1. Frankie's Fish & Chips (Grayshott, Hampshire)
We have enjoyed many a fish & chip in Frankie’s in the glorious south-east village of Grayshott (Lizzie’s Grandma’s local haunt) so we thought this would be our first for the blog.
As with a lot of fish & chip takeaways, at Frankie’s you have the non-fishy options of chicken nuggets, pies, sausages, burgers and various side orders. However, it’s the fish part of the menu that interests us and you have a variety of fried fish to choose from, such as cod fillet, cod bites (5pcs), Rock salmon, haddock, plaice, skate, scampi (10pcs), cod roe, fishcake, whitebait and calamari.
Massive pieces of fish! I (Chris) had a large cod and chips and it beggared belief that it managed to squeeze into the box! But despite its size it was lovely and flakey with nice crisp batter. Top notch in my eyes.
Well in correlation with the above post about the fish, there were tons of chips! Even between Lizzie, her Grandma and me a rather large quantity was still left over (which is handy if you feel peckish later and have an oven handy for reheating - cold chips are never pleasant). I personally wasn’t that enamoured by the chips as I felt they were a bit stale. But having said that, Lizzie enjoyed them and thought they were crisp and fluffy in the middle, with a slight sogginess from the vinegar - perfect in her eyes. As for the extras and the rest I (Chris) will hand you over to my partner-in-blogging-crime Lizzie.
I (Lizzie) always require extras when ordering fish & chips. I do enjoy a good squirt of a lemon or a dollop of tartare sauce but it’s the portion of mushy peas that I just HAVE to have with the chips. The mushy peas at Frankie’s come in a white polystyrene cup and hold just the right amount for the meal, with a little extra for my Grandma to enjoy. They may not be homemade with mint (like at J SHEEKEY) and are probably from a Batchelors Mushy Peas tin but they do the job nicely.
You have the option to eat-in at Frankie’s but as my Grandma just lives a short walk down the road, we tend to order and then walk back home to enjoy our fishie & chippie meal at our own dining table. Frankie’s is very popular, especially on Friday/Saturday nights evenings, so you have to be prepared to wait a while for your order to be ready. It’s so worth it at the end though. A scattering of comfy sofas and armchairs accommodate your hungry derriere during the wait and when your number is called and you’ve had your salt and vinegar applied to your chips, you’ll find that the fish is served in a rather lovely white cardboard box with fishie writing on it. The staff, headed by the infamous Frankie himself, are a lovely bunch and Frankie’s definitely a bit of a Mediterranean character!
For a large cod and chips it will cost you just £8.35 with an additional £1.20 for mushy peas. The cod fillet comes in three different sizes: regular (£4), medium (£4.90) and large (£5.60). If you fancy fish & chips but aren’t that hungry then Frankie’s offer an OAP portion of cod fillet & chips which is still pretty generous and costs only about £5 - bargain!
8/10 - Delicious fish & chips that we always look forward to when visiting my Grandma. I (Lizzie) just wish the mushy peas had a little added something, but this may be hard for a takeaway. Chris would probably wish the chips were a bit more to his liking, but these are minor points as Frankie’s really is a gem in the Grayshott village eating scene.
*THE LOCATION AND OPENING TIMES*
Frankie’s Traditional Fish & Chip Restaurant, Cafe & Take Away,
Marathon House,
Headley Road,
Grayshott,
GU26 6LG
Tel. 01428 608 020
[Telephone orders are welcome except on Friday evenings]
Email: [email protected]
MONDAY: 5pm - 9.30pm
TUESDAY - SATURDAY: 11.30am - 2.30pm and 4.30pm - 9.30pm
SUNDAY: closed
[N.B. Last orders for eating in are at 2pm and 8.30pm]