fork. Just too much moisture for my liking! But I was the only one at the table who felt this way.
The tall cup of orange Crush really help tie this fried dish together and I love the fact that there were no fishy smell or taste to the fries. The tartar sauce comes in little plastic envelopes and though the ketchup comes from one of those pump containers where you serve yourself, it’s fresh and of good quality. There’s the usual salt, pepper and basic vinegar on the tables.I can be a bit nosy (not intrusive) in restaurants and I noticed on the table across from us they ordered what seemed to be the footlong hotdog and the other person had the cheeseburger. Both looked very tasty and I immediately wished I had gone for the hot dog instead, which looked like of of those tasty all-beef ones.
Done to mimic a 50′s style diner (actually I think the place was built back in the 50′s), there’s a huge juke box at the front where you wait for your order to be called and on each table there’s a miniature version (see pics above) as well. The walls are covered with a tons of sports memorabilia and if you didn’t know better you’d think ti was a shrine to local football and hockey. The bathrooms are clean, but in the ladies vanity area I was told that the taps were installed incorrectly. The ones marked hot is cold and cold is hot.
The best seating option for me are the ones directly facing the paved path of the beach area as you can people watch while you enjoy your meal as well as watch the boaters and on a clear day you can see across the lake to Toronto. Great use of windows to bring a bit of the outdoor activity and scenery in.
The staff at Hutch’s does a great job keeping the dining room clean, as we saw on at least 3 occasions the teenage staff were busy sweeping, wiping and removing garbage… with a smile on their faces.
To recap… be prepared for lines on warm days, if there’s 2 or more in your group (BTW the seating can only accommodate 4 people at the tables) one should place the order while the other secure seating, the large fish and chips order feeds two people easily and ladies don’t forget about the switched taps in the bathroom.
Hutch’s On The Beach Diner.
Address
280 Van Wagners Beach Road,
Hamilton, ON
L8E 3L8
Phone : (905) 545-5508
It was around noon when we arrived and the miniature golf area was just starting to get a bit busy, so we opted to start off our day at the batting cages. With the long winters we have, this heat wasn’t going to keep people from enjoying the summer. I had never played baseball nor have I ever hit balls in a batting cage before, so Andrew was going to be our guinea pig. I was allowed behind the machine that delivered the balls, so you can see a few action shots in the picture gallery below. Basically you grab a bat and helmet and go into the designated enclosed area to start hitting the balls. The system is fully automated and delivery of the ball makes for an excellent opportunity to really pound away at the balls. Great for fine tuning your technique and hitting power, but controlled enough that anyone can safely hit some balls.
With the heat and humidity (felt like 44 C) we had to take a break to get hydrated a bit, after which we headed over to the rock climbing area. Both Andrew and Kieana got strapped in and after a quick “how to” by the attendant, they began their climb. The route starts off easy and the more you move around the wall in a clockwise direction the hard the route got. Again, a fun event with just as much excitement for us on the ground as onlookers. You could see them struggle as they tried to navigate their way up and as the beads of sweat trickled down their faces, you could see the true determination to reach the top. This attraction is safe for all ages, as you’re secured via ropes and a harness system and the attendant is there with you every step of the way. On coming back down you could tell that Kieana was tired as her legs jiggled under her and she landed up on the ground on her bum. Laughter broke out from us in the peanut gallery and it was all in good fun.
