fish!
has
been re-invented by co-founder
Tony Allen
Louise
Elgin went along to see for herself
But
first a message from the
Editor:
What is it with chains?
Why is it that, in spite
of beginning with the
best intentions, they
mostly seem to end up
sliding down
the slippery slope to mediocrity? I asked these questions about eighteen months
ago when we went along to try then latest branch of the highly successful fish! chain,
located in Epsom's new Derby Centre, alongside Yates' Wine Lodge, Casa and
Nando's, to name but three of the other chains represented in this bland new
development.
This
was how we found Fish! in
Southwark
back in April 1999
One
of the striking things about
the fin de siecle London
restaurant scene is the imagination
of its entrepreneurs and
designers - that of the chefs
has become more or less accepted. Christian
Delteil, the head chef
of Bank, whose company has created the Fish! restaurant
concept has applied his skills
to this new venture in the
role of Chef Director.
[Bank and Fish became separate
entities in 2001] Designer
Julyan Wickham has cleverly
married high tech struts
and stainless steel with
the cast iron of what was
previously a tatty old glass covered market shelter. The majestic,
yet peaceful presence of the Cathedral close by, greatly adds to
the general ambience - I imagine the terrace outside will be a most
attractive
place to eat in Summer.
At the centre of the space is the sunken kitchen
area surrounded by a sweeping bar at normal table height. The regular
tables and chairs look rather caff - giving the impression that you
are not likely to want to linger. But we had good seats in the front
row of the stalls watching the chefs working away at fever pitch under
the hoarse voiced command of the chef. Christian Delteil himself
was there to cast a critical eye over each and every dish before it
was handed over to the waiting staff ...it is the avowed aim of the
restaurant to ensure that the all its fish have been properly caught
on lines, or by hand diving. Scooping up all and sundry using great
nets and dredgers is alien to their concept.
After
a generous starter of
devilled whitebait £4.80
(plenty of flavour there!) I had grilled skate wing with hollandaise
sauce, a great combination that didn't obscure the subtle flavour
of the fish.
My friend had the best mussels I've hi-jacked for
some time. She let me finish up her sauce, which was delicately infused
with spices (caraway seeds were evident) and plenty of finely diced
peppers and still crunchy celery. For rapid lunchers, such dishes alone
would refresh you for another session at the dealing screens.
For her main course she had steamed organic salmon.
The natural taste of the fish was strikingly vivid, and the foundation
of wilted spinach and other stir fried vegetables was enough for us,
but the chips looked particularly good if you still have room that
needs filling.
I was saving myself for pudding, and I wasn't disappointed
by the bread and butter pudding. I have to say that this was the best
bread and butter pudding ever, and that's saying something!
I'd better justify this claim: it was made individually, a perfect
circular shape floating on some crème anglais. The bread on top was
lightly golden, there were no bitter burnt raisins to mar the flavour.
Lower down the texture was moist and gooey, held together with a
custard that was all wobbly and full of little telltale grains of
vanilla seed. That's how
the perfect B&B pud should be.
Our three
course lunch with two
glasses of a crisp Sauvignon
Blanc, a large bottle
of mineral water and
two coffees came
to £45.05. Clifford Mould April 1999
|
Just
over two years ago, I gave
a glowing review to the
original restaurant in Borough
Market by Southwark Cathedral.
It became the flagship of a
chain of offspring, with some
14 branches. You can compare
Louise's experience with the
slightly abridged version of
my original review, right. The
main course concept was excellent:
There's a list of over 20 species
of fish, with ticks against
12 or so - the ones that are
fresh in that day. You choose
your fish and whether to have
it steamed or grilled. Then
you decide if you want salsa,
hollandaise, herb and garlic
butter, olive oil dressing
or red wine fish gravy.
Anyway,
somewhere along the line, things
went a bit pear shaped - I'll
pass over the rest of the sad
tale of our meal at the Epsom
branch. It was obvious that
Deltheil's influence had quite
withered away. Tony Allen
had left the group - but now
he's back and has "reinvented
the concept". If that
means going right back to the
quality in evidence at the
original Borough Market venue,
then three cheers for Tony!
Sorry! Carry
on, Louise...
Having
endured an hour’s sitting on
the hard floor of the Tate Modern
listening to a classical concert,
my guest and I were more than
ready for some sustenance. As
we made our way through the atmospheric
streets of Southwark it felt
as if we might suddenly stumble
into a 1950’s Ealing Studio film
set; a time warp away from the
hassle of modern life just across
the river.
Fish!
is the architectural antithesis
of all that surrounds it. A crescent
shaped glass and steel structure
- it is more reminiscent of a
large and airy culinary greenhouse.
The kitchen, (which is on full
view) gave just the right impression
of being run with professional
well-practised ease. There were
several bar seats facing straight
onto it whilst the rest of the
room was comfortably laid out
for groups of diners. On the
night we visited the place was
half full but buzzing, the atmosphere
relaxed and the customers casually
dressed.
Fish!
is quite rightly proud of its
menu. Its owner Tony Allan is
passionate about his business
(and strives towards excellence
in all his restaurants). His
aim is to use the finest and
freshest produce served at affordable
prices to the consumer. He has
decided to re-launch ‘Fish!’ bringing
the concept up to date to suit
the needs of the modern diner.
As you might expect, fish and
seafood featured highly on the
menu and there was a cornucopia
of choice. However, if you were
dining with a confirmed carnivore
or committed vegetarian they
would still be well looked after.
The
thirteen starters were all around
the £5-£8 mark including Thai
crab cakes with sweet chilli
sauce, (£4.95), and calamari
with rocket and lemon mayonnaise,
(£5.50). One or two exceptions
were higher priced but then lobster
and caviar don’t come cheap!
I began with one of the night’s
specials, tomato and basil mussels
at £5.50. They were terrific,
a large serving, they were plump
and tender with a kick of spice
that hit the back of the throat.
Once I had finished the mussels
I was left with a delicious soupy
gunk to finish. (A very good
choice). My guest chose devilled
whitebait at £4.95. He said they
had a crisp coating, were light
in texture but perhaps the devil
had taken the night off as it
lacked its promised spiciness!
Having
tasted a sample of the house
white, a Sauvignon from the Loire
at 12.95, we felt it was too
flowery to accompany the robust
flavours that lay ahead. Instead
we had a bottle of the crisp
and clean Bodega Norton Sauvignon
Blanc from Mendoza, Argentina
at £16.95.
The
choice of main courses was numerous
and well thought out. There was
everything from fish and chips
with mushy peas, (£10.95) and
classic fish pie, (£8.95) to
whole grilled lobster with garlic
butter (£27.00) or seared scallops
with roast tomatoes, thyme and
garlic (£14.50). There was also
the added bonus of being able
to select from a fish selection
ranging from sea bass £14.95
to organic salmon £10.95. These
were then steamed or grilled
with the sauce of your liking,
ranging from spicy salsa, hollandaise,
herb and garlic butter to lemon
mayo or salsa Verdi, a variation
on a pesto theme.
My
guest chose very well, ordering
the sea bass (£13.95). He said
the fish had an excellent texture
and was well complemented by
accompanying herb and garlic
butter. His side order of chips
(£1.95) were fabulous, remaining
hot firm and crisp throughout
the duration of his meal. Added
to that he had a taste of long
awaited spring in the form of
some crisp and buttery greens,
a fine accompaniment. Sadly,
I had not chosen so well. Being
a sucker for fish curry I had
to try their version, (£9.50)
but was disappointed. The jasmine
rice was perfect but the curry
was bland and lacked character.
The
desserts all sounded tempting
with a choice of nine all priced
around a fiver. We shared a bread
and butter pudding with rhubarb
and a steamed orange pudding
and custard. They were both very
tasty, the orange pudding having
an intense flavour with a very
light sponge. The bread and butter
pud combined well with the rhubarb,
real comfort food.
My
verdict? At a reasonable £80
for two this is a restaurant
with its relaxed atmosphere and
well-cooked fresh produce that
I will definitely re-visit Fish!
We had a great night! Thanks!
Fish!
Borough Market London SE1 Tel
020 7407 3803
Louise
Elgin. March 2003
For
a list of the addresses of
all the fish diners and an
online reservation service,
visit their website: http://www.fishdiner.co.uk