Fish and chip shops in London
- Thread starter Relahni
- Start date
Onket said:
it's a small market half way down Southwark Park Road. it's the name the locals call it, I can't remember why. but there is the pub called the Blue Anchor near there, so there must have been something blue in the past in the area, maybe an anchor or something.
OK so recommendations are
Masters Super Fish, Waterloo Road
Long Lane Fish Bar, SE1
Rock & Sole Plaice, 47 Endell St, WC2H 9AJ
Sea Cow, Clapham High St
Faulkner's, on Kingsland Road,
The Windmill Fish Bar on Kennignton Lane
Sea cow, East Dulwich* (expensive)
Olleys in Herne Hill
fishcotheque, waterloo
Clapton Fish Bar, just opposite Clapton Passage
Chatsworth Road
Poseidon Fish bar on East Finchley Road
Golden Cafe on Farringdon Road
Island chippy Forest Hill
Fryer's Delight? Theobalds Road
Bert's - end of east street corner
Olley's - Great Suffolk st
The chip shop - by Woolworths - the blue
one just down from the mount plesant junction
Good work! thanks
Masters Super Fish, Waterloo Road
Long Lane Fish Bar, SE1
Rock & Sole Plaice, 47 Endell St, WC2H 9AJ
Sea Cow, Clapham High St
Faulkner's, on Kingsland Road,
The Windmill Fish Bar on Kennignton Lane
Sea cow, East Dulwich* (expensive)
Olleys in Herne Hill
fishcotheque, waterloo
Clapton Fish Bar, just opposite Clapton Passage
Chatsworth Road
Poseidon Fish bar on East Finchley Road
Golden Cafe on Farringdon Road
Island chippy Forest Hill
Fryer's Delight? Theobalds Road
Bert's - end of east street corner
Olley's - Great Suffolk st
The chip shop - by Woolworths - the blue
one just down from the mount plesant junction
Good work! thanks
PacificOcean
Unhinged User
Skim said:
The meanest portion I have ever had at a chippy.
The nicest fish and chips I have ever had was in Temple Fortune in West Hampstead.
The chippy near me by Enfield Lock station isn't bad, but I am guessing that is too much of a trek.
Regarding fried chicken. I love it, but find that it is so hit and miss - unlike fish and chips. Fried chicken varies from place to place, but even if you go back to the same place, it can be nice one time and rank the next.
Those shops always look so filthy too. I like KFC, at least it's consistant.
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
tarannau said:Bollocks. How can you explain the worldwide popularity (and growing) of fried chicken. It's not the world's most popular snack food for nothing. Fried chicken done well can be the food of champions from all round the world. Crisp skin, moist chicken, a delectably spicy coating. What's not to like?
Besides, I can confirm that the chicken shop near us does some excellent fish and chips. They go to some real efforts to use proper fat chippy chips ,make the batter and fry in small, fresh batches - they're one of the best in the area. They cook crappy fried chicken strangely enough - bland.
What makes you think that a bloke who's capable of cooking multiple items in a chicken shop (or a chinese takeaway) can't make a simple batter or deep fry some items. Put the rose tinted spectacles down - it's not tough to make decent fish and chips. When most fish and chip shops also serve all varieties of dodgy pies, worrying sausage products and nasty sauces/gravies and luminous mushies then there's no particular reason to think that there's any more integrity in fish and chips than any other fast food operation. They've just got a better image and more people harking back to older days - it's misty nostalgia more than the reality.
"Fish and chips ain't as good as it used to be'
...'Vinegar tasted the same back then too grandad. Have a Werther's and enjoy your battered sausages...'
Totally agree up to the point that Fish and chips its not difficult to make. Its a simple dish but to make it well requires some dedication and care. I don't think any of the place's I've see in London really know what they are doing.
I use to work at Harry Ramsdens in Manchester and they have a a cook to order policy and fish must not be more than 15 minutes old or its for the staff or in the bin.
The fryers manual goes into some detail on how to fry their fish and chips and runs to some 70 or more pages. Essential ingredients are Beef tallow as an oil, freshness and careful timing. The potato's must be quality maris pipers. The chips must be dry before they into the fryer and fried separately from the fish. This requires them to be soaked in anti-browning agent. If you use wet chips and the fat isn't kept at the correct temperature it spoils the fat. If you've had chips taste greasy or come out soggy, they have not been managing the oil quality. Beef tallow isn't cheap as fats go which is why you'll not find it used very often.
I have not seen a single fish and chip shop even remotely look like they would adhere to these standards apart from that one on Finsbury Square. Very nice fish and chips. The one on Kingsland Road is meant to be quite good.
After 17 years in the capita, I can only recommend:
Golden Thingy, Farrdingdon Road - best and best caff too.
Fryers Delight, Theobalds Road - not as good as above
Forest Hill one - fine.
The trick is to ask for your mushy peas separate - otherwise they plonk them on the main plate and you get less chips for more money.
Golden Thingy, Farrdingdon Road - best and best caff too.
Fryers Delight, Theobalds Road - not as good as above
Forest Hill one - fine.
The trick is to ask for your mushy peas separate - otherwise they plonk them on the main plate and you get less chips for more money.
To be fair, Sunray - fish and chips ain't that complex. That book's only 70 pages long because they've de-skilled their workforce and made production into a corporate process, complete with an 'idiot-proof' guide that ensures that covers their back and all eventualities. When I ran pubs I had 5 page hint sheets on how to microwave specific dishes at times. It's a brand statement of intent and arse-covering guide, all in one.
I agree that there's dedication, timing and logic involved. Most of that's common sense or good kitchen practice - chips that are dry, oil up to right temp, don't leave food standing around.But that shouldn't be beyond one decent kitchen staff member, certainly not beyond some of the oriental cooks who work in takeaway ops with massive menus. And if a premium fried chicken operation ever did start then I guarantee the manual would be even longer if they did it well. There'd be more than 5 pages on how to dip properly in buttermilk for a start.
I agree that there's dedication, timing and logic involved. Most of that's common sense or good kitchen practice - chips that are dry, oil up to right temp, don't leave food standing around.But that shouldn't be beyond one decent kitchen staff member, certainly not beyond some of the oriental cooks who work in takeaway ops with massive menus. And if a premium fried chicken operation ever did start then I guarantee the manual would be even longer if they did it well. There'd be more than 5 pages on how to dip properly in buttermilk for a start.
PacificOcean said:
consistant in its crapness, you mean?
I normally only go for chips, so I base my findings on chips alone.
olleys - SHITE
berts on east street - brilliant, best chips I've encountered in london.
some place by battersea arts centre - lovely big fat chips and they sell all manner of cakes, so that alone makes it brilliant (not that I ate any of the cakes).
chippy on coldharbour lane - lovely, think it might be called jimmy's???
there are many other chippy's that I've tried, but none are stand out.
but olley's have to be the worst chips from a chippy ever, they seemed like frozen chips, hard and not fluffy and scrumptous. too dry too, I like my chips to have a bit of grease on them.
I *heart* chips
olleys - SHITE
berts on east street - brilliant, best chips I've encountered in london.
some place by battersea arts centre - lovely big fat chips and they sell all manner of cakes, so that alone makes it brilliant (not that I ate any of the cakes).
chippy on coldharbour lane - lovely, think it might be called jimmy's???
there are many other chippy's that I've tried, but none are stand out.
but olley's have to be the worst chips from a chippy ever, they seemed like frozen chips, hard and not fluffy and scrumptous. too dry too, I like my chips to have a bit of grease on them.
I *heart* chips
olleys is usually better known for its fish rather than chips.
PacificOcean
Unhinged User
guinnessdrinker said:consistant in its crapness, you mean?
But as someone who loves fried chicken, at least it's edible.
Many-a-time I have been to fried chicken establishments where the food has been so rank that I can't even take more than a bite.
PacificOcean said:
compared to your average franchise, you've got a point.
Iguana
Well-Known Member
Babs Fish Bar on Tottenham High Rd is pretty good. Not a bad price either, 95p for a big bag of chips. And they do delicious scampi, I had some last night.
The only bad thing is that they have ads on the paper they wrap the chips in for the gym across the road. It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen.
The only bad thing is that they have ads on the paper they wrap the chips in for the gym across the road. It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen.
lighterthief
Well-Known Member
Expensive to eat in though. Now in Turkish hands I've been told?rutabowa said:
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
tarannau said:
Its not complex.
While I can understand where your coming from, I beg to differ. I don't actually think that the 'Harry Ramsden' brand is that great and they treated me like shit. so I am not particularly inclined to stand up for them.
That guide was a proper, very in depth,training guide on how to fry food, so rather than having a de-skilled work force, they have very well trained fryers to fry their food, that's all these guys do all day.
Rollem
two kinds of wonderful
that be our new local, and is v nice indeed.Kanda said:
nothing has ever beaten the old fashioned fish shop that used to be near my grandads in east acton (the building is still there, fantastic archistectuer inside and out - off of old oak lane, just as you turn to join the A40) best damn fish and chips ever! with free bits of battered roe thorwn in for the "good kids"
f+c still gives me terrible wind though
<parp!>
as for all you foodies debating the "finer points" of fish and chips
get a grip 
eta: harry ramsdens = shite imho
PacificOcean
Unhinged User
zenie said:Yeh I've given the Brighton one two chances now and both times it was shit.
Bloody rip-off too. £18 for two fish and chips with a tiny piece of fish and about four chips with the rest of the plate filled with limp looking salad.
PacificOcean
Unhinged User
While we are on the subject, a particular gripe of mine at chippes are those who instead of giving you a proper portion in paper, instead give you five chips in those white plastic trays.
