When Fish Attacks the Taste Buds! (DK)

North Bank Seafood Restaurant
The West Building in the TimBuck II Shopping Village
794-G Sunset Blvd.
Corolla, NC 27927

(252) 453-3344

One might not notice the North bank Seafood and Raw Bar when driving through North Carolina's Outer Banks. The restaurant is tucked inside a strip mall flanked by surf shops and ice cream parlors, and had the most unassuming front door. When entering the restaurant you might think it's kind of small but probably has an additional party room in the back. When you sit down in your seat, you'll realize that this place really is just kinda small. The blue wallpaper and fish replicas floating by the ceiling offer little decor but it's certainly a reminder of what I'm eating. Yum!

We were a party of 14 and were told to wait for about 30 minutes. The lobster beepers they handed us kept me entertained but we were soon whisked off to our seats and given our warm bread basket. We didn't wait long for our orders to arrive, with the raw clam appetizer coming first. The clams were definitely appetizer sized but were quite good despite being particularly fishy.


Their Panko Fried Shrimp had a very satisfying crunch to them but the seasoning on them was very plain. The tangy and sweet sauce that came with it was delicious and I spread that all over my other dishes.

Their version of the fried onion appetizer comes in the form of their Bird Nest; it's exactly what you'd expect if you had this sort of thing before like the Onion Bloom at Outback Steakhouse's. It's considerably thinner than the onion bloom and it's enjoyable if you're into this dish and comes in a shareable portion. 

My main dish was their Jumbo crab cake entreé with mashed potatoes and a bean side with a light pepper sauce whose name escapes me. The crab cake was chewy and not as crispy as it might look. The tangy horseradish sauce helped a lot in the flavor department since the crab cake itself had little. The mashed potatoes were buttered like heck and I personally love it that way. The bean dish had an awkward  texture that didn't suit the sauce which was some sort of light red pepper vinaigrette. All in all, not a bad dish but not excellent.

After polishing off my own dishes, I decided to "taste test" my friends Smokey Jambalaya. First things first, the dish is humongous and could easily feed 2 medium sized people. It's a stew consisting of creatures from both land and sea and they've returned with a spicy and smoky vengeance. Chicken and sausages swim with their shrimp and fish brethren to deliver the most meats in one bite but unfortunately smokiness might be all that you taste. It overpowers the dish and I would not recommend this unless you're a spice and smoke fan or you're broke and have a date to spot for.

All in all, my experience was good. The wait staff was polite even though it was a packed house and the prices are a bit more than Applebees to put things into perspective. I did have some high expectations since we were right by the Atlantic ocean but this is still a fine establishment to get some grub.

David gives this 3.5 out of 5 Delicious Salmons

David Kim is Rotten Sandwich Blogged's newest writer, he will be reviewing various things from restaurants to video games.