Authentic English Fish and Chips in Brooklyn
Apr 03 '01
The Bottom Line Excellent English food. Good food, courteous service, inexpensive.
If you have a hankering for chips in New York, you are in luck. The Chip Shop, located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has recently opened. The Chip Shop is a genuine chippie serving all your English favorites in a friendly, comfortable setting. People have been coming from all over, and according to the sous chef, Nigel, even calling in from airplanes wondering about its status.
The neighborhood immediately around the restaurant is a bit run down with a few storefront Latin social clubs and bars, and a lot of old neighborhood shops along the avenue. It is not a great area to be walking around in at night, but during daylight, the area is much improved and shows its promise. One might jokingly say this is the wrong side of Park Slope. Despite this, there has been some development recently.
The interior of the restaurant, converted from an old neighborhood shop, still retains its embossed tin ceiling painted white. The walls have been painted a creamy yellow and decorated with framed 60’s rock posters, various knick-knacks and antiques on the shelf molding, and of course, the Union Jack. A chandelier resembling a funky mobile of colorful pastel glass bowls hangs from the ceiling providing ample lightning. The restaurant is small, seating only 30 people. In the evenings, people can be seen outside queuing for a table since no reservations are accepted.
Food is served on an assortment of white dishes, just like the odd assortment of wooden tables and chairs that furnish the restaurant. A bottle of English malt vinegar sits right there on your table as well as a stout bottle of Heinz ketchup (catsup for y’all southerners) for the Americans. All this, of course, is for the chips, and they are bloody lovely. The menu describes a Chip as “Peeled white potato cut to 12mm, blanched and finished in hot oil. It’s a little crunchy, a little soft. Served with malt vinegar and salt – delicious”. For reference, it goes on to describe French fry as “Re-constituted potato cooked from frozen – pretty nasty”. So make sure you order “chips”, otherwise you just might get what you deserve if you say “French fries”.
I thought the chips were wonderfully satisfying, hot and slightly crispy, buttery and starchy. The chips came with my order of battered cod (& chips). The fish was a large filet of fresh cod that was coated in a beer batter and flour mix and deep-fried until golden brown and crispy; with a slight greasy feel of residue oil. The fish encased within turned out wonderfully, flaky, smooth, and delicate. The platter came with a slice of lemon, and tartar sauce made with pickles and horseradish.
Besides fish and chips, the menu includes all your British favorites, like steak and kidney pie, steak and onion pie, Welsh rarebit, etc. (all $8.00), as well as more upscale English stuff like stuffed pork loin with apple reduction gravy ($12.00), baked cod in cheese ($10.00), or the roast chicken breast stuffed with wild mushroom mousse and tarragon reduction sauce ($12.00)
There are sides available for $1.00 - $4.00, and they include stuff like Heinz Baked Beans, Curry Sauce, pickled egg, Gravy, Chips, etc. If you ordered an entrée with chips, you can ask to substitute it for mashed potatoes, or another starch, or remove it altogether for a $3.00 reduction in your bill, but the chips are pretty good, so you might as well try them.
Among the drinks you can order, no alcohol served, are UK sodas like Fizzy Ribena, Dandelion & Burdock, Lilt, and R Whites Lemonade, ($3.00 each), tea was $2.00. Deserts run the gamut from treacle pudding ($4.00), to an Irish pub favorite, a deep-fried Mars bar ($2.00).
For the kids, the Chip Shop has a kid’s menu of assorted items each $5.00. Among the items you can order are macaroni cheese, vegetable Shepherd’s pie, fish & chips, fishcake & chips, fish fingers & chips, etc.
The Chip Shop is located at 383 5th Avenue (6th Street) in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the N, R, or F train to 4th Av-9th St. Hours are 8am-11pm. Credit cards are not accepted.
“The chip, the British contribution to world cuisine” – Otto in A Fish Called Wanda.
Woohoo! This is my 100th review.
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