Golden Fish Bar

The Golden Fish Bar on Farringdon Road, EC1 has been around for 150 years and is still popular. There is a restaurant and a takeaway fish and chips shop.

I had lunch in the Golden Fish Restaurant which is part of the Golden Fish Bar. The restaurant probably seats less that 40 so is quite small and has fixed benches and formica tables. It has a real traditional working class feel about it and is very popular so I recommend getting there early for lunch.

I'm a chip connoisseur but I don't eat fish so I took along a good friend to try it out. She tried Haddock and Chips (£4.30) and Cod Roe and Chips (£2.60) and was impressed by the golden batter which could stay crispy even after adding vinegar. The color of the batter was exactly what you would hope for and it was freshly fried. Do check 'Today's Special' as it's there for a reason.

I had (fried) Egg and Chips (£2.70) and we both ordered mushy peas (65p). This delicacy is an acquired taste but you should try them if you're eating in a fish and chip restaurant. If you're still not sure about the taste, add some vinegar as it helps.

I can report the chips were a good color and were good-sized 'fat chips' but they were a little soft and I like crispy fat chips.

To accompany our meal we chose the traditional drink of a strong cup of tea which was only 40p. If you have room for a dessert the way forward is to have ice-cream, but we were too full from our main course.

The waitress we met was incredibly helpful as she held my baby so I could fold her buggy (it's a small restaurant) and she did everything she could to make sure we were looked after.

If you haven't tried the whole fish and chips experience before you should order some 'extras' such as a picked egg (60p) or 2 pickled onions (50p), or even curry sauce (65p) to dip your chips in. My choice would be have plenty of hot vinegar, a sprinkling of salt, and plenty of tomato ketchup.