I Tried the Best Fish and Chips in London!! (Finally Settled)

I'm about to try London's best fish and chips. But tell that to a Londoner, and you'll spark the fiercest battle in the UK. Why? Because the best means something different to everyone. You might want that nostalgic, old-school crunch cooked in beef fat. Oh, it's getting so crispy. Or fish and chips with a pint in a pub. And sometimes even pure luxury. This is fish and chips pampering right here. So I realized you can't crown just one winner. To do the ultimate London fish and chips tour, you have to break it down. Today, along with the help of my friend James Dimitri, we've hand-selected the best fish and chips of every category to finally settle the debate. Where can you eat the best fish and chips in London? And we're starting with the best historical category, which also happens to be the oldest fish and chips shop in London. Welcome to the absolutely historical and legendary Rock and Soul Place. Since 1871, they have an indoor section, they're frying the fish and chips, and then they have this beautiful outdoor on the sidewalk, underneath the tent area on the patio. So that's where we're sitting since it's such a beautiful day. And actually, the name Rock and Soul Place is actually a total pun on all names because all three of those are different fish, and all three of those types of fish are on the menu. So I'm gonna order, what should we order? I think we should probably do cod, and I'm really curious to try one of the lesser-known, maybe something like rock. Yeah, cod and rock, both, yeah, let's do that. So this is the rock, goes into the batter, and into the fryer. So that's actually our fish, which is coated in their batter, and from what I was reading, that is a secret recipe, old recipe, that they only have here for their batter, that makes the fish and chips. It goes into the oil to deep fry, and then on the other side, you've got the chips going, which are like tub-sized fryers, just sloshing around in that oil, crispifying until golden brown. All fresh chips go in. And you can see, that looks so crispy, it's so golden, it's so yellow. I got actually three, one more plate of fish is coming, the haddock is coming, but for now, let's try the cod, cod is one of the most classic fish for fish and chips. It is perfectly coated, perfectly crispy, let's just break it in the center. Oh, you can feel the juices rattling around, oh, the flakiness, oh, that steam coming out. Oh, that's hot, oh, wow, mmm, that fish is so soft in the center, that cod, it just melts in your mouth, the batter is so crispy. Oh, that contrast of the flaky, oily cod with the crispy batter, that is a highlight of eating fish and chips, when it's a good fish and chip like this. Oh, wow, thank you very much, thank you, the haddock is here. And the third plate, thank you very much, thank you very much, okay, I couldn't resist ordering three different fish and chips, including the haddock, so we have three different fish to compare. Okay, I'm gonna sprinkle on some vinegar next over the fish, a little bit of salt as well, usually people add a little bit of salt, I think, and then let's try the tartar sauce this time. Mmm, mmm, I'm gonna dip in that tartar sauce with the flavor of the dill, oh, it's phenomenal, pairs perfectly with the fish. Okay, so grab some of the chips first, nice thick cut, like hand cut looking chips as well, mmm, mmm, the, when they're fried, they take on this, almost like they have this skin around them, this crispy skin, but they're starchy, creamy on the inside, a little bit silky, and not only crunchy, but almost like a little chewiness on the outside of each chip as well, fantastic. But then it is also customary to dip the chips into the curry sauce, the British curry sauce, it is like a texture of curry, mmm, oh, that's nice, it has a nice acidity to it, and it's kind of sweet, it's kind of sticky, not spicy, but it has a nice like curry powder flavor to it, what a combination. Okay, let's move on to the rockfish, this is a huge, wow, that is maybe the heaviest piece of fish, it's really thick, they said there's a bone in it, but it's completely battered, completely crispy, let's try opening this up, oh, you feel the softness of the fish as well, he said it's firm, and it's more fishy, like if you like more fishy, this would be the fish you choose. Oh, wow, there's a completely different texture to the cod, it's not flaky at all, it's actually more like soft, it's kind of melts in your mouth, and it's fluffy, like it has an almost cottony fluffy texture to it, mmm, really good too, you taste the freshness, tastes super clean, totally wrapped in that batter, and crispified, and just that contrast again of the crispiness with the fluffy fish on the center, but with a little bit of vinegar, that would be fantastic. Little sprinkle of salt, that is delicious too, and again, that is a massive portion of fish, a hearty amount, that's a huge piece of fish on all three plates, since this is so big, and such a perfect fillet of fish, I think I just need to take a whole bite of it. Oh, it's hot still, it's like the heat has stayed within the piece of fish, mmm, and that had this flaky texture, again, you feel the oiliness of the fish, again, when you bite down, you bite through the crunchiness, and then just glide, your teeth glide through the silkiness, the flakiness of that fish, and another great thing about this place is that every piece of fish, they don't make it until you order it, so you order it, then they take the fish, they make it fresh, guaranteed, it's never sitting there, it's always hot, it's always fresh at your table. Okay, and then another staple of British cuisine are the mushy peas, which are basically just mashed down peas, but you see the little peas as well, so there's kind of like a pea mash plus whole peas in there, kind of mushed down, those taste like peas, but just like a condensed, intense flavor of peas, there's nothing else it could be but peas. Actually, since we're at the most historical fish and chips in London, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the history of fish and chips, and it dates back to sometime in the 1600s, and the Portuguese, who originally started frying seafood and white fish, and became masters of fried seafood, came to England, bringing fried fish, and especially white fish. In the same time period, potatoes were brought from South America, especially from Peru, to Spain, and then made their way to Belgium, where they were fried into chips like this, and then from Belgium, they made their way to England as well, about the same time period, but the two were actually not originally paired together, originally fried fish was actually paired with bread, I believe, but because chips are cooked in oil, fish is cooked in oil, it was pretty much only a matter of time before the two found themselves together in the same meal, a marriage, a harmony, that became fish and chips as we know it. And so this rock and soul place is one of the foundations of fish and chips in London, I believe they were third actual shop, fish and chips shop in London, but now they are the oldest continually open fish and chips shop in London. That was delicious, we are off to a great start, but from here we're jumping in a car, and it's actually going to be a little bit of a mission to get to the next spot, a one and a half hour drive, let's hope it's worth it. We are way off the beaten path for our next fish and chips, welcome to Molesy, and here we're going to meet up with my friend James. How you doing? Hey, very good, yeah, nice to see you, nice to meet you. So James, about how many chippies, or fish and chips shops have you been to in London? Yeah, so I'd say over the past year and a half, I've probably been to around 60 now, so, but yeah, this is my favorite. And this is going to be the best traditional fish and chips category that we're covering here. But like, look at it, it's a beautiful shop, it's over 100 years old, still fries in beef dripping, you can smell it. And that's pretty rare these days too, right? There's only five spots in London that still fry in beef dripping. So even the chips are fried in beef dripping? Okay, okay. Even the stove and the fryers are 51 years old. And the unique thing about this chippy is that everything is fried in beef dripping, which is melted beef fat, beef oil. It's like a drawer cabinet of a fryer, they're deep too, it's like a tub of beef oil that's boiling and simmering, you hear that hissing and bubbling, crackling of the chips and the fish. Do you normally go for haddock here? Yeah, I usually go for the lunch box that comes with a small piece of haddock, chips, and mushy peas, and then, oh it's cod today. Oh, okay, okay, so it changes depending on the day, okay, okay. Northerners would argue haddock's better, Southerners will argue cod's better, I think they're both good, whichever's fresh is good. Yeah, whatever's fresh is the answer, huh? Okay, so we got our order in, we're gonna get that fresh cod, we're gonna get chips, we're gonna get mushy peas, plus a few other unique specialties that they have here. Oh, the chips go in, oh, what a piece of fish, alright, here we go, oh, that's a big box, okay, chips go in, and the fish, oh yes, okay, and now that's sprinkled with salt, sprinkled with vinegar, excellent. We got the fish and chips, it smells unbelievable, and actually there's no seating at Molesley Fish Bar, however, there does happen to be this pub across the street with this amazing garden in the back that you can come in, as long as you buy a drink, you can sit here and eat, and believe me, you're not gonna want to take this fish and chips far, you want to eat it immediately, ours is right out of the beef fat dripping. This is your mushy pea fritter. Oh, it's a mushy pea fritter, okay. You've got your mushy peas here. Okay, we've got the full option. Yeah, and you've got your curry sauce. Oh yeah, man, this looks unbelievable, so when you say a chippy, does that refer to all fish and chips joints, or is it mainly like these kind of hole in the wall? To me, just anywhere that serves fish and chips, but again, it is another word that changes depending on what part of the country you're from as well, some people call it chipper, what else do you call it? Fish bar, fish bar, okay. Some people call it chippy tea, so it kind of just changes. But then when you do say chippy, it definitely means fish and chips. Yeah, I just mean a fish and chip shop when I say chippy, yeah. All right, man, so if you see the size of this tray, a huge piece of fish, I got the cod, James got the haddock, loaded with chips, then we have curry sauce, then we have the mushy peas, and is there any correct strategy in digging in? No rules, just it gets stuck in, yeah. All right, man. Oh, and you just feel how crispy that batter is. Oh, so hot and fresh on the inside, so flaky. Okay, here we go, let's try the fish. Oh, wow, that batter, it does have a more intense flavor with that beef dripping. Crispy and the fish just melts in your mouth with the juicy oils of that cod and the flakiness of that cod, something that really stood out to me also, just the way they actually care for or like nurture every individual piece of fish there, like they're not frying in big batches, they're not commercialized whatsoever at all, I mean, just every piece of fish is respected. Yeah, you can really tell when you get around to quite a lot of chippies, the owners who really care about what they're doing and yeah, kind of love it. For sure, like not just doing it for the business. Oh, wow. Okay, but from here, we have a lot more combinations and a lot more bites to take. So you were saying tartar sauce would be with the fish? Yeah, tartar sauce with fish, definitely the most popular accompaniment, and then curry sauce with chips. Oh, yeah. Oh, really? Okay. Yeah. Oh, and you do squeeze that tartar sauce into the corner there too? Yeah, yeah. Okay, let me try these chips first. Oh, the chips, thick and hearty, crispy again with the flavor of that beef dripping, just intensifying the flavor and that sauce is like, it works perfectly actually. Yeah. It is kind of like a Japanese curry sauce, has that sweetness to it, has that like more stickiness to it as well. So it clings to the chips, fantastic. Okay, then let's go for the tartar sauce. Quite fruity, isn't it? It is, yeah. Yeah, it has that sweetness to it. And Mark, yeah, definitely break the fat end of the cod. Okay. And try that end, it'd be a lot more flaky. Okay, okay. Break the thicker side of the cod. Oh, the flakiness and the juiciness. I'll dip in the tartar sauce. Oh, and the cod just flakes apart. The other thing when it's the beef fat dripping, it's like, the aroma. Before you even take your bite, your nose fills with that aroma of the beef fat. Yeah. And just like, that increases the whole flavor, I think. Yeah, exactly. The aroma too. Yeah, there's something. Oh, wow. Like nostalgic about it that a lot of people like because it's kind of what chippies used to kind of smell like and what your fish and chips used to smell like. Reminds you of good times, good times back in the day. Oh, wow. And that thicker side of the cod, it's just melt in your mouth, flaky, stringy with that crispy batter. It's phenomenal. Now, the Americans don't get the mushy peas. Oh, okay. Okay, I'll try the mushy peas next. It's one of those things that just gets slated by Americans online. The mushy peas? They seem to have a real issue with it. Typically, Americans universally don't like mushy peas, right? British food is actually popular now. Oh, yeah. New restaurants opening in San Francisco and New York are just serving English food. Yeah, no, I think people are realizing that English food has been underrated for so long. Yeah, yeah. Like, it's not underrated, but I mean, it's, it's... Just been hated online. Yeah, people have been hating on English food for so long. People who never came here just to... When you experience like real classic traditional or even modern British food, it's phenomenal. Okay, so on that, let's try the mushy pea fritter, huh? Yeah, so it's more common up north. Same as this, battered and deep fried. Oh, so maybe I'll try the original mushy peas first and then the fritter. Hey, I mean, I pretty much like a wide variety of everything, but hey, I like mushy peas. That's great. Has a nice like silky, creamy texture, but then you also get the skins of the peas, which give it that little bite to it. Simple, but good. But one way to make mushy peas even better, why not batter it and fry it in beef dripping fat? And let's try the mushy pea fritter. The mushy peas even taste like starchier when it's in the fritter, but you've got that crunch of the batter. And again, that absorption of the beef dripping fat. And you kind of like could definitely wash it down with some beer. By the way, cheers. Oh yeah. In fact, it might be good dipped in a curry sauce also. Oh yeah. I like curry sauce. I love that addition of fish and chips. And so, James, you also have another unique item on your platter. What is that? Yeah, this is a savloy. So it's a sausage, basically, kind of like a frankfurter. It's got a hard casing. It's quite garlicky. It's really popular in London and the south, but you wouldn't find it up north at all. It looks like it's wrapped in paper or something. You just eat the whole thing? Okay. And you eat that exterior as well? Bites straight in. This is something people either love or hate. Always a little mystery when you're about to take your first bite of something. Whoa, it's interesting. Oh, it's delicious. Yeah, garlicky, a little bit peppery. That is the ultimate sausage snap when you bite down because of that almost like... I compare it to like a Chicago hot dogs. I kind of like have more of a snap to it. That snap, yeah, that casing. Yeah. It's like a super distinct casing. Traditionally, it was made with brains in the past. Pig's brains is what it was originally made of, but yeah, not anymore. That would be amazing. And then inside is kind of like a smooth mixture of meat with pepper and garlic. Oh, it's quite tasty. Yeah, that, oh, that's one of the most distinct snaps of a sausage you'll ever get. You just taught me something I have to say. Oi, oi, savaloi. That's a tribute to the savaloi. Okay, I'm going to go for a drizzle of the curry onto the chips and the crispies. Oh, this crispiness. Look how crispy that is. Okay, that deserves a little more dripping of curry, dripping of beef fat, dripping of curry sauce. Oh, yes. Those crispies are amazing. Like a sponge, they soak up that curry sauce. Yeah, what an incredible experience. Real deal off the beaten path. Fish and chips. Thank you, James, for joining me, man. Good. Yeah. The first American to come here and not make their chippy instead. Well, thanks to you and your amazing information and research. Cheers. Yeah, yeah. Cool, man. Thank you, James. Sorry, mate. We got beef dripping. Yeah, huge thank you to James. He's so cool to hang out with. He's so knowledgeable about food, about fish and chips. And his information is so helpful. Go check him out. Go check out his website, James Dimitri. He has some of the most helpful food guides in London and actually other cities as well around the world that you'll ever see. But I'm going to keep on eating these fish and chips. They are superb. Absolutely phenomenal. This is England in a mouthful. OK, so that fish and chips was absolutely outstanding. And we're on our way back to central London, where we're going to try the next category of best fish and chips in London. So the next category is the best pub. And a pub behind me is called The George, and they are famous for their fish and chips. Well, this pub is absolutely incredible. And even on the menu, they say it's a public house. So pubs were designed as an extension of a house to feel homey and comfortable, have a pint, have some food and just enjoy yourself with friends. They have the main area. They have the big bar at the front there. And then they gave us this little private section here, which is really nice. So on the menu, they have the pub classics. Oh, there's only a few options, which they keep the menu like tight, but serve really good dishes. And of course, we're going directly for the beer, battered fish and chips. However, there is one starter that I was not going to miss. We've got pork eggs. These are the scotch eggs. We give them three minutes in the fryer. All right. Then they go in the oven for three minutes, and then we rest them for three minutes. OK. And it's like black pudding surrounding them? Some onions, some pork mince, some sage, and then diced black pudding. And then that goes around the scotch egg. And then we use this really rich yolk, cinnamon eggs. They're really, really good quality. And that's what gives that really nice red yolk. OK. This is a good sauce, like a herb oil. Oh, yeah. OK. This is actual barbecue sauce. Yeah. So we just want to, we don't really want to get any char on it. We get like a nice caramelization. Nice. Yeah. Oh, man. All right. With charcoal. Oh, that aroma is coming out. Oh, that smells amazing. Oh, wow. Golden crispy. Oh, scotch eggs. Oh, so crispy. The reveal. Oh, the oozy yolk. Whoa, that's perfect. Oh, wow. That looks amazing. They've taken pub food to the next level. The quality, it's at a gourmet level. Cheers. Actually got their pilsner and also got, had to go for a pint of Guinness as well. Oh, fantastic. And before the fish and chips, though, I absolutely was not going to leave the George without trying a few of their famous starters. That is one of the most beautiful scotch eggs you'll ever see. There's black pudding within it. There's minced pork. It's crispy on the outside. That perfectly oozy, soft boiled egg and that yolk in the center. The egg is nestled within the mincemeat and the black pudding. I'm going to go for a dip. Oh, wow. The flavor of the black pudding, the egg completely melts in your mouth. And it's like the white of the egg plus the yolk of the egg is almost the same texture, that buttery creaminess. The sausagey flavor of that minced meat served warm and hot. There's an herb in there as well. Almost like a sage flavor to it. The crispiness of the outside shell with the creaminess of that egg. And that sauce is perfectly sour, a little bit sweet. Bite and taste. You have to try their scotch egg. Smoked Iberico pork ribs. In order to make these, chef, they were smoked, pre-smoked. And he puts them on the really hot charcoal grill downstairs. And then he based them in barbecue sauce until it caramelizes onto the ribs. Oh, they smell amazing. Oh, wow. So fatty and juicy. You immediately get that caramelized barbecue sauce, which is actually not too sweet. But it has this savory, like peppery flavor to it. Oh, phenomenal. That is pure fatty, juicy goodness. Now we're starting on the fish and chips. Fish goes into the flour. And for here, the fish and chips is made with haddock. And then it goes into the batter, goes directly into the hot oil. Oh, nice. Oh, get all those little crispy bits, right? Shake that around, all the extra. Oh, I know one of the signatures with the fish and chips here is all the little extra crispies. What are they called? Scraps. Scraps, okay. One of the main components of the fish and chips here that we're about to see are what's called the scraps or the extra little crispy bits. It's actually not just used for decoration, but it's also used for the texture, for the extra crispiness of the fish and chips. So that's gonna be so much extra crispies. And the chips are coming along over on this side of the fryer. Wow, that is so crispy and browned. Perfect. That's ready? Beautiful. Wow. Perfection. Oh yeah, not forgetting all the crispies. The scraps. Wow. Okay, in the meantime, the chips are ready too. These are the chunky chips. Yes. That's a good sound for crispy chips. And now all the components are gonna come together. It's like a foundation of chips on the bottom, a unique way of serving fish and chips. And then the fish goes on top of that bed of chips. Beautiful. Okay, great. Thank you very much. Here it is. Thank you. This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful plates of fish and chips in London. And their fish and chips, the display, the quality, it's made with haddock. It's battered. The scrappies, all those little scraps and crispy tangly bits on the top is the extra move with the mushy peas on the side with the tartar sauce, a wedge of lemon, and then also the fragrant curry sauce, which you have to have. But it's so beautiful. That's such a nice portion as well. The display, the quality. This is the greatest pub fish and chips in London. I think this is a fish and chips that requires a little bit of eating strategy, but it's so pretty. You almost don't wanna destroy the whole fish and chips plate, but there's only one way to go in. You gotta pick up the entire piece of fish. That's so crispy. You can just pick up the whole thing. It is incredibly light and fluffy. That batter has not absorbed any of that oil. It is just fluffy like a cloud of fish, like a pillow of fish. I think there's only one way we can go in. Oh, wow. That is the crispiest, lightest, fluffiest batter you'll have. It is so crispy. You've got those extra crispies on top. You've got that finishing salt that gives it that nice touch as well. The haddock on the inside just flakes and melts in your mouth. That's phenomenal. When I took that first bite, I was thinking it could collapse the whole piece of fish, but that's how crispy and how greatly engineered that batter is. The whole piece of fish holds up. It doesn't just collapse on you, but let's do another bite. I hope you can hear that crunch. It's like shattering crispiness in my mouth, and all those extra crispies, the scraps, that makes it even more crispy in your mouth. From here, I'm gonna put it back down onto the chips, and you know what it's time for. This is a strategic and mandatory move, usually before you even take a first bite of fish and chips, but because I wanted to taste that fish so bad. Now, now comes the malt vinegar. Let's give it a nice dripping of vinegar. I want some on the chips as well down below. Perfectly crispy, perfectly chunky, and perfectly starchy on the inside. And I'm also desperate to try the curry sauce. That curry sauce is just made for clinging to chips. I mean, you just dip down, and it just completely sticks. Not a drip. It's plastered to your chips. Perfect for dipping. Oh, wow. It has an amazing sweetness and a sourness to it, along with that curry powder flavor. Man, because this fish is so stable, I think we can just go ahead. You can just dip it directly into the tartar sauce. With that creamy tartar sauce, a little bit of acidity in there to pair it with that crispiness, that melt-in-your-mouth flaky fish. This is really absolutely gourmet, absolutely top quality, made fresh to order. You're gonna be blown away by the quality, by the freshness, by the balance of this fish and chips. The technique, the quality of the ingredients really makes this the best pub fish and chips you can get in London. Oh, it is phenomenal. Okay, let's try the mushy peas. You can already tell this is gonna be a quality mushy peas because you see the skins. I really like the mushy peas when they're a bit more chunky, not completely mushed, not completely silky smooth, but you've got the texture of the skins of the peas in there as well. And you really smell the mint as well. Okay, that's a next level mushy peas. And they also taste like they're very young peas as well. Rather than being starchy, they're more silky in texture. Oh yeah, blown away by this fish and chips. So good. Like if you dream about fish and chips, this is the plate of fish and chips you'd wanna be eating. We've already had some of London's best fish and chips, but next up, the category is the best fine dining fish and chips. And so we're at a restaurant, it's called Cornucopia by three Michelin star chef Claire Smith. And I'm pretty sure we're about to experience a fish and chips like we've never seen before. Wow, this restaurant is beautiful. The interiors, so elegant, so luxurious. All right, so it's a huge honor to meet Chef Claire Smith. So nice to meet you. Thank you, thank you. Can you tell us a little bit about the philosophy of the fish and chips here? Yeah, sure. I mean, it's like, it's about really doing a classic really well and elevating it. I thought I wanted to do British classics, but then I thought, well, you know, I'm kind of known as a fine dining three Michelin star chef. So if I do fish and chips, it's like, it's gonna be like the ultimate. So it's like stuffing it with this most beautiful fillets of Dover sole with a lobster mousse, really beautiful, crisp beer batter, and then serving it with, you know, like just this whole sort of journey of menu of vinegars. Amazing. Yeah, pleasure. Thank you so much. Taking it to a new level. Yeah, taking it to a new level. I can't wait to try it. To go with the most luxurious fish and chips we've ever had, it deserves a special wine. So this is a Mersal. It's a Burgundy, a Chardonnay. Cheers. Thank you. Oh, so this is the? Seafood Bolognese. Very nice. Here we have lobster bisque, part one. Before the fish and chips comes though, we absolutely couldn't miss a few of their starters. And let's start with the lobster bisque. Oh, it's so aromatic. The foaminess, that lobster, the herbs in here. All the creaminess, the richness, just the depth of complexity from that lobster, especially probably that lobster head cooks down, releasing all that flavor. Amazing. And then this is the Thermidor, an aged cheddar toast, which goes along with the lobster bisque. You smell the aroma of that aged cheddar before you take a bite. That complexity, that char on the outside. The butteriness, excellent. Next up for the leek vinaigrette with smoked egg yolk and shallots. This looks so beautiful and refreshing. Like the silkiness of those leeks, the sweetness coming out, very herbal. You don't really taste the starchiness of the yolks, but it's like this really smokiness from those yolks in there. That is so good. Okay, and next up for the seafood vol-au-vent, which is scallops, prawns, mussels, champagne velouté. So you have some pastry, you have all the seafood on top. Look, there's lobster, there's mussels, there's scallops. Oh, wow. Juicy creaminess throughout the entire pastry. Oh, wow. Oh, that's incredible. The fresh seafood, the bounciness of that lobster. There's this cheesy, foamy and creamy, has this herbal oil flavor to it. The quality, just the freshness of every dish so far is phenomenal. I love one of the coolest things you'll ever see. It's a whole picture frame album with a potato menu on the inside. Here we are. Yes, here we are. All the vinegars, amazing. So first we've got the balsamic here, obviously the classic that we all know and love, and the malt as well, most classically paired with fish and chips. Okay, so we've got the Barolo here, obviously a red wine vinegar. I thought this would actually be the chardonnay, less in its acidity, but more in a kind of beautiful, rich flavor. And then here we've got the ice cider. So it's done in the same way as ice wine. So they pick the apples when they're frozen, keeps all the residual sugar in, and then you get this really sweet, sticky cider. They make the vinegar with that. So it has much more residual sugar, giving this kind of toffee apple note to it. Incredible. Sadly, that is all the vinegars. That looks like it's gonna be enough. Things are getting exciting. It is almost time, fish and chips time. But first they bring you out a vinegar menu. If things could not get more gourmet with seven different vinegars to choose from. And you can choose them all, but the vinegar sommelier, he recommended three. We've got the classic malt, we've got the chardonnay vinegar, and we have the ice, what is it? The ice cider eight. Yeah, safe to say their vinegar game takes things to a whole new level. Now we're in the kitchen, and Chef Gary is gonna get started making the fish and chips. So we have a fresh, starting with a fresh Dover sole. Oh, so you just peel back the skin. This is gonna be as fresh as possible. Okay, and it's such a delicate fish too, right? It is, it is. Such a delicate fish. So right off the bat, this is already different from any other version of fish and chips I've ever had. Dover sole, one of the premium fish. But we're gonna see how it all comes together, which is definitely gonna be completely different from what you probably think. Okay, so now we have two fillets of the Dover sole. And this is the lobster mousse that goes in. Oh, right in the center, a whole squeeze of lobster mousse filled. Oh, and it goes in like a lid, so the lobster mousse is surrounded by the Dover sole. Wrapped up. Oh, what a move. Okay, so we dust in a little bit of seasoned flour. Okay, so first it goes into some flour. Now into the batter. That's our beer batter. That's a beer batter, right? Yes. And then that's gonna go into the fryer. Just gently laying it in that delicate Dover sole. And all the scraps. Oh, yeah. So all those extra loose crispies, that's an essential component of fish and chips. After that's been frying for about five minutes, you can see it's so golden crispy. It's ready. We're ready. And here's one of the signature parts, the slice in half. Okay, I think we are ready. Slice down the middle. Wow, look at that inside. Oh, perfectly filled with the lobster mousse cooked all the way through. So first, mushy peas go in. Amazing. Thank you, Chef Gary. Oh, yeah. Triple cook chips. Thank you. Okay. Potatoes. Oh, yeah. Thank you. We've made it to the ultimate, the best fine dining fish and chips in London, and they have outdone themselves here. The potato menu. And this is just a small selection of all the different potatoes they offer. You've got the fish and chips in the center with Dover sole, with that lobster mousse, the mushy peas on the side, a selection of every kind of vinegar you could possibly want, plus tartar sauce, plus ketchup. I mean, the quality, the care, the thought that goes into this plate of fish and chips is on another level. I'll just slice a bite. Oh, you hear the crispiness of that batter? It looks so fluffy, and you see the oily, like the juiciness of that Dover sole. And we'll try it first on its own before we get all the different condiments. And of course, we have to try all the different vinegars. Here we go. Oh, wow. That batter is unbelievably crispy and so light and puffy and bubbly in your mouth. With that beer batter and the Dover sole, I mean, the Dover sole is like the Rolls Royce of fish. It's so delicate. It's so soft, so oily, melts in your mouth. And then you have that like aroma and that faint, subtle flavor of the lobster mousse encased, plastered within the Dover sole. You know immediately that it's fish and chips, but at the same time, it's just the quality and the luxuriousness of the ingredients that have gone into it, make it so spectacular. Okay, let's move into the vinegars. I'm gonna go with some of the malt vinegar first, some of the classic malt vinegar. Do a little bit on this bite because we have to review all the vinegars. I'm gonna just try the malt first and then we can compare. And you wanna get a little bit of everything on one bite, making sure you have the batter as well. Yeah, vinegar just elevates fish and chips. That one is not too strong or powerful. Just provides this nice acidity, a little bit of complexity to it. Kind of lightens the friedness as well. But that being said, the friedness is already extremely light and fluffy and crazily crispy. Before I move on to the next vinegar, let's try some chips. Oh, that crispiness on the outside, soft and silky melt in your mouth in the inside. Perfect. I think what I'm gonna do from here, I'm thinking about just unloading the chips onto the plate. Yeah. Next up we're gonna try, this is the Chardonnay vinegar. Onto that fish as well. Those chips, absolutely fantastic. And now for the mushy peas. You can smell the aroma of the mint and the butter. Oh, oh wow. Those mushy peas are incredible. It tastes like they're young peas. They're not starchy, they're more silky in texture. Really nice and minty, nice and buttery. You got all the skins again of the peas, but it has some texture to it. So it's not too mushy of a mushy peas, but it's like a perfect texture, full of flavor. Those mushy peas are outstanding. And then we have another vinegar to try, but first let's try the tartar sauce. Another classic combination. Every sauce combination works well. That tartar sauce is nice and creamy, just a little bit of acidity. Another perfect pairing, but it's really all about, I mean the quality, the Dover sole. We saw the whole Dover sole as fresh as possible with that infusion, that aroma of the lobster mousse on the inside. And that just shatteringly crispy beer fluffy batter. It's luxurious, yet at the same time, they make it so much fun and they make it so educational and entertaining and so many different options. You know, it's just like a full, this is fish and chips pampering right here. Okay, I'll try that third vinegar, which is the ice cider minus eight. Oh, that one has like a sweetness to it. Like a little bit of a syrupiness with that acidity. All three vinegars, fantastic. I don't know which one I could choose better. They're all good. These ones are the dauphine potatoes. It's like a little potato puff. Yeah, like a mash in there. Nice and herbal, this depth of flavor. Puffy, oh, kind of tastes bacon-y. Okay, and then we have the Anna potatoes with crispy layers. Clarified butter on each layer and then like the infused herbal cream. Just, it's so crispy on the top. So crispy on the top and then all those different layers of potato. Oh, that's so crispy with all the butter. You can already smell that butteriness when you take it to your mouth and the potatoes just melt in your mouth. That crispy top. I think it's chive sour cream on top. Perfect pairing, so rich. That is unbelievable. The potato menu, the vinegar menu. This is something really unique, something so much fun and just outstanding quality of food. We have finally settled the great, the ultimate debate about where to eat the best fish and chips in London and I wanna say a huge thank you to my friend James Dimitri for helping me to arrange the locations and I'll have his information in the description box below. He is the expert, the authority on fish and chips in London and I'll have all the information everywhere we ate at in the description box below so go check them out and a big thank you to you for watching this video. Remember to give it a thumbs up. Also, we're eating our way, trying some of the best food in London. I'll have the next video here that you can check out and thank you for watching this video. Goodbye from London. See you on the next video.