North Sea

This fish restaurant started out as a basic chippie back in 1977. It has expanded over the years under the ownership of Ian Beauchamp, and it is now run by his son Ben. At least ten varieties of fresh fish are delivered here daily. The dining room is quite large, with a further room at the back with good natural lighting via a skylight. The menu offers starters and desserts as well as main course fish dishes. There are even pies and burgers for those who think it makes sense to order something like chicken burger or bangers and mash in a fish restaurant.

I had the standard haddock and chips. The batter was good, not quite as crisp as some but fairly thin and having a pleasing crunch as I cut into the end piece. The batter contained carefully cooked haddock, and my dining companion’s cod and chips was pronounced very good too (13/20). Chips were better than many that you encounter at fish and chip shops, avoiding sogginess though they could still have been crisper. A pickled cucumber was a Dutch brand called NVR and was unexceptional.  

Coffee was Lavazza and tea from a company called The Tea Makers in Dartford. Service was friendly and the bill came to £20 per person for just the fish and chips, pickled cucumber and tea. Of course, if you opted for a starter and dessert etc then your bill would be higher than this. London has a shortage of good fish and chip places and North Sea is certainly better than most.