The Fish & Chippers

The edible ramblings of Chris and Lizzie, a twenty-something couple who absolutely LOVE fish & chips. Our mission is to try out a new fish & chips venue every month, and this blog captures our thoughts on each place, be it a takeaway or an eat-in venue. Expect fish, expect chips, expect mushy peas. Oh and don't forget plenty of salt and vinegar.

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7. Moxie's Fish Bar (London SW12)

Moxie's Fish Bar, which used to be known as Moxon’s Fish Bar, is just up the road from my (Lizzie’s) old flat and having loved my first visit a while ago I had to make sure Chris sampled its fried fishy wonders.  It is situated a hop, skip and a jump away from Clapham South tube station and just around the corner from Moxon’s Fishmongers, which serves fresh fishy friends daily (http://www.moxonsfreshfish.com/), perfect for all of your domestic cooking desires.

The menu offers both grilled and battered options of fish. Grilled mackerel, sea bream, sea bass or sardines; battered cod, haddock, hake or plaice.  The healthier salad options include grilled cuttlefish & salad; smoked mackerel salad; and Kiln smoked salmon salad.

There are plenty of sides available from the regular chips, mushy peas, coleslaw and roll & butter to the rather adventurous - when it comes to fish & chips anyway - savoury rice, beetroot salad and fennel salad.

Nevertheless, we went for the battered cod option with a side of chips and mushy peas. #standard.

The cod comes in one size and is £7.50.  As you can see from the pictures below it isn’t a vast portion, but it suited my appetite. Nevertheless, it is on the pricier side of take away battered fish. A side of chips is £2 and mushy peas are £1.50.  You’ll be delighted to hear that the chips were wrapped in paper with plenty of vinegar; therefore, my perfect level of soggy chip was reached. A delicious result.

I have now moved to Surrey; therefore will no longer be frequenting this lovely fishy/soggy local as much. Nevertheless, as it is just next to Clapham Common, I can picture myself and Chris visitng again and tucking into to some of Moxie’s tasty produce on the Common’s grass at sunset. It’s a must go.

*THE LOCATION & OPENING TIMES*

7 Westbury Parade Balham Hill London SW12 9DZ

OPEN: Tuesday to Thursday 5-10pm Friday 12-10pm Saturday 5-10pm Nearest tube: Clapham South Nearest park: Clapham Common

@moxonschippy www.moxonsfishbar.com

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Rather enjoying our latest app download. Prisma. It adds cartoon filters to your pictures. I love the effect some of the filters have on yesterday’s fish & chips.

[thefishnchippers]

6. The Plough at Leigh (Leigh, Surrey)

This summer we’ve been very fortunate to have some gorgeous weather and as I’ve just made the move to Horley to live with Chris, we thought we’d make the most of the weather and go on a cycle to watch a friend (Ben) play cricket in Newdigate.  Following the match and some cracking match teas with scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream being one of the highlights, we cycled back to Leigh. Pulling up to The Plough, we were craving a pint and some fish & chips, which is exactly what we did with our friends Ben and Eri.  Ben was trying to be healthy so ordered a fishy salad, but the rest of us (Eri, Chris and myself) ordered the fish and chips.

Our thoughts:

Chris enjoyed the chips because they were crispy; however, I didn’t because there was no hint of sogginess at all, despite the amount of vinegar I tried to add.  I have come to the conclusion that without fish and chips being served in paper wrappings they don’t reach the correct level of sogginess to quench my appetite.

Chips + vinegar + paper wrappings = Lizzie’s perfect soggy chips.

In addition, in the picture below it looks as if the amount of chips served is pretty dismal; however, the fish was abnormally MASSIVE. So huge that I could not finish it. Ben did the honours.

Pubs do have an added bonus of providing the extra sides of lemon and tartar sauce.

http://www.theploughatleigh.com/

Telephone: [phone]

[thefishnchippers]

5. Harbour Fish Bar (East Grinstead, West Sussex)

Chris’s mum lives in East Grinstead. We have tried these fish and chips a few times but never written about them.  It’s easy to say that we’re big fans - tasty battered fish, great portion size, delicious mushy peas and chips with just the right amount of sogginess (right up Lizzie’s street).

There are two down points though:

1. It’s pretty pricey for a fish and chip joint

2. Since it’s quite a pricey fish and chip establishment you would think that most people, especially in 2016, would want to pay using a card. However, despite the day and age, Harbour Fish Bar still do not accept card payment! ?!?!?! This is just silly in our minds. Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem to deter customers as the queue is always fairly busy when we get there.

Despite these two negatives, we will be returning. It’s a tasty local takeaway when we’re visiting Chris’s mum.

9-11 West St, East Grinstead RH19 4EY

01342 321091

Monday: Closed Tuesday: 11:30am–2pm, 4:30–9pm Wednesday: 11:30am–2pm, 4:30–9pm Thursday: 11:30am–2pm, 4:30–9pm Friday: 11:30am–2pm, 4:30–9pm Saturday: 11:30am–2pm, 4:30–9pm Sunday: Closed

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4. J SHEEKEY Fish & Chips Van (Wilderness Festival 2013 and 2014)

This was one of the best parts of Wilderness in 2013 and 2014. I probably enjoyed them more in 2013 because it was the first time and the weather was hot and sunny - perfect for a typical seaside meal.

I’ve kept meaning to post about it so now I am. Delicious fish and chips, although I could do with soggier chips. Great mushy peas though with a hint of mint - a lovely little gourmet touch.

Although I haven’t been to Wilderness the past two years, I hope J SHEEKEY is still there selling their fish and chips. With any luck I’ll be returning next year to taste their mushy and minty pea delights again.

[thefishnchippers]

3. The Cosy Club (Taunton, Somerset)

LIZZIE'S REASONS TO TRY

This was a solo mission for me (Lizzie) when I was back home in Taunton over the Easter holidays catching up with good friends over a leisurely lunch. I know that this review is not strictly speaking in keeping with the aim of our blog seeing as The Cosy Club is not a fish restaurant or fish & chip shop, but these fish & chips were so good and extremely pretty that I couldn't not write about it.

THE MENU

Firstly, I'll tell you a bit about the restaurant. Owned by the guys behind the Lounges (www.thelounges.co.uk), The Cosy Club is a growing bar and restaurant chain with venues in the market towns of Taunton, Bath, Exeter, Stamford, Salisbury, Cardiff and Bristol. The restaurant champions British produce in a casual dining set up with art deco surroundings. The menu is varied with a selection of burgers, paninis, sandwiches, tapas dishes, sharing platters and other gourmet pub food classics.

When I used to work at The Cosy Club after graduating back in 2011, I remember there being a fish finger sandwich (which there still is) but no regular portion of fish & chips. Even if it had been on the menu, those were the days when I still didn't have the taste buds for fish, so I definitely wouldn't have ordered it. Oh how times have changed! Now, the first think I go looking for on a menu is the fish & chips. If I see it my stomach does a little dance of joy! So, seeing the words 'Beer battered Cornish pollock with skin-on chips, minted mushy garden peas and tartare sauce' on the ever-changing seasonal 'Mains' menu really did make me smile :D

However, about 10 minutes after I'd made my order I was then informed that the fish & chips couldn't be made as they had run out of mushy peas!!! EXCUSE ME?! What did you day??? I panicked slightly as, in my mind, a meal of fish & chips WITHOUT mushy peas is like a roast dinner without gravy - dry and unwanted. Thankfully as I was unwillingly scouring the menu again looking for a replacement meal, the waitress returned to say that the kitchen had 'decided' that they would be able to whip up some more mushy peas for me but it would take a bit longer. I was prepared for her to tell me it would be a 20-30 minute wait, in which case I would change my order, but when she uttered the words 'a 10 minute wait', I wondered why the kitchen had not just taken the initiative and made some more in the first place? I wouldn't have noticed the time difference. But hey ho. I got my mushy peas in the end. Smiles all round.

THE FISH

I'm used to cod or haddock as my fish, but the pollock was equally delicious - lovely flakey chunks with a crisp and tasty batter. I was also happy in the knowledge that the fish was sustainably sourced from nearby Cornwall as well, keeping the Westcountry folk in business.

THE CHIPS

These were tasty but could have done with a bit more 'sog' to them, like you get in proper fish & chip shops. I added extra vinegar to help them along the way!

THE EXTRAS

It came with a tasty portion of mushy peas (eventually), tartare sauce and a chunk of lemon - all the extras one needs! Unfortunately, I couldn't taste the mint in the mushy peas but maybe this was what the original problem had been, they had run out of mint not peas?! Not too worry, they went well with the chips. Often I find that tartare sauce tastes far too much of mayonnaise but this portion, I'm pleased to say, was extremely well balanced in flavours.

THE SERVICE

The service was attentive and it was nice of the waitress to inform me of the slight mushy pea mishap that I mentioned at the start. She was smiley and apologetic but as soon as I started takin a few pictures of my meal, she was then replaced by what seemed to be the manager of the joint - apparently he thought I might have been a mystery diner (I wish!), but no, I'm just a humble fish & chip enthusiast with an amateur blog.But still he continued to serve us...

...and O the dish he served it to me on! It was magnificent! A blue patterned china platter that fit nicely in the middle of any dining table. I made sure I took plenty of pictures of that - gorgeous it was and made the meal appear even more appetising. THE PRICES The beer battered Cornish pollock with chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce was £10.95, which I thought was very reasonable for a Westcountry restaurant. For that sort of meal and presentation in London, you would be paying at least a few pounds extra, possibly £13-£14. Eeeek. It definitely pays to go home once in a while.

LIZZIE'S RATING

8/10 - It was a large and tasty portion that came with all the trimmings a fish & chips meal should do, plus it looked darn good too on that gorgeous blue china platter. If only the mushy peas had had that touch of mint that they promised on he menu.

*THE LOCATION & OPENING TIMES*

The Cosy Club, Corporation Street, Taunton, Somerset TA1 4AJ

Tel. [phone] [email protected]

OPEN DAILY 9am - 11pm (12.30am Thurs - Sat)

[Food served all day from 9am until 10pm]

www.cosyclub.co.uk @CosyClubTaunton

[thefishnchippers]

2. Squires (Braunton, Devon)

OUR REASONS TO TRY

My (Lizzie) family have always been big fans of Squires from the many trips down to the N.Devon beaches but before I grew to like and then LOVE fish & chips, I would always order a quarter pounder with cheese from here (sacrilege I know). So, I think this was my first proper experience of fish & chips from Squires, and it certainly was Chris’ too (the south-eastern baby that he is).

As Chris and I were staying down in Braunton for a lovely few days of escapism, we thought that there was no better time for us to try the infamous and award-winning* wonders of this north Devon establishment. Squires has a very popular restaurant, indeed there was a big queue outside the evening we went, but as we were staying at my auntie and uncle’s house just up the road, we decided to go for the takeaway option (plus we had a box full of chilled beers waiting for us at the house).

*(winner of the Food & Drink Award in 2008; the British Seafood Industry's Fish and Chip Shop of the year; and winners of the South West and Wales award)

THE MENU

The menu is pretty extensive, especially that of the restaurant where there are the usual fish options, burgers, vegetarian options and desserts.

The ‘Fabulous Fish’ section includes the ‘Our Famous Award Winning Cod & Chips’ option that is served with chips, mushy or garden peas and a choice of tea, coffee or fizzy drink for only £8.85. This, I think, is for if you’re eating in the restaurant, but we sort of had the equivalent with 2x large cod fillets, 2x large chips and 1x mushy peas.

THE FISH

I (Chris) was very impressed with the quality of the fish, nice and fresh as you'd expect being by the sea! Portion was large enough for me to struggle and the batter was crispy all over avoiding the soggy bottom (sorry Mary B) that you can get. Over all very impressed

Lizzie's thoughts...."Mmmm flakey!"

THE CHIPS

The chip portions were massive yet again but still a bit soggy for me (Chris) as I like my chips fairly well done but to be honest I'm nit-picking - they were very good.

Lizzie's thoughts: I definitely should have ordered a small as the large portion was HUGE and I unfortunately couldn’t manage them all. However, they were very tasty, slightly soggy (yum) and well seasoned with salt and vinegar (more of which we added when home).

THE EXTRAS

We ordered mushy peas (for Lizzie of course) and these looked and tasted more homemade, they were delicious but still lacking that minty touch that I have found in other fish & chips restaurants (but this was a takeaway so we'll forgive them!) A portion of mushy peas was only 90p here, much cheaper than at Frankie’s (see our first review).

THE SERVICE

It seemed a very good system - order the food, given ticket with it and then when your order is ready that’s when you pay. Although it was busy, we didn’t wait for too long - just long enough for Chris to pick up a case of beers! As they are award-winning, we would have hoped for some more fun takeaway packaging other than just a polystyrene plate and paper wrapping, but it does the job I suppose. I do like a bit of style when it comes to fish & chip presentation though. Chris also agrees that fish and chips from such a nice place could have done with a more traditional look to it,

THE PRICES

Our 2x large cod fillets, 2x large chips and 1x mushy peas only came to approx. £12 - amazing value!

OUR RATING

In hindsight, I (Lizzie) probably should have gone for a small portion of chips and cod, but if I had been really hungry I would have easily wolfed down the large portion with no hesitation. They’re good. Really good. I just wish that the presentation may have been a bit more stylish, even though it’s only take away, it would have added to the experience in my opinion.

7.5/10

*THE LOCATION AND OPENING TIMES*

Squires Fish and Chip Restaurant 1 Exeter Road Braunton Devon EX33 2JL

Tel: [phone]

Restaurant MONDAY - SATURDAY: 12pm-9.45pm THURSDAY: 12pm-7pm

[Bookings available for parties of 12 or more]

Take Away MONDAY - SATURDAY: 12pm-9.45pm THURSDAY: 12pm-7pm http://www.squiresfishrestaurant.co.uk/

[thefishnchippers]

NEWSFLASH: Gluten-free fish & chips

Thanks to the recent issue of Sainsbury’s Magazine, I (Lizzie) have just discovered that the award-winning Quayside of Whitby (a fish & chips shop up north) has developed a gluten-free batter. Interesting. Chris and I are definitely very keen to try this out, definitely would be a good excuse to venture up north (a rarity for us both). My old school house was called Whitby as well so I’ll really be killing two birds with one stone. Whitby, here we come! Quaysideofwhitby.com

[thefishnchippers]

1. Frankie's Fish & Chips (Grayshott, Hampshire)

OUR REASONS TO TRY

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.

THE MENU

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.

THE FISH

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.

THE CHIPS

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.

THE EXTRAS

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.

THE SERVICE

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!

THE PRICES

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!

OUR RATING

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. [phone] [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]

[thefishnchippers]

Our fish & chips list is never-ending...

After only starting to like fish & chips just over six months ago, I have become rather obsessed with them ever since and have tried a fair few places. This got Chris and me thinking, why don’t we document our fish & chips experiences, give them a bit of a rating (based on our completely amateur tastebuds) and then end up with a list of our favourites.

We already have a few on our list that we definitely need to visit, which include the following:

- The Fish n Chips Shop - J SHEEKEY - Poppies Fish & Chips - Kerbisher & Malt - Squires (in Braunton, N.Devon) - Dave Doves (in Horley) - Bankers (Brighton) - Bardsleys (Brighton) - Catch of the day (Brighton) - and many many more

We’ve eaten at some of these already but as we didn’t take any photos, we’ll just have to revisit them and I think we can just about manage that!

Our bank balance and health (apparently there’s about 850kcal in a standard portion of fish & chips) may not allow us to endorse in our favourite British dish too often, so we’re trying for once/twice a month. But there may be special occasions where we just go a bit crazy..

So, please await our first fish n chips review.

Lizzie & Chris x