Fish and chips, a British classic, require no introduction. Contrary to the case in Singapore, where the dish is usually found in cafes and restaurants, fish and chips are usually purchased from takeaway shops in the UK. Traditionally, they come wrapped in a layer of white paper followed by a layer of newspaper, or even just in a couple of layers of newspaper! Being somewhat a nitpick about hygiene, I'm glad that my food was placed in a paper cardboard box and wrapped with white paper.
Sorry for the poor lighting in the picture- the seagulls are always trying to steal beachgoers' food (no kidding- there're signs in St Ives which advise people to keep a lookout on their food) and K's mom was helping me to shield my fish and chips from an onlooking seagull as I snapped this photo.
Pickwicks Restaurant, located in Perranporth, where K's mom grew up, has been described by her to be the best place to get fish and chips in town. The queue outside the takeaway section was proof of its popularity; having to wait for your order to be ready also means that your food will be fresh out of the fryer. Here, there were several choices of fish available, including haddock, pollock (£3.15) and cod (£3.45). As with many fish and chip shops, battered cod roe was also available here- too bad I didn't manage to give it a try :(
Naturally I chose to cod 'cos it's so expensive in Singapore! Although only a small ice cream stick was provided for cutlery, I faced no problems in cutting up the chunk of cod into bite-sized pieces for it simply flaked apart when pierced! I was pleased with the lightness of the batter, though I would have preferred it to be more crunchy. The star here is still the fresh, firm and delicate interior of the battered cod fish, whose moist flesh fared far better than the soft deep-fried cream dory I have been eating all along.
Do not expect to be served skinny fries, slab-cut potato chunks are the norm in Britain. Plump chips with fluffy insides, freshly sliced from potatoes, instead of hollow French fries from a frozen package... if only more places in Singapore would serve such decent chips! A generous serving of these can be purchased for an affordable £1.10 at Pickwicks'... even if you only order chips, you're bound to be full.
Enjoying your fish and chips by the lovely beach is much better than being cramped inside the packed restaurant, I say.