It’s the age-old social media question, at least on the more opinionated local Facebook community groups. Who serves better fish & chips: Chris’ Fish Bar on Francis Road E10, or Michael’s on Hainault Road E11? Whenever someone poses this question, the responses are often surprisingly forceful.
It had been a while since I visited either, being one of those fairweather fish and chips fans who enjoy it now and again by the seaside, but wouldn’t rush down the chippie. But the other Saturday night, after a long hot walk across East London’s parks, my partner and I justifiably felt like refuelling with a few thousand calories. Our nearest is Francis Road, so that’s where we headed.
Our order, pictured above, was two regular cod (£8.50 each), one large chips, mushy peas, a pickled egg and a couple of gherkins. The bill, with canned drinks, came to £27 but as you can see, the portions were generous: the outsize crisp, golden-skinned fish fillet was just-opaque inside, the freshly cooked chips light but crunchy, the mushy peas yielding perfectly rich earthiness, the pickle cutting through the fat. Not only was it hard to fault, we had enough chips for two more meals: these portions are biiiiig.
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A couple of days later, I popped up to Michael’s for lunch on a midweek morning. While its prices are similar (£8.50 for a small cod), it definitely feels like a cheaper all-round alternative as it offers a “special cod” for £4.80 and a “special small fish and chips” for £7.50. This latter dish is what I selected, pictured above, along with mushy peas (themselves a quid cheaper than on Francis at £1.50).
As you can see from the main image above, “small” does not, in fact, mean small in the lexicon of the chippie. The chef had given me not one but two decent size fillets – arguably slightly less tasty than Chris’ but very good nonetheless. Once again a portion of chips was so big half of them were saved in the fridge for another day, while the mushy cup peas were looser than previously – but still hoovered up.
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So for me it was a diplomatic draw. But when I posed the question on the Weekly Substack newsletter (if you don’t already read it, sign up here), these were some astonishingly clear results.
As you can see, just 24% voted for Chris’ on Francis Road. And in fact, with 15% saying ‘Other,’ those mentioned by readers including Ocean on Lea Bridge Road, Orford Road fish and chips, and Olympic in Church Lane, which reader Peter Mills said “has reduced portion sizes, but good nevertheless.”
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