When you think of England what foods automatically come to mind? There’s a whole slew of them right?! But most iconically I think a vast majority of people would blurt out Fish & Chips. A very simple yet famous meal. As Americans when I hear chips I think of potato chips but no, in the UK chips are fries. Shockingly that is not just an English meal but rather a staple to the United Kingdom. You will find that popular dish in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales at all the pubs as well.
Poppies
Fish and chips is a must have when visiting England and I didn’t want to just go anywhere for it. So much research and YouTube videos later I settled on Poppies Fish & Chips. Poppies is a very popular place to try the famous dish. There are a few locations in London, I myself went to the location in SoHo. There was no wait but it was packed. Inside was super cute and provided such a fun atmosphere, it had signatures and pictures of famous people who have come before and it was like an old time diner. I ordered the fish and chips because I came across the pond just to try it. You can either order Haddock or Cod for the fish and I stuck with the haddock.
The taste of the famous Fish & Chips
The fish was golden and crusty and steaming. On the side they gave you a lemon so you could squeeze it over the fish and some tartar sauce to dip the fish in. I am not a huge seafood person and the haddock had a very pungent fish taste. The lemon drizzled on it and tartar sauce really helped.
But let me tell ya those chips… worth it. I don’t know how the UK makes their chips but it is eons ahead of the US. Their chips are fat and thick and shapely kind of like steak fries but thicker. Not only is the shape of the chips far superior to ours but the taste and crunch is as well. They hold the heat very nicely. I would fly back over to the UK just to order chips again.
Fish & Chips is a British classic and favorite. But it wasn’t anything that I would tell people they need to try in the UK. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and something that is probably well replicated here in the United States. I for one wasn’t impressed. But to each their own.
Verdict: Nay