The Crown & Sceptre, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6SD, 26 June 2021
YO! I should be at the Glastonbury taking a part in the biggest and the best party of the world, but instead, I am in London sitting a quiet corner (behind a group of Italian lads) of The Crown & Sceptre, Fitzrovia.
Firmly fixed my mask on my arm
Beer-battered Fish & Chips – pale ale battered cod, triple-cooked chips, minted crushed peas & tartare sauce for £14. This is standard now, though anticipating price hike – post COVID +/- delayed Brexit related inflation.
Grilled lemon! Stop!
First impression – ?overcooked
- Fish – Actually, not overcooked, the dark colour must be a reflection of “pale ale”. In fact, fish cooked perfectly, not dried, mouth wateringly juicy…. however, ohhhh so much salt on top of the fish…. why!?!?!? I cannot get rid of them as there were so much of them, hanging on to rough surfaces of very crunchy batter, in the end I have to remove all batter. What a shame!
- Chips – Definitely triple cooked, delicious ! Good portion size, wash down with cold beer hearing Italian boys shouting! Heaven!
- Minted crushed peas – Odd, too odd, there were hint of garlic, completely, offensively wrong combination of mint and pea.
Surrounded by some enthusiastic group of people – could not stop feel emotional, football competition, Glastonbury, beer, fish and chips, cheering voices, smily bar staff…..
Cheers!
The Highbury Barn, London, London N5 2AB, 3 June 2021
Yo! No one can stop me, as I learnt the important lesson of life….here we are at the Highbury Barn. Welcoming us back warmly, this is my second visit. Wow, the first visit was November 2017, I was shocked by the price of fish and chips @£13.50 then.
Beer taste so good at inside, hooray!
This time, we scanned the menu – on this visit.. fish and chips….Wow whopping £15.50!
No complaint on portion size and steamy hot foods delivered in timely manner with smiles, which I can still see through the mask.
Fish: Large, fresh piece of fish meat, slightly undercooked, batter was very yellow and some yellow oil dripping on the white dish… not sure what it was (I don’t have menu on my phone anymore)- no distinctive taste of this yellow pigment….
Chips: Very very chunky, too chunky for my liking, can we still call these chips? What is the clear definition of chips?
Mashy pea : yes mushy pea, refreshing colour accent on the plate but nothing significant otherwise.
As my declaration – no harsh scoring – £15.50 – but but but…. what can we say…. it is what it is, we all need to survive.
See you soon!
The Royal Hotel, Deal, Kent, CT14 6JD, 22 May 2021
Good evening, my first indoor post lock down fish and chips experience here at the Royal Hotel, Deal.
Weather has been horrendous, but our spirit was not dampen down. Come on rain, bring on strong north-easterly wind! We are inside….hehehe
Traditional cod and chips £13.45. A large cod fillet hand coated in out own Shepherd Name ale crispy batter with chips and peas. Yes, the portion size is definitely satisfactory!
Fish : Lovely traditional crispy batter – but fish flesh was very “flaky”. When I cut the flesh, the piece does not stay on my fork. Why? I actually don’t know…. it seems no issues with”freshness”, except ever so slightly feels watery in the mouth as well as flaky….
Chips : These were the star of the show. Very very tasty, must been double or even triple cooked, seasoned perfectly with salt. Even towards the end of this big portion, my mouth did not feel “too salty” and still able to taste them well, just as my first mouthful, without getting bored of it. Amazing!
Peas : completely mediocre frozen peas, a lot of it, no seasoning.
My be loved, be respected restaurant critic, Jay Rayner wrote in one of his article in the observer during lock down that he decided he will never criticise again, knowing how the whole sector hit by the pandemic. He will, instead, quietly leave and never to return.
I will, also follow his step for now, No criticism, no harsh scoring. I am, just like him, so happy to be back to dine out.
Thank you!
Stapleton Tavern and The Old Dairy, Crouch Hill London N4 4 AU, 17 May 2021
Good news and Bad news….
We are here at Stapleton Tavern, enjoying our first proper pints since December 2020 without being freezing cold, being comfortable.
However, the big however. Our be loved The Old Dairy, according to my credible information source, is now closed its door permanently. I remember fondly our great time there in 2019. I did not manage to revisit since, never imagined its door would be closed for good.
Lesson learnt, don’t wait, don’t postpone, don’t put on hold.
Good bye the Old Dairy….
The Somers Town Coffee House, Kings Cross, London NW1 1HS, 3 December 2020
Yoyoyo post 2nd lock down, we should treat ourselves with fresh pints and fish and chips. Here we are at the Somers Town Coffee House, Kings Cross, NW1 1HS.
Plenty of space, no problems on social distancing, staff not wearing masks. It is so cold inside of this pub so it’s OK, COVID won’t survive on this temperature (or does COVID thrive in the cold air? – too much information, too confused)
We tried so hard, but we were unable to read the menu, the printer simply need new ink. The friendly waitress offered reading out for us, but we politely declined. She suggested turning the candle away, which apparently makes it easier to read. We could see fish and chips (but not full description nor price), so let’s go for it!!!
We waited, waited we waited. About 25 minutes later, the waitress came to our table with friendly smile and informed us there is only one fish and chips left. So I took it.
Another 20 minutes gone, finally my fish and chips arrived. Batter was pale yellow and thick, it was not the texture I was expected. Chips were nice and hot.
Yes, the fish and chips was not what I expected, yes, the temperature inside pub was probably below “optimum” (even our friendly waitress confessed she has been so cold working – of course, she does not take any action about the temperature), yes we were unable to read menu because of faded print out due to lacking in ink, yes we waited probably longer than average for our food…… but so what? I am not criticise our hard hit hospitality industry, I just wish all well, keep our head down, and survive.
See you soon!
The Duke of Sussex, Waterloo, SE1 7AY, 14 August 2020
Good evening, I ventured out to the town by tube. Waterloo station area is getting busier but still down by 60% of pre-pandemic usual Friday night (subject to my observation). Table booked, we are here at the Duke of Sussex.
Cheers!
After chatting, chatting, chatting, chatting – now time to order foods – Beer battered fish & chips, tartar source, peas £15 – ohhh the last my visit here was May 2018, Fish and chips was £13.50 then. Inflation busting 11% increase (with VAT reduction) in just over 2 years. COVID related price hike – can be helped.
NOOOOO to grilled lemon
1. Fish: 7/10 : Fish flesh was cooked through but felt batter was slightly under cooked and greasy. Left slightly unpleasant texture in the mouth
2. Chips: 6/10: taste nice but far too thick, it was almost between chips and roast potatoes
3. Peas: 7/10: some hint of butter, lovely green colour gave great visual accent on the plate
The pub terrace was heaving, where we sit inside was busy but enough space in between tables, feeling completely safe – Just appreciate things we were doing before without any thoughts – sharing time with friends, eating, drinking, chatting – what a joy. Thank you for hosting all of us, we will be back.
Good night!
The Ship Inn, Rye, East Sussex TN31 u7DB, 16 July 2020
Hello, this is not Déjà vu, we are here again, the Ship Inn, Rye. I could not forget an amazing fish and chips from yesterday, I was going to have it again. However, what caught my eyes are – “Whole South Coast Plaice, Jersey royal potatoes, caper&lemon butter sauce”. £13.0 (+ VAT not reduced to 5%). Of course, from my experience last night, I asked chips instead of Jersey Royal potatoes.
Great pint with welcome back discount, big thumb up
Chips served in a bucket again
Naff grilled lemon
- Chips 10/10 Again!!! – I must say I was slightly apprehensive after the great experience last night. OMG, exactly as I experienced, it was so good again, here, you have even achieved all important “CONSISTENCY”. You made me happy.
- Fish 9.5/10 – Simply delicious. This fat, fresh meat was again, cooked perfectly, juicy, it looks a lot of caper but providing perfect acidity without overwhelming saltiness of capers against good amount of butter (which was not too much to start with), seasoning was again perfect, calculated saltiness from caper.
What can I say? 2 nights in a row, I was treated with great foods and drink. The chef must have great palate. I believe, especially in this country where meat eating is generally dominant, chef’s palate and quality is tested by cooking of fish/marine products. And, you guys are genius. You showcased that simple but excellent quality of food – I really mean it – can be served in a pub, does not have to be a posh restaurant.
Cannot wait to visit you again – Thank you !!!!
The Ship Inn, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7DB, 15 July 2020
Hello from East Sussex, a pretty place called Rye, we are continuously engaging actively with post lock down economy. The Ship Inn, of course we are here for a fresh pint and fish and chips.|
Feeling safe
All main courses are priced at £13.00. “Jake’s Beer Battered Fish & Chips, Mushy peas, chunky tartare sauce”.
Not so sure about first sight, nothing special
Never keen to be served my chips in a mini bucket – is this for portion control?
OMG – How wrong was I for my first impression –
- Fish 9.5/10 – Batter was thin – which means the size of the fish showing above photo is an actual size of big generous piece of completely fresh, skinned, beautifully flavoursome white cod flesh. This thin but crunchy, not greasy at all batter is sticking perfectly with the fat flesh. The fish was cooked through perfectly – this is important, as often they are ever so slightly undercooked – may be chefs are afraid of overcooking (quite rightly). When bite the fish, crunchy batter was melting with fresh juice of fish – OH JOY!!!
- Chips 10/10 – these are probably one of the best chips I can recall. Again, crunchy but not greasy, definitely cooked in a fresh oil. Piping hot, completely fluffy. Strangely, crunchiness of outside did not dominate as a texture but fluffiness overtakes inside of the mouth, while leaving pleasure of crunchiness just experienced. OH JOY!!!!!
- Mushy peas – over excited with chips, cannot recall
- Tartare source – not sure what is chunky about.
Thank you the Ship Inn for an amazing fish and chips, I gave 9.5 for fish as chips were so perfect and gave me such an strong impression that I could possibly give another 10 on fish.
They could not reflect new VAT (20%->5%) applied from today as their “head office” have not instruct them yet. However, they gave “welcome back” discount on the drinks so I forgive YA!
The Sir Richard Steel, Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4RL, 9 July 2020
Yoyoyo! I am keen to contribute to the much needed economic activity, therefore, we are here tonight at The Sir Richard Steel, Haverstock Hill. Table booked, cannot wait for fresh pint and fish and chips!
Cannot complain!
Fantastic pub but empty….though again, just 2 of us, they gave us probably the best table in the house.
BUT THE BIG BUT…AHHHHHH…no fish and chips on the menu…. WHY.. there is a good reason. The friendly pub landlord told us…
There is a fish and chips shop next to the pub, so they decided not to compete…share the business “we are all family”.
Nice touch! So after careful consideration, we went for burger and chips, another classic.
Polite smile on arrival, served in paper plate due to COVID
The polite smile was not because the paper plate but the amount of chips they gave me… literally there were only about 8 chips…… you should give me at least 3 times more (i.e,, 24 chips) for £12.95. I am not burger critic so my comment ends here…..
Beer was lovely, but for the very very stingy chips portion, I won’t eat in here again, but I will come back for beer then fish and chips next door.
I binged chocolate after I went home, I was left too hungry with 8 chips.
Cheers!
The Orange Tree, Totteridge, London N20 8NX, 4 July 2020
Finally we are here at The Orange Tree, Totteridge, the Super Saturday. We have waited, waited and waited.
Sweet!
Ohhhh…. this is so good. Now, this is a booked table, table service, everything goes smoothly. Now, let’s have “Freshly Battered Line-caught Cod & Chips Rustic thick-cut chips, pea puree & tartare sauce” £14.25.
Delivered!
Socially distanced table
- Fish : 8/10 : Juicy cod flesh with skin was hidden under the crispy golden batter. Batter was just right thickness which hold fish together well, fish was ever so slightly undercooked.
- Chips: 8/10 : Chunky chips were steaming hot! As promised, crunchy outside and fluffy inside. They went so well with cold crispy well served beer, I could do with more of them.
- Pea puree 8/10 : Beautiful in the eye, bright fresh green and taste with hint of butter. Not puree enough as some chunks visible, I actually really liked them, great home made side. Should not call them puree here.
Overall great dining experience in this difficult circumstances. In fact, for the diners/drinkers for two, this was actually very present. We would normally given tiny table between groups, often felt “unimportant” during busy weekend evenings. But not tonight!
Thank you Orange Tree, we will certainly back!!!!
Street Food Bar, Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, London, NW3 2QG, 6 May 2020
Hello hello hello, special edition of Fish and Chips critic is here today, from the Royal Free Hospital. I have previously reported from here but this is different. We are in “unprecedented times”.
Appealing!
Served by the cheerful chef!
Followed by the lady serving condiments. Sorry for the quality of the photo, I panicked because of queue behind me.
Big thumb up!
Great portion!
Overall 10/10!, Yes, batter was too thick, it was a bit soggy side, fish inside was nice thick chunk of flesh but overcooked. Chips were not chips but more like french fries. However, they were pre-seasoned well with hint of salt and pepper, perfectly enjoyable. The dish was served by a generous 1/2 lemon and tartar sauce, which was surprisingly tasty with good punch of acidity.
Dry overcooked fish coated by thick and soggy batter, but so what? It was a treat by the Royal Free charity and donations from public, served by cheerful hard working people.
Thank you NHS, thank you people! We will meet soon!
The Henry Addington, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PH, 25 January 2020
YOYOYO! A Happy new year to you all, it has been 6 years since I posted my very first Fish and Chips Critic in January 2014. The main thing is, I am still here, critiquing. I will survive, so I will ask you to “love me little, love me long”.
Here we are at Canary Wharf, cold night but buzzing with people enjoying Winter Lights. After walking around Wharf for over an hour, we found ourselves in The Henry Addington.
Cheers!
Of course, our comfort food is THE FISH AND CHIPS! Simple Nicholson’s Fish and Chips, fillet of haddock hand-battered in our Nicolson’s Pale Ale and served with chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce for £14. I was outraged back in 2014 for being charged £13, now £14 feels somehow normal.
So…. Normal look, did not excite me…
At glance, small portion
- Fish 3.5/10 : Dry flesh, very little flavour, batter too thick. Luke warm
- Chips 3.5/10: Dry, no great texture (i.e, crunchy outside with fluffy potato substance) of enjoyment. Luke warm
- Mushy peas 2/10: straight from the tin, stingy portion, Luke warm
Overall very very disappointed 3/10. As you can see the common theme of this dish was “luke warm”. In the cold evening after some walk, this could be the best comfort food which made my stomach warm and heat to travel all my body for warms, joy and satisfaction, which obviously did not happen.
I will go on critiquing, so please don’t give up on me!
See you soon, Hello 2020!
BFI Riverfront, Southbank, Belvedere Road, Lambeth, London SE1 8XE, 25 August 2019
Amazing! London at its best with heat wave. What more can we expect? Lots of music, tango dance on the show, kids are running around along side of the fountain, lots of people spending time with friends and family, busy, but at the same time relaxing, hot! very hot! no need to worry about umbrella and bank holiday weekend…I can go on and on , how nice the atmosphere around here. Of course, I am also enjoying my bank holiday, let’s celebrate with fish and chips at BFI Riverfront terrace.
Crispy fish & chips, Beer battered cod, skin-on chips, tartar sauce, pea shoots, £13.50
I got annoyed with £13 fish and chips back in 2014, but now £13.50 feel absolutely normal, in fact, feels even cheap for the location, mind you, it is 2019….. I had fish and chips several times in here, I don’t tend to have good experiences. MMM….may be I should not be back here…
First impression… NOOOOOOO! This does not look good!
Tiny lemon, as before, what is your problem? Look the size against my thumb.
- Fish : 1/10 How disappointing. You don’t need to be chef to know that chunky cod is not suitable for deep fry. The flesh is too thick, it is difficult to cook through all parts of the flesh evenly, therefore strangely dry outer flesh while watery (not juicy) in the middle. Despite the chunkiness, no flavour. Also very disappointing appearance as the main star (obviously!) of “fish and chips”.
- Chips : 0/0 Very very disappointing. very dry chips. Good chips should be crunchy but feel some deep fry oil in mouth which added flavour and brings some element of “guilty pleasure”. There is non of this. so dry, are they airfried???? Not good!
- Pea shoots : 1/10 Strangely cold, watery, completely not integrated with rest of the dish with this odd temperature.
Tartare sauce was spreaded on the dish which is also bad idea, while eating the foods, all the surface started to dry up, horrible!
OMG….I must say, this is probably one of the worst fish and chips I can remember. As I did not particularly had good experience previously too, I won’t come back to eat, shame, as the location is super. This is probably why they do not need to make effort…
Lovely evening ended with disappointment, Good night!
The Marquis of Westminster, Pimlico, London, SW1V 1RY, 22 June 2019
Yo! Thought I will be famous but NOT ! after all. My interview by New York based food and wine web magazine took place. He promised me to promote me, but this was not happened, I was not cited on his article. Oh well, it was an experience, nevertheless, I still have hope… one day, one day, I will get there.
Anyway, sunny summer evening in London, having great pint at The Marquis of Westminster.
Yo Yo Yo!
High expectation to the Fish and Chips after being served a great beer and lots of people are enjoying food and drink. Simple and easy menu reads “Fish &Chips, A classic fresh haddock in beer batter, triple cooked chips, garden peas & tartare sauce £13.50”, nice one! Good pricing for the location – let’s ignore the fact that only a year or two ago, I was angry with this sort of price. Got used to the Brexit related inflation.
First impression – 3/10
I don’t like to be served my food in a camping plate after all, paying £13.50.
Where are the garden peas?
Found them. Literally these are all. 1 teaspoonful of peas.
1. : Fish : 5/10 – Far too greasy, In the end, I had to take them out. Fish – unable to recall due to grease overpowered by the batter.
2. Chips 5/10 – Nice, well seasoned. But, the big but, I wish there were more of it, I was given 8 chips. I counted.
3. Garden peas 2/10 – literally garden peas straight from frozen, just like you and me can have at home, but only 1 teaspoonful. Stingy portion with no twist.
I would be happy if this was served at a campsite, but no, not in the London pub. For that reason, I won’t be eating here again. Good night!
White Lion, Stroud Green, London, N4 3PX, 20 June 2019
Yo! I am famous! I was approached by the food and wine web magazine based in New York for exclusive interview about Fish and Chips. We had a Skype interview, I was all prepared, my hair, and “I 
NY” T shirt on me. Disappointingly, he did not seem bothered about it at all, did not turn the camera on. Even though I repeatedly promote myself with “special T shirt for him”. Anyway, let’s wait what he has to say on his article.
Celebrating long summer evening at White Lion, Stroud Green, near Finsbury park with Fish and chips, with DISCOUNT, cannot complain!
2 mains for £20. Good start!
Beer battered haddock, triple cooked chips, mushy peas, tartare sauce, would be £13 otherwise, so I am happy.
Woooo, not sure about first impression….
Funny presentation
Look this batter… reminds me following, these are called “American Dog” in Japan, cheap sausage cooked in thick batter, widely available at festivals stalls.
This is why I had some reservation even before the first bite.
- Fish 6/10, ah, as the expectation, the batter was far too thick, Fish was fresh and nicely cooked but without skin, definitely lacking in flavour. Already sprinkled some flakes of salt and pepper were nice touch, not too much nor too little.
- Chips 6/10 triple cooked fat chips, hot, crunchy, must be home made! then today, I was queuing at the Aldi supermarket till, and saw the lady in front of my buying frozen chunky chips which looked like exactly the chips I had in here…. so I am not sure now.
- Mushy peas 3/10 completely mediocre, straight from tin.
Big disappointment on the presentation, Tartare sauce and mushy peas should be served separately. Towards the end, all my chips were soaked in tartare sauce. All became too mushy like baby foods, Yak!
Though with well served beer and over 20% discount on Fish and chips meant I might, might be back!
Cheers!