So weekend gone, Mrs raid and I got back from two weeks in the South West. Here’s brief highlights of our trip.
We started off in Brixham and by Tuesday we were overdue a fish so the wife permitted me to choose local favourite Davids instead of reliable regular Rockfish, I’d just read in a red top article they’d been one of the winners in this years Fry awards although it’s fair to say, there’s so many chippy award lists it’s tough to know the Grammys from the Slammys. They offered homemade curry sauce too which was a must-buy. Wife agreed everything was spot on which surprised me as the haddock was the flakier and sweeter type that I love where she prefers fishier and juicier. Batter was stunning, light and crisp. Chips were crisp outside soft inside, curry was sweet, fruity and spicy.
Haddock, chips and curry, £17.55 which I didn’t have the heart to tell Mrs raid included 10p for saying yes to “do you need a carrier bag” without thinking it would be charged… and we didn’t receive in the end anyway because I asked if we could eat in the deck chairs out front, so I didn’t need one. Still, just the job.
By Thursday we wanted another so went to Rockfish. Haddock and chips is the “seasonal special” which doesn’t say much, hake would have been £1 more and they’ve stopped doing cod altogether. Fish was good albeit that fishier and oilier way the Mrs prefers, batter was great with more “crunch” than “crisp,” chips were tasty and JUST the right fatness for me not to accuse them of being fries as they’ve fallen foul of past. Mrs raid thought both fish and chips were better than Davids, I felt the opposite. Grounds for divorce in anyone’s book.
Haddock and chips, £12. She enjoyed it so much we went back on the Friday and had it again. I took another photo but it would be pointless to share it, really. A tub of Kinder Bueno ice cream (special offer from Tesco) scoffed with the travel spoons we always carry just in case followed nicely overlooking the marina.
The week after we were in Cornwall. Monday meant St Ives, which meant By The Sea. Mrs raid fancied some scampi so we took that too. Fish again tasty, good batter, while the scampi tasted nice and the outside of the crumb was crisp there was probably too much as inside it was a little mushy. Though we got 9 pieces instead of the advertised 8. Chips were fantastically crispy although again possibly too skinny for my liking.
Haddock, chips and scampi, £21.20.
Finally on our final night in Hayle we had to get a Sanders. Fish was sweet, flaky and with a delightful batter with random crispy bits everywhere… “skraggy” is the word (?) I found to describe it. Superb chips too, with a splash of vinegar I’d brought from home in case of “at home” dining on plates, enjoyed watching sunset from the decking with a bottle of Badger Golden Glory.
Haddock & chips, £13.90.
Splendid trip all round. Also dolphins, steam trains and I could probably do a similar post about pasties from various establishments.
Although memo to Liverpool fans - you ARE allowed to leave the house wearing something other than the shirt. Fair enough I saw plenty of other fans but those bastards were everywhere. Got to first park at 8, saw my first red by 9:30. Blustery day at Marazion, only one football shirt spotted. Disconcerting number of parents raising full kit wankers. I swear, if the rest of us got together, we could stop them!
