"It promises much" I said arranging to meet my friend at Fish Central, a well regarded fish 'n' chip shop in the Clerkenwell/Old Street area of London. It's been a family run business since 1968 and continues to thrive. Despite it being a Monday the eat-in area is almost full when we arrive while the couple at the next table tell us that they've been coming to this fish 'n' chip shop for 15 years which is a pretty strong endorsement (though I note they ordered their fish grilled). The restaurant is sizeable for a neighbourhood chip shop while the take-away fish and chips part has it's own entrance and is located next door.
The menu is quite sizeable too with 11 starters, a lobster & oyster section (a whole lobster salad is an impressive £18.95), many main courses (cod, haddock, plaice, skate +) and if all that weren't enough, there's a catch of the day and a 'from the chargrill' section also: the menu is about 2 feet long! Prices across the menu show good value and the classic fish supper being prawn cocktail, cod or haddock and chips and a dessert of your choice is a snip at £13.95; that's me sorted.
As a freebie while you are deciding, they bring you a mini salmon fishcake which is a nice thing to do though understandably, it's a little light on salmon. The prawn cocktail arrives and would politely be described as'old school' though in fairness, the prawns were excellent and the sauce well balanced and I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would when it was set down in front of me. My friend similarly enjoyed a big plate of mussels (£5.45) and again, a generous portions for not such a big outlay is a welcome combination. On the mussels however, albeit a minor matter, as the plate emptied a screwtop of unknown origin revealed itself in the bowl which is less welcome.
Then the main event: cod and chips twice. Given the strong reputation Fish Central has, I'm sad to say the fish was a little bit dry, perhaps a minute too long in the fryer and/or delay in service? It wasn't ruinous but it was enough to exclude this from being a memorable fish and chip moment or my top fish and chip pick in London. The previously mentioned full restaurant also revealed itself to be predominantly a single group of people which probably also means the kitchen was rammed immediately ahead of our order. Chips were nice but overall it fell short of being great fisha dn chips which was a shame.
Nor could the bread and butter pudding that followed help them recover as that was a little too on the stodgy side and couldn't be finished. Fish Central clearly has a fans and whether it was simply because it was a Monday, the large group immediately in ahead of us, or just bad luck, it didn't really work out on my visit. On the plus side, nor did it cost a fortune and we were able to enjoy a pint of beer with our meal. The search continues.
The menu is quite sizeable too with 11 starters, a lobster & oyster section (a whole lobster salad is an impressive £18.95), many main courses (cod, haddock, plaice, skate +) and if all that weren't enough, there's a catch of the day and a 'from the chargrill' section also: the menu is about 2 feet long! Prices across the menu show good value and the classic fish supper being prawn cocktail, cod or haddock and chips and a dessert of your choice is a snip at £13.95; that's me sorted.
As a freebie while you are deciding, they bring you a mini salmon fishcake which is a nice thing to do though understandably, it's a little light on salmon. The prawn cocktail arrives and would politely be described as'old school' though in fairness, the prawns were excellent and the sauce well balanced and I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would when it was set down in front of me. My friend similarly enjoyed a big plate of mussels (£5.45) and again, a generous portions for not such a big outlay is a welcome combination. On the mussels however, albeit a minor matter, as the plate emptied a screwtop of unknown origin revealed itself in the bowl which is less welcome.
Then the main event: cod and chips twice. Given the strong reputation Fish Central has, I'm sad to say the fish was a little bit dry, perhaps a minute too long in the fryer and/or delay in service? It wasn't ruinous but it was enough to exclude this from being a memorable fish and chip moment or my top fish and chip pick in London. The previously mentioned full restaurant also revealed itself to be predominantly a single group of people which probably also means the kitchen was rammed immediately ahead of our order. Chips were nice but overall it fell short of being great fisha dn chips which was a shame.
Nor could the bread and butter pudding that followed help them recover as that was a little too on the stodgy side and couldn't be finished. Fish Central clearly has a fans and whether it was simply because it was a Monday, the large group immediately in ahead of us, or just bad luck, it didn't really work out on my visit. On the plus side, nor did it cost a fortune and we were able to enjoy a pint of beer with our meal. The search continues.