It's all about how often they change the oil in the fryer.
both the fish and the chips have to be pretty good, but potato cakes are what separates the greats from goods.
Is it just how often they change it?
Because I despise orange batter, and that seems like standard rather than an accident at some places.
I reckon there’s a difference in the texture as well, from crispy and flaky (and orange) to…well, good.
The type of batter can certainly make a difference. But if you are cooking in last Friday’s oil, it doesn’t matter what you put in there, it’s going to be ■■■■.
I had two friends growing up whose parents owned fish and chip shops. One changed their oil daily, one weekly.
No prizes for guessing the better shop, unless you went to the weekly one on a Monday. Then it wasn’t bad.
Also who runs it. My wife use to work at one ran by greeks. They use top shelf flake and didnt over use the flour…
but there are exceptions, the local ones the wog owned one is trash the asian owned one is mint.
Nope. Fish and chop shop burger is the more the merrier. Best one I know is at the Tocumwal chippie. Burger, tomato, lettuce, onion, egg, beetroot, bacon, ham, pineapple, cheese, a potato cake, and probably a few things I’ve forgotten. And your choice of sauces. Niiice.
Used to wander up to Andrews in Bridport St in the 70s when I lived in Albert Park. Best burgers ever and the Greek Fish and Chip shop two doors down was magnificent. Their flathead wasn’t this mamby-pamby little tail they all serve now, it was a massive fillet with the fin still on and you had to pick out the bones. Crisp, golden and delicious.
Best ones I had were down in Portarlington. There are two down there, one was absolutely packed and this one was empty so we went to the empty one. 10 minutes later when we got our order the place was full as well.
AHH ,the good old days
We used to peel 7 bags of spuds during the morning and would chip and blanch and into a large aluminium container where the oil would run into a corner and we’d scrape it back into the fryers.
So much better than the frozen chips now .
Very few shops still peel and chip their own these days
And the fine light palm oil blends are not like the oil we got in tins, and you let it sit like an iceberg as it slowly melted in the fryer.And thr late night customers wanting only 1 potato cake cos that’s all they had left .
