The Search for the Perfect Fish & Chips
I confess – I am a fish & chips addict. I can’t go past a delicious dinner of crispy fried fish and crunchy chips, served with an aoli or tartare sauce and of course, green mushy peas, yum! So when Phill and I decided to travel to England, I knew I had to give myself a mission – to find the perfect fish & chips. Where else would I find this than in the pubs of England? I knew this mission would be risky – after all, I’d be hoping to get through numerous plates of fried food, but I just couldn’t help myself. The diet could start as soon as I was back in Australia. Until then, bring it on!
My first taste of real English fish & chips was at a pub in London. We ate lunch in the beer garden, which had a fantastic atmosphere. Sadly, the fish & chips were not impressive. As you might be able to see from the photo, the fish batter was extremely greasy, resulting in little pools of yellow-coloured grease on the plate. Now, I’m not shy of a little grease, but I do have my limits.
The fish was actually quite nice – inside the greasy batter was white, fluffy fish which tasted delicious. I ended up pulling the fish meat out of the batter so I could eat it while avoiding the oily casing. The mushy peas were wonderful – I think it’s almost impossible to ruin mushy peas. Almost.
The next fish & chips I tried was in Brighton, on Brighton Pier. While the pub we’d visited for the first round of fish & chips was quite out of the way, down a random quiet street, Brighton Pier is a major tourist attraction so I was weary that the fish & chips were most likely going to be mass-produced and disappointing.
I wasn’t wrong.
Greasy fish, disappointing obviously re-heated chips and cold mushy peas that tasted old and flavourless. After a few minutes tackling this meal I decided I owed my body enough to stop eating fish & chips – all this grease was a little nauseating. I didn’t end up finding the best fish & chips in England, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there somewhere. I just didn’t stumble upon it, so let me ask you:
Where can I find the best fish & chips?
Not exactly on topic, but, have you been past Decks lately? The kiddies meals we used to love are now a ridiculous $7 each!
I’d have to say that the best fish and chips i’ve had (as I am also addicted) would have to be at The Plough Inn, and Fish Inn.. (Fish Inn is out where I live..) Pig ‘n’ Whistle also does a great fish and chips.. hmmm
Annabel – No I haven’t been there, but I’m not surprised they up’d their prices – it’s in a popular area with lots of tourists – $$ in their eyes!
Elizabeth – Maybe I should try an Inn. The Plough Inn has awesome chips so maybe I’ll love their fish too!