chobby100

me and mrs. chobby100 are going across the pond for six days next week. We didn't get authentic fish & chips on the last visit - any suggestions? Pub or some shop is what we are looking for. Staying at Swissotel - The Howard so West End / Trafalgar / Charing Cross area are closest.

Any other Restarant suggestions in that area or within zone 1 (I know, tourists) that are good value and favorites are appreciated.

cheers

chobby

GadgetFreak

Nice hotel, sometimes very good prices too. Been staying there on and off since it was the Howard. But I digress....

Fish and chips, a place called North Sea Fish Restaurant. See a review:
www.london-eating.co.uk/ more_reviews.asp?restaurant=2439&CurPage=2 - 20k -

If you do a Google search on "north sea fish chips london" you will get a lot of reviews, several saying it is the best fish and chips in London. I cant say that, havent been to them all but it is really excellent. Big filets of fried, fresh fish. It is not to far from the British Museum, between the museum and your hotel. Highly recommended. They also have a nice selection of malt whisky to go with your lunch and warm you from the winter chill if you are so inclined.

Another recommendation for a non-fish and chips restaurant is Masala Zone in Soho. If you want to venture a bit further afield there is Veeraswamy near Piccadily and my favorite restaurant in London, Chutney Marys on Kings Road in Chelsea. Have fun!

Buster

There is a fish & chips shop in the Covent Garden area that I've eaten at that serves pretty good fish & chips - Rock & Sole Plaice. It's recommended in TimeOut.

Rock & Sole Plaice
47 Endell Street, WC2H 9AJ
020 7836 3785

Wingnut

I would second the Rock and Sole Plaice. Was just round the corner from my old office. Best fish and chips in central London, I'd say. Get a table on the ground (shop) floor, but make sure you pay a visit to the loos so you can take in the fabulous tiling job in the basement.

(Also, re your other thread about traffic in the dining section, rest assured that a few of us do check into the forum regularly... )

chobby100

thanks for the thoughts.

Re: chippies i found a top ten list on londoneats.com which included both of the above suggestions. They also chose:
Faulkner's - Hackney, E8
Costas Fish Restaurant - Notting Hill, W8
Jimmy's Fish And Chip Bar - Walthamstow, E17
Rock And Sole Plaice - Covent Garden, WC2
Seashell - Marylebone, NW1
Brady's - Wandsworth, SW18
North Sea Fish Restaurant - Bloomsbury, WC1
Fryer's Delight - Holborn, WC1
Fish Central - Barbican, EC1
Master Super Fish - Waterloo, SE1

RE: Gadet Freak - the Howard - How did you find it? Did you have or get upgraded to a river view? What did you like and dislike

thanks

EricH

I'll second the Seashell. It's a little off the beaten path for Zone 1 (it's near the edge) but it's very good.

GadgetFreak

I liked the Howard a lot. Second favorite hotel in London. Covent Garden is favorite but sometimes cant bring myself to pay that much. Concierge, other service at the Howard is very good. Nice bar and lobby. Very nice in fact. Enjoyed the tea and biscuits room service for a late night snack. I have been in both the junior suites and the regular rooms. Not a whole lot of difference. I MUCH prefer the river views though. Very nice view of the river, London Eye and Waterloo Bridge and an oblique view of parliament and Big Ben from some of the rooms. Also right across the street from the Thames Embankment which I love to walk down towards Wesminster. Easy walk to the City and Strand too, great location. If you want they can arrange to pick you up at the airport, forget the cost, I probably wouldnt bother depending on the time. The express trains are great. They also got theatre tickets, made dinner reservations etc. Nothing special in that regard, but quite competent and professional.

warmsnickers

I'll second Costas in Notting Hill. Great family-run neighborhood shop and both the cod & haddock are excellent.

Globaliser

A newish place I would recommend if you want something slightly more upmarket - the Fish Shop on St John Street. It's at the junction with Rosebery Avenue, a stone's throw from Sadler's Wells. Nearest Tube Angel. The people who own this used to run the Upper St Fish Shop, which was a proper old chippie. The new place is now a proper trendy-looking restaurant but it's not expensive and the fish and chips are still very good, as are the other fish dishes they now do.

Mutu

Head to Covent Garden, Great Queen Street and a fish restaurant called Zilli Fish 2. ITs about 6 minutes walk from the Howard Hotel. Zilli is a (reasonably) upmarket fish restaurant that has a traditional fish and chips on the menu as well as a whole range of italian inspired fish dishes and a great wine list

GadgetFreak

Well, if it is upmarket fish and chips, check out the Ivy. They have fish and chips and mashed peas as I recall. Pretty tasty.

Wingnut

Actually, Sheekeys would probably be the better choice here...

GadgetFreak

Oh my, thanks for pointing that out. That looks very interesting. I wasnt aware of that. The menu looks very good. I will have to check that out on a future visit. Ive been to the Ivy several times and Le Caprice once, but this one is new to me. The fish and chips was good at the Ivy but Sheekeys looks like a must try. I dont recall them having fish and chips at Le Caprice although I could be wrong. Im guessing it doesnt go good with the Armani clothes on their customers. In the neighborhood of Le Caprice I believe the description of the customers in the vernacular would be "Sloan Rangers"?

Wow, I just checked the address of J. Sheekey and cant believe I havent seen it. Thats frequently the part of London I stay in. Oh well, something to look forward to.

Also, the link provided lets you get to the Ivy website as well. I see they were voted most popular in the Zagat survey for the fourth year in a row. Im not a huge believer in Zagat but I think this does mean something positive. Ive always felt the food and service at the Ivy were first rate. And I suspect their fish and chips is pretty similar to that at J. Sheekey, although the Ivy has mint in their mushie peas

Swanhunter

I think the Seashell had gone down hill quite a lot over the last 12 months. I'd vote for Costa's in Notting Hill at the reasonable end, Sheekey's or the Ivy if you fancy spanking that lovely black Amex card!

[This message has been edited by Swanhunter (edited Jan 06, 2004).]

chobby100

I appreciate all the advice and hope this is helpful for others as well. For this post I was looking for the small shop kinda thing. Probably does brisk takeaway and probably doesn't have table service.

I have found for the more upscale dinners I can often combine zagat, time out and concierge and get a good "feel" for what we are looking for.

PS - Sheekey actually "edges out its siblings, The Ivy and Le Caprice" according to zagat.