Posts Tagged ‘fish n chips’

Elite on the Bail re-opens

July 4, 2020

First day restaurant side of Elite on the Bail open, for several weeks takeaway only.

Empty. I had choice of where to sit. I chose a large table to keep distance.

Staff in visors. The staff outnumbered their one and only customer.

Few will have ventured out, their social media said taking bookings, not reply when asked can turn up. Need to address their use of social media.

Few will have ventured out, Super Spreader Saturday, pubs full of binge drinkers.

My haddock and chips excellent. I had a couple of times had takeaway but nowhere as good.

Annoying a member of staff closed the door, then no ventilation.

High Farm Fish Bar fish n chips

May 20, 2020

Today coronavirus lockdown day fifty eight, this evening my first fish n chips since start of lockdown, but I have to order on line.

To date not having much luck. Last week I visited Elite on the Bail, looking forward to fish n chips, only to find not open until four.

Lunchtime today, I tried the Washingborough fish n chip shop, only to find not open until four, and have to place order on-line.

I decided to try again this evening.

A bit of a faffle but I guess second time around easier.

Place order, confirmed order taken, then turn up at allotted time.

Quite a clever system, fish n chip shop gets a print out with name and order. On arrival asked for name, a couple of minutes wait, then order handed out through the door, covid-19 restrictions, not allowed to enter the shop.

I can see this could become semi-permanent, no waiting, and order is ready for collection. Though hopefully people will still be able to turn up.

The first time I have had fish n chips from this fish n chip shop since last summer.

Portion size generous, fish n chips excellent.

On a par with Elite on the Bail or Elite Tritton Road.

Two fish n chips worth knowing about locally, Elite on the Bail and Washingborough fish n chip shop. To which I would add Elite Tritton Road.

Burton Road poor service and quality of fish n chips not good. No way Sign of the Fish in Sincil Street, service poor and quality of fish n chips not good.

Fish n chips Elite on the Bail

March 6, 2020

My third visit.

Stylish but poor layout.

First visit, service poor, second visit had deteriorated. I am pleased to report the service is improving, but at least three waitresses with hair dangling down.

First visit, fish n chips excellent, second visit chips not good. Today excellent haddock, batter crispy, the best I have had anywhere. The chips though could be better.

On each visit, fewer diners. Today almost deserted, not a single diner on the first floor. Reaction to coronavirus, people reluctant to eat out?

Pubs avoid, especially J D Wetherspoon. Restaurants, if not busy I would not avoid.

But what all restaurants must do, hand sanitiser as walk in and waiting staff before taking to table request patrons use. If they refuse, deny entry. Safety of staff and diners must come first.

Excellent views of Bailgate from first floor.

Wandering through Bailgate, absolute must this area pedestrianised.

Elite on the Bail revisited

February 19, 2020

I last visited Elite on the Bail an upmarket fish n chip shop last week, one week after it had opened.

In summary, poor design, poor service, excellent fish n chips.

Has anything changed?

Not a lot can be done about the poor design.

The service far from improving has deteriorated, now on a par with Burton Road Chippy.

Waitress with hair dangling over the table, wrong change on bill, bill not brought promptly to the table when offered to bring, but a few of the problems experienced.

There is a problem with the dish washing machine. Black flecks on all the crockery, a rough scum on much of the crockery.

Elite need to address the poor service  and the things that are going wrong. .

Suggestion: Deploy experienced staff from Elite Tritton Road, pay their travelling expenses and time to and from Elite on the Bail.

Fish n chips?

Haddock was excellent, even better than last week, but the chips poor quality, not up to the standard of Elite.

Poor quality of chips queried. Apparently difficulty sourcing quality potatoes suitable for frying.

Lincolnshire grows potatoes but cannot supply quality potatoes to Elite.

Elite on the Bail

February 16, 2020

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.

Fish n chips at Burton Road Chippy

September 8, 2017

Late lunch at Burton Road Chippy.

It did not help I headed off down Newport Road thinking it was Burton Road.

Street signs would help.

Burton Road Chippy No 2 fish n chip shop in the country. I was not sure if open. Closed Monday, only open lunchtime and evening during the week, all day Friday and Saturday.

For me fortunate it was open, though no one there, the restaurant was empty.

Service was poor though the girl a trainee pleasant. She did not bring bread and butter until fish n chips arrived. Had to be reminded to bring the tea.

The milk jug was tiny, filled to the brim, and no handle. Difficult to pour, with the result spilt milk.

Fish n chips was good, though  long delay before it was served. No explanation or apology for the long delay. The restaurant was empty, no other customers.

Loud moronic music was very unpleasant.

One very negative aspect. They should be ashamed they use Deliveroo, which is exploitation writ large, serfs working for an app.

Quality of fish n chips comparable with the Elite. Only main difference, larger portion size and slow service.

Very similar concept to Elite, variety of potatoes named and where sourced from, the trawler that caught the fish named.

Similar to what is becoming the norm in speciality coffee shops, traceability, transparency.

Once I asked in a fish n ship shop, was their fish fresh, how often was it delivered. They refused to tell me. I turned around and walked out.

Ocean Basket Ayia Napa

May 18, 2017

If you want bad overpriced seafood coupled with piss-poor service then Ocean Basket in Ayia Napa is the place to eat.

There are good fish restaurants in the locality, in Protaras and Paralimni, but this is not one of them.

We had intended to eat at a fish restaurant in Paralimni. A big mistake that we chose to eat at Ocean Basket instead.

Dips and menu arrived promptly, though no mention of what the dips were, no bread.

A long wait before our order was taken. After half an hour or more had passed, we summoned a waitress. She did not want to know. A waiter was summoned. He at least apologised. He thought our order had already been taken.

Once our order was taken the food arrived promptly. Too promptly to be freshly cooked.

The fish n chips was disgusting. The cod not fresh, the chips not freshly cooked.

Any fish n chip shop in England that served this would not survive long in business.

The seafood platter looked ok, but was cold.

The bread never did arrive.

The toilets tucked behind the bar were not hard to find, follow the smell. They were though clean.

We should have walked out and left the food untouched.

The McDonald’s or KFC of seafood.

A place to be avoided.

My dining companion who chose the seafood platter in less than an hour of eating, had bad attack of food poisoning and had to run to the toilet.

Try Papa’s fish and chips (a fish restaurant)  or Kamasias. Both are in Paralimni.

We then drove through the centre of Ayia Napa. Nighttime and yet the streets were all but deserted, the restaurants and bars empty. As with nearby Protaras, another resort where local economy destroyed by all-inclusive hotels.

Cod and chips in Traditional Plaice

June 18, 2016
cod and chips and peas

cod and chips and peas

I have had bad service, but nothing this bad.

I was on my way to Waitrose. As it was gone five o’clock I decided to pop in The Traditional Plaice in Downing Street for a very late lunch. A very big mistake.

I was about to sit down, when I was told to site at a table for two in the far corner.

The place was almost empty. Were they expecting a rush?

A long wait, finally my order is taken. Fairly simple, cod and chips and peas and a glass of water.

I wait and wait. 20 minutes goes by and I am still waiting.

Finally, after 35 minutes wait, my order arrives.

The fish and peas were not cooked.

Easy to see why.

Cooked from frozen, with no account taken of the fact cooked from frozen.

Having finished my meal, I then have a long wait before the bill arrives.

After over twenty minutes, almost twenty-five minutes, I manage to ask for the bill.

At £8-35, it was very expensive for small sized portion of cod and chips.

Fish n chips at Lion and Lamb Cafe

November 8, 2014
fish n chips

fish n chips

We are always looking for dedicated and passionate chefs who are striving to put their own stamp on the menu. If you would like to be part of our team please email us your cv. — Lion and Lamb Cafe

I thought lunch at the fish n chip shop in Downing Street, but too late.

OK, Waitrose, then home. Only it started to rain, heavy rain.

As I was passing by, I decide on lunch at Lion and Lamb Cafe, in Lion and Lamb Yard. Often they have an interesting special chalked up outside. Not today. I walked in. Usually when I walk by it is empty. Today packed. Is it old or fake old?

Tables packed very tight together, barely room to move.

I was offered a table in line with the door. I refused, as I did not wish to be chilled every time the door opened.

I ordered fish n chips. Expensive and pretty disgusting. Not very good fish, they had not even bothered to take the skin off. Old dried up chips, tasted like oven chips. For some perverse reason, not served on a plate, but what I can only describe as a large soup bowl. Explains why usually empty.

Far better fish n chips in fish n chip shop in Downing Street. And cheaper.

Toilets upstairs like outdoor toilets used to be hundred years ago in Victorian terrace houses, even down to the same doors with the latch.

A lady on an adjacent table with two children. They left their main meal untouched. I asked as they left. She mouthed back disgusting. I mouthed back the same.

I had chatted to them earlier and suggested a few places where to get decent food.

  • Friday lunch at Guildford Institute in Guildford
  • Cafe Mila in Godalming
  • Italian coffee shop in Alton
  • Friday street food on Winchester market

I think the only reason packed, and lady on adjacent table said the same thing, people had done as we had done, walked in to get out of the rain.

Service very slow, though staff pleasant.

Free wifi.

I have never understood why anywhere thinks I am impressed by being told they have worked donkeys years in the catering business. I usually find it to be a very bad omen.

You can bring your own wine. For which your pay for the privilege at £5 a bottle.

Teapigs. Oh for decent tea. J D Wetherspoon used to serve teapigs, now it is Tetley, at least honesty.

Oh what a loss The Barn which closed in the summer.

The Traditional Plaice

June 7, 2014
The Traditional Place restaurant

The Traditional Place restaurant

 cod and chips

cod and chips

A tiny little fish n chip shop in Downing Street with a restaurant out the back.

As it was late afternoon, and I was feeling hungry, I thought I’d give it a try.

Walk through a narrow passageway at the side of the fish n chip shop.

I was greeted by a zombie like creature. Greeted, a slight exaggeration, she just stood there. So much make up, gave the impression her face was porcelain. Maybe that is why she did not smile, it would have cracked. Scrub off the make up and she would have been very attractive.

She showed me through to the restaurant, or rather, I asked could I go through.

I was surprised how large it was, with a tiny garden out the back. And it was empty, bar two occupied tables, and they left as I arrived. Popular it clearly is not (though maybe early).

I had not been there long, when three people walked in. They had the whole restaurant to sit in. They sat at the adjacent table right on top of me.

Service was appalling.

A long wait until zombie took my order. And even longer wait until the food arrived.

I had asked for a glass of water. I had to ask for it again when the food arrived.

Fish n chips, choice of cod or haddock. Cod was £8-35 and upwards. Haddock was over £10!

A choice of peas, mushy peas or salad.

The plate was too small, salad overflowing onto the table.

Cod and chips was ok, nothing to get excited about, cod and chips were piping hot, and must have come straight out of the fryer. The batter was light and crispy.

The glass of water I did not touch, the glass was filthy, I could feel the dirt as I picked the glass up.

Environmental Health must check this place out.

Not somewhere I will wish to return.

Oh how I miss The Barn, where you could get an excellent lunch, all freshly prepared.

To put the price in context, fish n chips at The Queen Hotel in Aldershot, £5-09 (and you get a free pint of beer).


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