Elite does not rank as the best fish n chip shop in Lincoln, it ranks as one of the best in the country.
First week in February, opening long delayed, Elite finally opened a new fish restaurant in Bailgate, Elite on the Bail, an upmarket fish n chip shop.
Has Elite managed to maintain their reputation?
First impressions, pleasant interior, but look closer and appalling bad design.
Walk in through a set of double doors, two people barely can fit in the airlock, one overweight would just manage. The queue to wait is the other side of the second door, get hit by the door.
Doors to the toilets very heavy. Weak or infirm would have difficulty opening. I cannot speak for the ladies toilet, but inside the gents, barely can squeeze into hand washing area before the loo. If someone the other side of the door walked in too fast, door smashes into them.
Hard surfaces in the restaurant, very noisy and not pleasant.
A very dingy corner beneath the stairs.
Disabled are restricted to the ground floor. If there was a lift to the first floor, I did not notice one.
Luckily not busy, and this was lunchtime, Elite Tritton Road would be packed if not a queue, therefore no problem obtaining a window seat.
Other window seats, if obtain, offer pleasant views out onto Bailgate.
No senior citizens special offers. This a big mistake, and should be addressed.
Hint: order child’s portion.
The menu referred to a board for specials. Yes there was one for fish options, but nothing for the deserts.
Elite Tritton Road take a pride in the potatoes used and the fish caught. No display to indicate the fish caught, potatoes used.
Serving staff not up to the standard of Elite Tritton Road, hopefully will improve. But not as bad as Burton Road Chippy.
Tea has never been a strong point of Elite. The tea was not good.
Clearing away finished plates, half drunk cup of tea was taken away.
And the all important question, the fish n chips?
The fish n chips live up to the reputation of Elite, if not excelled. If maintain this standard and introduce senor citizen deal (crass stupidity to have dropped), cannot see Burton Road Chippy remaining in business.
The ludicrous review Lincolnshire Live (Lincolnshire Echo) was quite rightly slammed on social media. No surprise Elite chose not to share on social media. Apart from ordering pie and drowning chips in gravy (yes, need to employ someone who can write and knows food) was heavily criticised for no mention of the seafood. There may though be a reason for this, and not the fault of the reviewer. No seafood menu was produced.
On leaving I asked to see the sea food menu. Tiny italic writing difficult to read. And no, not impressed. I am used to excellent seafood restaurants by the sea, fresh caught tsipira (sea bream) grilled over charcoal. For Elite I will stick to what Elite do best, haddock and chips.
And no, fish n chips was not dripping with fat, as one reviewer complained. I have never had fish n chips from Elite dripping with fat.
Bailgate needs to be made traffic free.
