North Sea Fish Restaurant

Now, let's be cliche! Fish and chips for the first UK post, with a complete lack of shame and shoddy iPhone pictures to boot! Happy eating!

North Sea Fish Restaurant.

Bloomsbury, London.

I have an irrational fear of eating the worst version of the best local food. NYC case in point: going to Crumbs when you could be at Sugar Sweet Sunshine or Two Little Red Hens or Butter Lane, etc.

London has an extraordinary food scene whether traditionally British or Indian/Bangladesh/Spanish/or more. None of that "British food is bad" nonsense. Sure, some of their ethnic food may not be spot on but hey, NY doesn't do Mexican well all the time either. Ethnic food aside, there is much traditional cuisine like the characteristic fish and chips to be had. Maybe too much. Hence, my fear of possibly choosing the one "wrong" spot for fish and chips. It happens...I was once a Crumbs devotee.

However, haranguing a few local folk is an easy way to solve this problem. Avoiding the people buying pre-packaged meals, I got exactly what I was looking for from a kind older lady in the produce section of a Waitrose. Brushing off all the chains right outside, she directed us to Marchmont St where the neighborhood eats. The quiet street was lined with small eateries and put us in the right area for a legitimate local chippy/fish and chip shop that my friend suggested, the North Sea Fish Restaurant.

Other than the decor from eons past, the first thing that catches your eye at the restaurant is the crowd. And what a crowd it was!....of white-haired, accented grandpas and grannies. Not a crazy party for us twenty-somethings but always a sign of good eats. The prices are just as high as the age demographic, but there is an attached take-away section that is closer to the usual low price.With the crowd and dusty fish themed decorations, it is obvious that this is a good place to start eating fish and chips.

Fish and chips is a British institution, a simple meal of fried battered fish and fried cut potatoes that goes a long way for wallets and morale. North Sea Fish Restaurant offers many choices of fish although cod and haddock are the more traditional choices. The large portion of haddock is buttery, mild, and firm unlike the intriguingly mushy skate. The crisp golden batter does not have much flavor but holds up fantastically to mounds of horseradish hinted tartar sauce, ketchup, malt vinegar and salt. Not to forget, the piping hot meaty chips that round out this heavy meal. I am sure you understand when I say the fried combination is delicious in the best and worst way.

Looking food coma straight in the eye.