North Sea Fish - A Mixed Bag Really.

The North Sea Fish is more of a take away with a restaurant attached, than the other way around.

As you walk into the restaurant side you feel you are in a 1950’s seaside hotel. The deep red carpet and wooden bar in the middle all add to this walk back in time feel I got. It’s an odd experience.

It became pretty apparent that the restaurant caters for tourists more than locals, due to its vicinity to a myriad of hotels and the stations nearby. The chippie on the other hand seemed to be full of locals.

The menu is extensive and pretty bloody pricey. £12 average price for cod and chips, and for a few quid more you could go jumbo. I’d hate to think how big jumbo was, as the medium was massive. The waitress made some signs that in other circumstances would have been embarrassing.

I do love the laminated place mats of different types of fish. Sadly we both had ray on ours, but I do now know how to pronounce in several European languages. This could come in very handy if I am in Russia and fancy a portion of ray.

As I said the portions of fish are large, which are not fresh, it’s from frozen stock. These never actually bothered me as it was encased in a very tasty and crispy batter, and I was a tad drunk and therefore bloody hungry.

The chips came in a wooden basket with some greaseproof paper at the bottom, they again were tasty and crispy, until you made your way through them to the bottom and then they were soggy. A reminder of chippies of my youth.

This is really what this place did to me, I reminded me of the best chippie in Basingstoke as I was growing up. Which for so many years was head and shoulders above everything else, until it got brought out and the quality went into freefall. A shame when people think of money before quality.

All in all if I was in the area and desperate I may have a takeaway from here, but it’s unlikely. As far as chippies go it is a little above average, but does have a good feel to the place, and the staff are warm and friendly. Although one of the waiters was particularly forceful in making sure one foreign couple liked their fish. Yes you will enjoy it.

As for tourist fish ‘n’ chip places, this has a long way to go to catch up with the Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden, and is light years behind the wonderful Beach Hut in Highbury Barn, whenever it is open.