My dad would call me a traitor for what I am about to say….I think these may be some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. I can almost hear him shouting, “They’re not from bloody Yorkshire”. Well pops, sorry not sorry. I would like to think I am a connoisseur of the humble chip and fishery for the simple fact that I eat their wares a lot. The first thing I do when I get off the holiday plane from LBA is go straight to my local chippy, ergo; I’m a connoisseur. Anyway, when the invite came to try
Sutton and Sons third outpost in
Islington, I went down with a healthy bite of skepticism.
A short bus ride from central Islington sits this rustic and traditional looking Fish and Chips spot. Inside is furnished with sturdy wooden tables and the kitsch shiny tiles on the wall. The place is really cosy and quite narrow, the heat from the frying oil heats the surrounding in which you sit. The
menu comprises of the usual, haddock, cod, scampi and battered sausage. However, there are a few exciting additions to the usual suspects, calamari, grilled tuna, swordfish and a fresh lobster roll…. not to mention East End favourites on the menu too – pie and mash, jellied eels and for the epicurean, pickled quail eggs.
Our waiter took our order and we opted for the calamari to start, followed by a lobster roll and cod and chips with all the trimmings (mushy peas, curry sauce and tartare).
The calamari arrived, fresh from the fryer and gigantic. These are no meek little Haribo sized rings of squid found all too oft. On biting down into these golden orbits, the batter made a satisfying, loud crunch. Inside was the softest and most succulent squid I have had the pleasure of chomping. You can tell how fresh and well-cooked these are and there was no hint at all of any rubbery texture. The only thing that perhaps may improve would be to make the batter a tad lighter. But otherwise these were truly excellent (if not filling).
The mains followed with a lobster roll: sweet brioche enveloping fresh lobster mixed with a marie-rose sauce, with French fries on the side. The lobster meat was succulent and the sauce good, however I really felt like this could have been improved if the lobster meat had been heated through. It was really chilled which doesn’t work so well when you have hot fries on the side. However for the bargain price of £12.90, I’d certainly chomp down another again.
Next…the most crucial platter; the battered cod and chips. The portion was big, perfectly big for a greedy pig like me. The cod was tender, the batter epically crisp with that almost amber like colour. The chips were (in my Irish opinion) fantastic; fluffy, flavoursome and a tad crunchy, having the benefit of at least a double (probably triple) fry. The tartare and curry sauce condiments, were both excellent. In particular the tartare sauce- with a more yellow colour (perhaps they added turmeric to it) than I've seen – was hands down the best I’ve had. I was told they are thinking of changing the recipe of it….please don’t, it’s perfect how it is. We washed our courses down with a surprisingly decent sauvingnon blanc. This place had both a decent wine list and host of great craft beers.
Desserts were offered but I had to hold my hands up in defeat. My staunchly held opinion that there’s no place like Yorkshire for your fish and chips may have been somewhat changed. Sutton and Sons are producing some of the best I’ve had, and with a creative and modern twist that will bring the dining in option for fish ‘n’ chips back to a younger crowd. It’s fast(ish) food at its best and I’m so happy to see Sutton and Sons doing it well and bringing it back to restaurants. Also this place does deliveroo if you want your fix right now having read this post. If only they came up to Yorkshire……..
Written by Erin Goodall, FoodGoblin Northern Correspondent
