Crown Fish & Chips, London, UK

Where: 1-3 Pratt St, London, UK

When: November 01, 2009

What: Small haddock & chips, £5.95 (including taxes)

I found this place googling for fish and chips in the Camden area. (F was playing a show at the Koko.) The reviews I read for it was pretty good and I figured that it might be better than just getting fish and chips from any old place that I'd end up wandering into. The decision to eat there was also made because we passed by it in my search for food.

I definitely cannot say that this was the best fish and chips I've ever had. It was, however, and some what surprisingly, not the worst fish and chips I've ever had. The chips were sad and pale but the fish was really fresh.

The thing that I was really surprised by was the skin. Yes. The fish had skin on it. I'm used to my fish and chips being skinless.

The batter wasn't that great. It was the kind that they use to make chicken balls. I ended up just eating the fish and leaving the skin and batter. But as I mentioned earlier, the fish was really fresh.

Side note: Pictures were taken with a cellphone camera. I forgot my camera back at the venue since I wasn't expecting to eat fish and chips when we headed out in search of food.

I'm gonna have to give this place a 1.5 out of 5.

--Wendy (http://messmor.wordpress.com)

Tagging on Tasty Fish & Chips

Hiya! I've decided to stop tagging posts by restaurant name. It seems like the tag list will get really long after a while. So, from now on all restaurant review posts will be tagged with "city name", "province/state" and "reviews". I hope that makes it easier for folks.

Baked Fish and Chips

Came across this post at Slashfood. Table for One - Baked Fish and Chips. Those potatoes look delicious!

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Trendz Cafe and Wine Bar

Where: Trendz Cafe & Wine Bar, 15 Spectacle Lake Drive, Dartmouth, NS.

When: Friday, June 26th, 2009.
What: 1 piece fish and chips, $14+tax.

Trendz Cafe & Wine Bar is the restaurant inside the Best Western hotel in Burnside that opened late in 2008. I work in Burnside and have been to Trendz a few times for work lunches. It's a great restaurant and I've always had good experiences when there.

On this occasion the whole office went out to a goodbye lunch for a co-worker who was leaving for a new job. I hadn't planned on getting fish and chips but figured it would be worth a try.

I got one huge piece of haddock with oven roasted potato wedges, with two types of sauce. The white sauce was fresh tartar sauce, and I think the orange sauce was a spicy mayo. Both were delicious. The oven roasted potato wedges were fastastic, with some kind of spice mix sprinkled on top. Yummy!

The fish was great too. It was very fresh, and not cooked for too long. The batter was light and crisp, without any of that mushy dough you sometimes get.



I thoroughly enjoyed my fish and chips at Trendz. It's a bit on the pricy side for lunch, but they have plenty of great items on the menu, including daily lunch specials. They also have a 10% off brunch special on weekends, which I  haven't had, but it might be a good way to start out before some shopping at Dartmouth Crossing.

I give Trendz 4 little fishies out of 5.

Willman's Fish and Chips

Where: Willman's Seafood, 5644 Kane Street, Halifax, NS.
When: Monday, June  15th, 2009.
What: Willman's Fish & Poutine Special, $8.95+tax

I had the day off and my friend Erica wanted to go out to eat. I had promissed  her one day we'd go have fish and chips someplace in town, so we stopped by Willman's Seafood in the Hydrostone area of Halifax's north end.

The fish and chips are just as great as they were last time I ate at Willman's. The staff there are so very friendly.

We admired their new sign while we ate!

And stuffed our faces with fish, chips, and poutine! It was delicious. Handcut fries, lightly battered fresh haddock, and read cheese curds. We did have a choice between mozeralla and curds, and we made the right choice.

It's a lot of food, so if you are not super hungry you might want to share with a friend. I will definitely have this again next time I go to Willman's.

I give Willman's 5 little fishies out of 5.

Johnny's Snack Bar

Where: Johnny's Snack Bar, 6204 Almon St, Halifax.

When: Friday, May 22nd, 2009.
What: Two piece fish and chips, I totally don't remember how much, but it was cheap.

Another local favourite in Halifax is Johnny's Snack Bar, located across the Forum on Almon Street. I've been there a few times before but hadn't had a chance to try the fish and chips. It's a cosy little spot near the post office, in an old house. You can enjoy your meal at a booth, or sit at the counter.

There is one menu per table, with the day's specials on a handwritten note attached to the menu. I was meeting a friend for lunch, and ordered a milkshake while I waited (it was really hot out that day). The milkshake was delicious!

I ordered a two piece fish and chips, and unfortunately I can't remember how much it was. It was cheap though. Probably around $6.

The fries appear to be of the frozen variety. Maybe it's just me, but I often find frozen fries dry and flavourless (I guess that's what ketchup is for). The fish as bland as well. Too thick batter and kind of soggy. We weren't given any ketchup or vinegar on the table, just a handful of ketchup packets.

I give Johnny's Snack Bar 2 little fishies out of 5.

Good Friday Tradition

Where: William's Seafood Restaurant, Smythe Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick
When: Friday, April 10th, 2009 (Good Friday)
What: Medium Fish & Chips, $7.50 + tax

Spartan Restaurant

Where: Spartan Restaurant, 6403 Quinpool Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

When: Saturday, April 4th, 2009.
What: Three piece fish and chips, $6.95+tax.

Spartan Restaurant is a family owned diner located on Quinpool Road. It's a favourite spot for weekend breakfasts for the hungover crowd and hungry a like.

I went to the Spartan with my friend Leah one drizzly day back in April. The restaurant is not very big, but for seating it does feature booths and tables, or you can seat yourself at the counter.

For $6.95 you get a generous helping of fries and three pieces of fish. The fries are your standard frozen ones, and I found them really dry. The fish did have a nice flavour, but I also found it try, and the batter a bit too doughy in parts.

The Spartan is a quaint place to eat though. The staff are very friendly, and the food is cheap. I would suggest something else off the menu instead of the fish and chips though (I had a pan fried fish dish there once that was delicious).

I give Spartan Restaurant 2 little fishies out of 5.


Extra Notes:

• Cash only.

McKelvie's

Where: McKelvie's, 1680 Lower Water Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
When: Friday, February 27, 2009.
What: Tall Ships Fish 'n Chips, $13.95+tax.

Myself and a couple of friends wanted to try out some new fish and chips one Friday night. The first place we chose was too packed to move, so we went across the street to McKelvie's, a seafood restaurant in downtown Halifax. The restaurant opened in 1980, but was originally the home of the Halifax Fire Department. Their focus is on fresh Atlantic seafood, but the menu also includes pasta, meat and chicken dishes.

We arrived during the prime Friday after work time, and were seated right away. The restaurant was not packed like the pub across the street, which we didn't mind at all. Our server was very friendly, explained the daily specials, and started us off with drinks. We also received a basket of fresh raisin bread and nice, creamy butter. That was unexpected and a nice change from what you get at most restaurants.

Garrison Tall Ships


Raisin bread with butter

I was the only one at our table to order the fish and chips. The four, not three, pieces of fish arrived with fresh cut fries, homemade coleslaw on a bed of lettuce, a slice of lemon, fresh tartar sauce, and ketchup.

Tall Ships Fish n' Chips.

I liked the light batter on the fish, and also enjoyed having four small pieces instead of three as described in the menu. Sometimes when you only get one or two large pieces, the fish gets a little overcooked. I did like the fish, nice fresh flavour and the batter was not doughy. The fries were hand cut, but not very plentiful, nor were they shoestring as the menu said. For the price I would normally expect more fries. The tartar sauce could have used more dill, and the coleslaw was almost tasteless, but I did like the presentation of the dish.

I decided to have a coffee for dessert. One of my favourite treats after a nice meal.

Overall I think this was a great experience. McKelvie's is a nice, family style restaurant, but with a local feel. A lot quieter than a crowded pub for sure, with fast and friendly service. It may be a little pricey as your favourite seafood restaurant, but a nice place to take out-of-towners you might want to impress! I did find the decor a little odd. Lots of brightly painted wooden decorations with a Canadian or ocean theme, with classy and comfortable table settings.

I give McKelvie's 4 little fishies out of 5.

Extra Notes:
Pay by cash, debit, or credit.
Gift certificates available.
Wheelchair accessible.
Wifi zone.
Open seven days a week.

Deluxe Fish and Chips

Where: Deluxe Fish & Chips, 964 Prospect Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick.
When: Friday, December 26th, 2008.
What: Two piece fish & Chips.

I spent the holidays with my family in New Brunswick, as I do every year. On Boxing Day I drove into town to visit my sister and her two boys. I was starving and proposed we go out to eat and I really wanted fish and chips.

Unlike in other places, Boxing Day in New Brunswick is actually a holiday. Very little is open, not even most fast food restaurants. Knowing this, we did check out William's at the exhibition grounds, but of course it was closed.

So, we did the unthinkable; we drove uptown to Deluxe Fish and Chips. It was open, when pretty much everything else on Prospect Street was closed. There seemed to be only two staff working that day, so service was quite slow.

Once we got our food we went back to my sister's place to eat supper and watch a movie.



I really was not impressed with the food at all. I will say that this was the worst fish and chips I've ever had. I'm not surprised really since I remember them being terrible as a child also. The fish was overcooked, mushy, and totally flavourless. I might as well have been eating glue. The fries just look like discards, short, little stubby things. I like real fries, long ones, fresh ones! These were rubbery, tasteless things.

Honestly I'm surprised why this place still exists. Their food has never been good in my opinion, but maybe they have some nice things on their menu. Maybe people just don't know any better. I really don't know. I guess I just had to eat their once again to remind myself that decent fish and chips does exist out there.

I give Deluxe Fish & Chips 1 litle fishy out of five.

Jack Astor's Bar & Grill

Where: Jack Astors Bar & Grill, 184 Chain Lake Drive, Halifax.
When: Tuesday, September 9, 2008.
What: Two piece fish and chips, $12.77 + tax.

I normally would not go to a place like Jack Astor's for fish and chips, but my friend invited me out to a movie one Tuesday night, and I needed to eat supper (we saw the Dark Knight on Imax).

I actually enjoy Jack Astor's, for the food anyway. It's not bad for a big box restaurant. Plus the staff is usually friendly, and you get to draw on the table.

What's not to like?



I apologize for the cellphone picture, but it wasn't a planned visit and so I didn't have my camera with me. You get an idea of the portion size anyway. The fries were ok, a bit too salty. I found pieces of fish small and overcooked. The batter was doughy and they fish lacking in flavour.

I wouldn't get the fish and chips there again, though I do like some other items on the menu.

I give Jack Astor's 2 little fishies out of 5.

Maxwell's Plum

Where: The Maxwell's Plum, 1600 Grafton Street, Halifax.
When: Saturday, August 16th, 2008.
What: Two piece fish & chips, $12.95 + tax.

My friend Jill was in town for a visit and we went looking for a place to have lunch one rainy Saturday afternoon. We settled on Maxwell's Plum to try their fish and chips.

I ordered their plum ale to drink while waiting for our food to arrive. It was very tasty, nice and light.



I liked the presentation of the fish and chips. Two large pieces on a basket of fries. There was no homemade tartar sauce, unfortunately.



I didn't really like the fries. I thougth they were a bit soft and not hot enough. The fish was ok too. A little bit doughy. I would probably go again, just to give them another chance.

I give Maxwell's Plum 3 little fishies out of 5.

Mug & Anchor Pub

Where: Mug & Anchor Pub, 643 Main St., Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.
When: Saturday, July 19th, 2008.
What: Two piece fish & chips.

On a Saturday road trip to the south shore of Nova Scotia, my friend Remi and I stopped at The Mug & Anchor Pub in Mahone Bay for some lunch.

We sat on the balcony during an overcast but very hot day, with a great view of the bay and the famous three churches.

Our service was prompt and friendly. We had pints of Clancy's while we waited for our fish and chips.

There weren't a lot of fries but they made up by giving huge portions of fish. I found they were nicely battered, not too much and it was well cooked not doughy. It was a bit pricey though, but maybe that is to be expected in a small town at the height of tourist season.



I give Mug & Anchor Pub 3 little fishies out of five.

Long time no post

Hello faithful readers. I haven't posted in a while and I do apologize for that. I have a few reviews from this summer that I'm about to post. Hopefully I will post more regularly this year, though I haven't had any fish and chips yet in 2009. I decided to give up meat again, just for a while, to that leaves fish out. However I have said I will only allow myself to eat fish and chips once and a while, and no other types of meat, fish, or animal flesh.

Thanks for reading!