It is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, or cheerful, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent -- Hendry James

In this “My Scooter Sunday”, there was no JuJu, no Vespa Primavera, and no ride to Kuala Lumpur. Instead, there was one long flight from Kuala Lumpur; 13 hours, 11,000 km and three meals later, I arrived at London Heathrow.

London has a special place in my heart. It is the city where I spent almost ten years of my life, but more importantly, it is the place where I blossomed as a person. Next to Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., London is my next most favourite city in the world.  

For today’s music, I selected two iconic British bands - the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones; my songs of choice are I Saw Her Standing There, and I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.

And, today, I have my sights set on one of the most iconic features of London; it is not the Queen of England or the Beatles, rather it is Fish and Chips! Considered the Best British comfort food, the origin of pairing Fish with Chips is hotly debated.

There is the London version - that Joseph Malin opened the first Fish and Chip shop in London in 1860. Then there is the Lancashire version - that John Lees first sold Fish and Chips in 1863 in Mossley market in Lancashire. 

But whichever version you subscribe to, the fact that cannot be disputed is that the Industrial Revolution accelerated the popularity of Fish and Chips, particularly, in London.

The first factor was the invention of the purpose-built, steam-powered fishing trawlers, which gave fishermen access to the abundant white fish in the North Sea. The second factor was the invention of ice machines, which kept fish cold, and fresh. The third factor was the development of railway tracks between cities, and ports, which made fish quickly moveable. And it is this combination of factors that made fish affordable, and popular, such that at its peak in 1927, there were 35,000 Fish and Chip shops in the United Kingdom (BBC 2013).

Here are two more facts about Fish and Chips:

• Recognising the role of Fish and Chips in the lives of the British people, in World War 2, Winston Churchill called Fish and Chips “good companions” (Metro 2106).
• Restaurants in the United Kingdom serve 382 million portions of Fish and Chips per year. With a population of 67 million, this worked out to 6 portions per person per year. 

Today, the widest selection of fresh fish in the United Kingdom comes from Billingsgate Market, in the Docklands. And the best way to experience this market is to take a two-hour tour that starts at 6 am, and costs £30. But to take this tour, I would have to wake-up by 4 am, leave North London by 5 am for an hour-long tube ride to Canary Wharf.

But if that was too early for me, my alternative was to stay overnight in an Airbnb in Canary Wharf at the cost of £80 per night. However, it was not the early start, nor the cost of the Airbnb that was the deal breaker; it was the fact that photography, and videography are not allowed, and this dashed my hopes. So, I scratched Billingsgate off my list, and I opted for Borough Market instead. See below for the vlog. 

But the research into Billingsgate, and the visit to Borough Market, piqued my interest in a one-day course on “Gut, Fillet, and Shuck Like a Fishmonger”. But on second thoughts, gutting bloody fish did not seem like a fun way to experience London. However, attending a Fish and Chips culinary workshop could!

The description of the Avenue culinary class was: “Accompanied with Crushed Mint Peas, and Homemade Tartar Sauce, you will be sitting back with a beer in one hand and a fantastic mound of Fish & Chips in the other … with a crispy crunch, succulent fish and a whole lotta Avenue love, what more could one ask for?”

Yes, at £75 for a two-hour class on the most iconic culinary dish of the United Kingdom with BYOB (bring your own booze) option, who could ask for more? So, I went to “Add to Basket”, and selected the course date only to find out that I missed the August class by one day, and the September class by one month! So, another hope was dashed. But undaunted, I tried another culinary school.

This time it was “Cooking With Class”. And this chef is the only one who agreed to teach me Fish and Chips cooked in a healthy way. But she could only do this later in the year, and by that time, I would be safely tucked back into life in Kuala Lumpur.

Again, undeterred by the dashed hopes, I researched, and found a FREE virtual culinary class on Fish and Chips by Gordon Ramsey on YouTube. The class accomplished the goal but it did not have the fun, and camaraderie of the culinary classes I have attended at William and Sonoma in Los Angeles.

As some of you might know, I am in London for my niece’s wedding. And keeping with the wedding theme, I thought it would be fun to hire a Fish and Chip van for the Welcome Party. So, I set the parameters at a 5-star vintage van, 50 people, with cook and server, cutlery, and condiments. And I got two quotes, both were around £1,000 each. This worked out to £20 per person, which is double the cost of a portion of Fish and Chips on the High Street.

Talking about the High Street, I bought one portion of Fish and Chips from the Chippy called Northwood Fish and Chips located at 71, High Street, Northwood. I selected plaice over cod, and haddock, and had the chips with salt and malt vinegar. It cost £10. Though the fish was soft, and tender, I had to fight my way through the “blooming batter” to get to the fish; but the thick cut chips were chunky, crispy and nice.

Then I then made a second visit to a Chippy, but this time to the Ideal Fish Bar in Pinner, North London. I asked if I could GOPRO the Fish and Chips process but they declined my request. Anyway, I bought one portion of Fish (cod) and Chips, one portion of Scampi, with curry sauce, and one pickled onion. The total cost was £25.

The cod fish was a foot-long, lightly battered, and when cut, it showed the inner flakes of fish, which was tender. I have never tried Fish and Chips with the curry sauce before, but this time I did; it was interesting but I doubt I would do it again.

For my third try, I went to the Fish!Kitchen in Borough Market. I ordered Fish (haddock) and Chips with tartar sauce, salt, and vinegar. The haddock was not a foot-long like the cod, but it was of a decent size, and the flesh of the fish was sweet. The total cost was £16, which was £6 or 60% higher than the High Street. But then again, we were in Borough Market, which is near London Bridge.

And of the three Fish and Chips I tried, I liked the Fish and Chips at the Fish!Kitchen in Borough Market the most. The fact that I stood in the corner of Borough Market, eating Fish and Chips by hand, and sharing it with three of my favourite people, may have had something to do with it.

I also tried the Boatman Windsor, in Windsor, which is about an hour east of London. The Boatman pub sits next to the River Thames. Here, I did not go for Fish and Chips but instead, I opted for the Grilled Sea Bass with Potatoes, and Pesto sauce. The sea bass was soft, and succulent, and the potatoes with the pesto just melted in my mouth.

Talking about potatoes, do you know there are specific potatoes for the chips in Fish and Chips? They are the Marie Piper, and the King Edward; both varieties cost around £1 per kg. And to get the perfect chip, you have to use the right potato (floury, not a waxy), of the right age (two to three weeks from harvest to consumption), that has been correctly stored (in a cool dark place).

As for the best fish for Fish and Chips, the choices are cod, haddock, and pollock. Cod is the favourite fish in the south, and haddock is the choice in the north. While, the cod is tender, mild, and flaky, the haddock is less tender, less mild and less flaky than the cod, but the haddock is sweet; and the cod is thicker, and firmer than the haddock. The pollock, on the other hand, is more flavorful than the cod (Mashed 2022).

Cost-wise, the price of the cod is £5 per fillet, haddock is £8 per fillet, and the pollock is £6 per fillet. And if you had to choose between the three, you should apparently opt for the haddock because it offers the best of the cod, and pollock. Having tried cod, and haddock, I can say that I prefer haddock!  

Now let us do condiments, accompaniments, and sides for Fish and Chips. But what exactly is the difference? A condiment is a substance that adds flavour; an accompaniment is something that is added to a meal; and a side is a food served separately along with the main course. I am clear about a condiment, but I am less clear about the distinction between an accompaniment, and a side. And so, I will combine the two.

Using these definitions as a guide, the classic condiments for Fish and Chips are salt, malt vinegar, tomato ketchup, tartar sauce, and lemon; 41 percent of people add vinegar to their Fish and Chips, and 25 percent add tomato ketchup. The accompaniments or sides for Fish and Chips include mushy peas, pickled onion, curry sauce, gravy, bread, and butter (Slimming Violet 2021); and the top accompaniment or side in Birmingham is curry sauce, while the top accompaniments or sides in Manchester are mushy peas, and gravy (Metro, 2016).

Today, I met a Scotsman from Glasgow, and we chatted over an Indian dinner, and a bottle of wine. Although he is from Scotland, he has lived in London most of his life. In his younger days, he used to work as a Buyer for C&A, which is a Dutch multinational clothing retail store. The top lesson he would share with the world is “Don’t worry, Be happy”. And his favourite hobby is gardening, and his favorite flower is the chrysanthemum because it is beautiful, and it lasts.

When I asked him what his favourite food was, he quickly replied, “Nasi Goreng!” But, he does, occasionally go to the Fish and Chip shop in Pinner, North London for his fix; and when he does, he has it with salt and vinegar, and sometimes with mushy peas; but never with curry. He said, “Fish and Chips is not a pub food. It is more likely that once your belly is full of beer, you pick-up Fish and Chips on your way home”.

And, today, I wrapped up this “My Scooter Sunday” by taking a long flight from London Heathrow back to Kuala Lumpur. I did a lot of things, and loved a lot of experiences, but my top three were attending my niece’s elegant wedding in Brentwood, sipping champagne, which paired beautifully with canapes, at the Syon Conservatory, and eating Fish and Chips with tartar sauce, salt, and vinegar near London Bridge!

Scootin’ off for now, and it is Cheerio from London!