Fish n Chips @ The Fish Club

Now that I’ve begun working in Clapham, I’m slowly beginning to sample the foodie delights of what the Clapham area has to offer. I know it’s only going to be time before I find my sorry ass in the Pepper Tree.

Golden Union Fish Bar

Golden Union is a pretty decent chippie in Soho, where decent chippies are a rare commodity these days.

The restaurant itself is modern, clean, slick with lot’s of friendly waitresses and during the week caters to the needy office crowd in the seated area at the back.

Fish n Chips @ The Crown and Greyhound

To say I’m still peeved over the fish n chips we had at the Crown and Greyhound is an understatement. It ranks up there with the one and a half roast potato’s I got at the Bull on Upper Street. Something I will never forget or forgive.

Dulwich Village is as it says it is, a village. A small piece of the country firmly settled in South London.

Sutton and Sons – A Stokie Fish n Chip Shop

I don’t understand Sutton and Sons. I’m confused. One day I get sublime fish and chips and another time it’s just average and a tad greasy.

It’s the same cooks, same great fish from their fishmongers across the road. So I really don’t know why some days it’s much better than others. Why are you so inconsistent. Why? Tell me!!!!!!!!

I have figured out that the best time to eat there though, are either Friday night or anytime on Saturday when they are ay their most busy and the food is being turned around pretty quickly.

On a wet windy Wednesday night, the fish seems to be left hanging around for a while waiting for someone to eat them. It’s then that the fish is not up to its best.

But I just want to focus on the positive, the way that the batter is so crispy and the fish inside is so moist and when your fork cuts through it flakes apart.

The portion sizes are nice and generous, just as I like them to be. The one thing I hate about fish n chip shops is a meagre portion, just when you are enjoying it, it’s all gone. No I want to be full and still see I have more heaven to eat.

The chips are nice and chunky, and when they are cooked well are some of the best around. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Brilliant.

The menu is pretty varied, including some real old favourites like yer battered sausages and some good pies.

But as they are part of the fishmongers across the road, you can also get a good selection of grilled fish, which I haven’t had myself, but from looking at others peoples plates they look pretty damn good.

They even sell bitter as well. Now there isn’t nowt better than fish n chips with a pint of bitter. Heaven sent.

Sutton and Sons when they are on form are a fine modern chippie, but they are nothing as good as the Beach Café in Highbury Barn, which when it is open are the best by far.

But Sutton and Sons is open all the time and more times than not they do serve some bloody good fish n chips. But please guys keep it up.

Foto Friday # 84

A dish made in heaven. Fish n chips, mushy peas and a pint of ale. Heaven I tell you, bloody heaven.

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.

The Beach Hut – My Local Chippy

Fish and Chips were a Friday regular in my household as a child, until my dad decided that the other British staple of spaghetti bolognese was to be the choice for our Friday night dinner.

A lot of the local fish and chip shops in Basingstoke became Chinese takeaways, instead of banishing this traditional food and replacing it with their own culinary treats, they actually improved the quality of the fish n chips. They also provided us with that so needed added extra, Curry Sauce. I recently had some chips with curry sauce in a pub, and it rolled back the years. It’s crap we know that, but it’s also pretty addictive. One of the good things to come out of the 80’s.

Islington has its fair share of fish n chip shops. Some ok and some not ok. I think I’ve tried most of them now to be able to say that. That would explain my ever increasing waistline then.

The newly opened Beach Hut on the site of a one time closed fish n chip shop has brought life back into an odd stretch of road. There is a quality butchers, a good Italian deli and a fantastic cheese shop (even if the staff are rubbish), and some not so good cheap take away joints. Somehow they shouldn’t mix, but they do and it works. Kind of.

I think I’ve sampled the fish n chips enough times at the Beach Hut to know they are the bees knees. Unlike the fried fish of my childhood where the fish was cooked hours ahead of service and left in those traditional warm counters to sit and sit and sit until wanted. These little beauties are dipped in batter when you order them and they are fried before your very eyes. It makes all the difference.

The fish comes out lovely and crispy, the soft flesh is perfectly cooked and is a delight to eat. You can actually taste the quality of the fish. A rare thing these days.

We’ve eaten in and had take-away a few times. The décor is truly like being at the seaside, lot’s of pastel colors, wooden tables and chairs.  The menu is displayed on a chalkboard behind the counter.

The portions are truly on the large side. We made the mistake of ordering a large portion each first time round, well I was seriously hungry. One would have been enough for us both. They are that big.

The chips are good and comforting. Nice and floury on the inside, although not being as crispy as I like on the outside, but still very good.

They have a good selection of sides, the mushy peas are particularly good and go well with the mains.

For some reason I prefer having a take away rather than eating in. The only downside to this is the fish and the chips are a little bit too greasy and being in the bag for the short trip home sweats them a tad, but a quick blast in a hot oven dries them out enough. 

I’ve found out something in life the other week. Martini’s and fish n chips do not go together. A night of too many cocktails at 25 Canonbury Lane, a great cocktail bar just near Union Chapel told me this.

There is something about de-stressing out over a few perfectly made and alcohol laden cocktails that puts you in a good mood for the night ahead.

Things have a changed there a bit, it used to be more cocktails than beer, but on recent visits it’s more beer than cocktails. Seems the locals now, scoff at the idea of a well made mojito or martini. Actually on our last drunken visit, only women were drinking cocktails, and me. But it’s still a good place to chill and drink. Good mix of well heeled and not so well heeled people.

But after a night of strong vodka martinis, hunger always creeps in and as the Beach Hut is on our way home, we stopped in for some grub to quench our hunger. Martini’s good. Fish n chips good. Together. It just didn’t work. But I’m sure if we hadn’t been so drunk we would have realized that beforehand.

Thankfully the Beach Hut is doing good business, so it won’t be joining the vast majority of restaurants that close within their first year. Hoorah.

Glorious Fish n Chips

For some reason, I do not really want to eat Indian food for a while. Not that I haven’t enjoyed eating some really good simple food. I’ve kind of developed an addiction for dhal makhani, that slow cooked dhal finished off with a good dollop of butter or cream. Boy it is good.

It’s more for the fact that Indian food here in good ol’ Blighty is pretty poor compared to the motherland. The sauces are thicker, less flavoured and a lot sweeter also. You can actually get this type of food in India, but it is in tourist hotels, and when you eat it, you can taste the difference.

So after returning, I was a hankering for some good old British fare. After a Sunday lunch at the Albion, I was pondering what else I could eat. Pie n Mash, a good English breakfast. No, fish n chips were something I fancied more. No idea, why, but I wanted chips. After 10 weeks of none, I needed a slight chip fix. A burger back at Byron was an option, but it was the fish that won that mental battle.

The thing with London is that there are not too many good places that sell a good portion of this old time favourite.

There is the Sea Fish on the Highbury & Islington end of Upper Street, which do a pretty good portion. I’ve never eaten in the restaurant, as living just around the corner it was cheaper to get a take-away. Thankfully they re-enforced their bags. You would always see a portion of chips on the floor, as the bottom of those bags was pretty weak.

The only other shop I have eaten at and liked is The Rock & Sole Plaice. This venerable institution of quality fish and chips in the heart of Covent Garden. Apparently it has or a fish and chip shop has been on this site since 1831. Thankfully they have changed their oil since then.

These days the restaurant is a Mecca for all tourists from all nations to sample this quintessential English food. You can spot the restaurant as you walk down Endell Road, as the tourists always sit outside even when it is cold and windy. This occasion I just couldn’t sit outside. Hey I have been in hot, humid weather for the last 10 weeks. It’s cold in London at the moment.

Inside is of a typical fish n chip shop. White tiled walls, cheap tables and chairs. I have always liked the theatre posters on the walls, as it gives you something to look at whilst you wait an age for your meal, especially if you order anything but cod.

The menu is simple. Lot’s of different battered fish to nosh on, either in a regular size or the larger version. There is a good selection of pies and even some deep fried, battered veggie options.

It is not the cheapest option in the world, but as it is mainly a tourist joint in Covent Garden the prices are expected. Especially as they produce consistently the best portion of fish n chips in London that I have tasted.

The best and most expensive option is the Halibut. The white soft, moist flesh is encased in a batter that is delightfully fried to a crispy perfection. The plaice is good, but somehow the taste of the halibut is so much nicer.

The portions here are mighty big, even the regular size is big. The fish comes with a very large portion of chips that would take me nowadays two days to finish. I must ask for a doggie bag next time. The chips are handcut and are fried to a crispy outside and fluffy on the inside. My preferred way of cooking a chip. Lush.

On the table are the necessary condiments of tomato ketchup, tartare sauce, salt, pepper and malt vinegar. All the essentials you need for a quality meal of our nations favourite dish. Ok our second favourite dish. 

Fish n Chips @ The Yacht in Greenwich

Has anyone been to Greenwich during the week? If you have, you will know it is a desolate place with a scattering of a few tourists who never realised there is a market here every Sunday, and quite a few old age pensioners out for the day. An exciting place during the week as you can see.

This was my second time here in Greenwich outside of the popular and crowded weekend time slot. Both times it has been miserable and grey. Which really sums up Greenwich during the week.

Their used to be a fabulous Pie n Mash shop very near to the station. Alas it has gone, replaced by a tacky tourist shop selling all the normal Union Jack rubbish. Sign of the times I guess. There aren’t too many of those old pie shops left now. Shame.

The only other option dining I know of in Greenwich is The Yacht. It’s a bit of a wander down by the riverfront past the National Maritime Museum. It’s nestled down a small alley around the corner from the Trafalgar.  

It’s a typical pub, but has the added benefit of a superb view over looking the Thames, and you can even see the Dome as well. Added bonus.

The food is fairly typical pub fare, mainly catering to the tourist and weekend trade. It is heaving on Sunday lunchtime, which was the only time we have ever been there.

We’ve only ever eaten the fish n chips there. I really cannot say what anything else tastes like. I’d imagine a bit like any other pub food really.

You can have the fish n chips in two sizes. Normal and huge, and I mean huge. It’s enough for 2. It’s a monumental piece of fish. Mr Creosote would have trouble finishing a portion.

As pub grub goes, the normal portion is a pretty good size. The chips are as with every pub these days brought in, pre-prepared. Shame they were not chunky chips.

The batter wasn’t too bad, a tad greasy compounded by the fact it was all served on a piece of greaseproof paper. Why?

The mushy peas were really good though. Had that strong mushy pea flavour that sets the men from the boys. The tartare sauce I am sure was from a jar, as so few places these days make their own fresh.

The staff are pretty friendly, and they have a good range of beers and an extensive wine list.

It’s a nice place to eat and is the same as we remembered it. Which we are finding a lot recently that old favourites no longer are the same. Most have declined.

All in all Greenwich in the week is a quiet place. If you do go, go in good weather.