Fish and Chips

[ComputerGuy]

The new little place with three tables beside Gosha's restaurant. Saw a parking spot and tried it today. Breaded or tempura'd batter for the fish at $110p. A heaping helping: more than twice as much as, say, El Fogon de Charlotte. And so much better. (Chips were just average.)

There were two tables being served when I got in there, but it's counter service, so you just walk up and ask from the pointed menu. Shrimp also available either way, 10p more. Will try those next. Less than 10 minutes from order to service. And that's because the oil is always hot, as befits a fish-fry place.

Super-hot and fresh, and the first bite brought back memories of really good fish. 7 pieces, I think. Not filets like we are used to back home, but smaller pieces. Not that small, however: probably five bites per piece. I was stuffed. Very tasty batter and crunchy, too. Of course, like all fried batter, eventually it starts to get greasy. But while it's hot, it's great. And I finished them all, because they actually stayed pretty hot. Much better than La Paceña, and certainly a lot more fish for a better price.

Malt vinegar on the table (never understood that: in Canada we use white vinegar) along with hot sauce and ketchup.

[dennis clark]

Any idea what kind of fish they use?

[dennis clark]

3 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

Malt vinegar on the table (never understood that: in Canada we use white vinegar) along with hot sauce and ketchup.

I think malt vinegar is very British, as fish and chips.

[ComputerGuy]

Yes, veddy British. And no, I didn't ask about the fish. I figure as long as it tastes good, I don't care. When I was young, it was always cod and then later haddock.

[AngusMactavish]

59 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

...I didn't ask about the fish.

Most likely it is the world's cheapest fish, a Vietnamese catfish sold as basa. Many like the taste of the Mekong river water in their tasteless fish.

[Bisbee Gal]

Tried it a few weeks ago.  Fish and shrimp tacos were ok, but nowhere near the quality of Lake Taco. 

What really killed the experience for me at the Gosha's fish place (it is not only next door, it is owned by Gosha's), they used canned tuna in their tuna ceviche.  Canned tuna.  That's unforgivable.   

[rafterbr]

Thanks Computer Guy,  fish and chips is one of my favorite meals.  Have not really found good ones since I left England.  La Pecena the fish isn't bad but the chips are lacking.  Don't understand this as I have cooked good chips using the mexican potato.  Malt vinegar is the standard English sauce for the fish and is used world wide.  As you say the fish used can be one of many,  in Australia I liked the  whiting fish.  Many cafes use shark which makes a good fish and chips since it is boneless.  For some reason people have a prejudice against shark meat but it is good and is used many times in cases where people don't know what type of fish they are getting.

[ComputerGuy]

I've been here long enough that I often don't have a sharp memory of how my food should taste, because it's based on 20 years of eating here. I don't believe it was basa (I'm extremely familiar with the fish and the tricks used around here), and certainly the initial odor suggested something else, but after having been served it so often, maybe I just can't tell anymore. There was definitely dark meat in some of the pieces, but there are many fish that are not all white. NOTE that farmed catfish are fed chemicals to keep them from getting sick in crowded conditions, and that is what gives it it's "dusty" taste. Not the bottom of the Mekong.

I liked it better than Lake Taco, which to me was just average.

Bisbee, your canned tuna story reminds me of a popular meat restaurant on the way to the airport, Los Tres Potrillos. They use the spit-in-the-ground Q method, and always have lots of meat cooking. One day I decided to order the ham appetizer. Holy cow: they served me a whole plate of cubed deli ham, you know, the pressed kind. The cheap kind. Probably even turkey ham, who knows. And uncooked at that. Yech.

[nolajoe]

When they first opened, Gosha's husband(?) told me that they use dorado. I have not been back to try it.

[stuphel]

I like the fish and chips at The Brew House, but I'm up for an adventure and will give this place a try.  Thanks, ComputerGuy.

[ComputerGuy]

Had the fried shrimp yesterday, and some more fish. Three sauces with the shrimp; pretty good. But the fish seemed to have a different batter. It was flatter, more like breading than puffy batter. They offer tempura and regular, and I specifically said no tempura, but maybe something got lost in translation, as they say.

[Alpha1]

On 4/8/2019 at 11:40 PM, dennis clark said:

Any idea what kind of fish they use?

Dorado., very good. I'll be back.