Fish Fish is a cute, relaxed seafood restaurant. It's on Archway Road between Archway and Highgate - It's on the end of our old street, although it took us until we moved to finally try it!
Inside, it's got a true rustic nautical feel with exposed walls, wooden furniture, fishing nets, ship memorabilia, bottles and books. It's seriously cute and pretty homey, and has an open kitchen so you can see the chef at work too. It's a little bigger than expected from the outside, and there are larger tables for bigger groups or families. But there also a couple of tables for two. We settled into one by the far end of the kitchen area to be a little out of the way.
The female who served us was so friendly and helpful. It actually felt like we were part of the family; she went through the drinks menu (as the menus weren't out), checked back after we'd ordered to see if we wanted sauces (of course we wanted curry sauce!), and made sure to warn us things were about to get just a touch noisy before she started with the coffee machine behind us. It was such a lovely, homey, atmosphere.
The food menu at Fish Fish, as expected, features predominantly seafood, such as battered fried cod and haddock, but also pan-fried seabass, sea bream and halibut steak. There's also a couple of grilled meat dishes if you don't fancy fish, as well as a couple of vegetarian options too.
We didn't really check out the menu before ordering, as from going past over 100x, we already knew we wanted to try their signature fish and chips. I'm glad we didn't see the menu, or I might have been tempted by something else and had serious food envy over Chris' meal.
These fish and chips were amazing.
The fish fillet was a big portion. It was light but meaty, and very lightly battered, meaning no chunks of batter with no fish inside. It also wasn't greasy at all; apparently they change the oil very regularly which helps with this. As for the taste, it was absolutely delicious! Just as you'd expect good quality cod to taste. It might not have even needed any salt and vinegar... If I wasn't such a big salt and vinegar fan.
The chips were chunky chip shop style. These too weren't greasy. They were just crisp on the outside, and plenty fluffy enough in the middle. Again, I added salt and vinegar which was sat on the table, mainly due to habit when it comes to chip shop meals, but I do think these needed a little salt at least. The good thing about that is that you can add as much as suits you.
Previously, I was never a fan of mushy peas. They've only recently been growing on me, and before this I'd never actually ordered this side when out. But these were great. Pretty chunky, and very tasty. I really appreciated these alongside the fish.
We're huge fans of curry sauce so this had a lot to live up to. It certainly impressed. It was rich in that fruity chip shop curry sauce flavour, thick in texture and absolutely delightful. We devoured the sauce dish between two!
Portions are generous, so although there were a few desserts on offer, we couldn't even manage to properly consider the menu.
We obviously had space for a cheeky alcoholic beverage though, especially as we were basically celebrating the end of our first year living together and moving into our own place. The drinks menu at Fish Fish is concise but there's still plenty of options including wine, beer and soft drinks all at reasonable prices.
We both opted for a large Efes beer to accompany our meals. It's a very hoppy brew, vibrant in flavour and is absolutely delicious! If you're a beer fan, we highly recommend.
Summary - Fish Fish:
- Price: Pretty good value - We paid just over £40 for our two mains, curry sauce, two large beers and service.
- Food: The fish and chips both impressed, as did the curry sauce. The dish wasn't greasy, it was all cooked beautifully and of really good quality!
- Drinks: There are just a handful of drinks including wine, beer and soft drinks. The Efes beer was refreshing and delicious alongside our dishes.
- Atmosphere: Fish Fish has got a real family feel. It's cute and homey, and you're really looked after.
- Wait: It was very quiet when we visited, and often appeared that way when we passed. Should be pretty easy to just swing by if you're in the area!
Do you know any great fish and chip places in London which could rival this one? If so, I would love to know!
Chloe xx