Simple and Unassuming.

I’m back in London after a few days in Brighton.

Brighton is such a sleepy seaside town. There’s sand, there’s sea and there’s perfect blue skies. Everything is great, except that we’re in the dead of winter.

But well, it’s all good. I fed one of my strongest craving here, which was really to have fish and chips.

Yes, you read it right – fish and chips.

C’mon, if you’re going to be in a sea side town, you can assume the fish is good right?

You see, the past three days’ meals were all buffet lunches and gala dinners, all paid for by BBC. So, I only had one window of opportunity to get this right. So after 3 days of scouting around the stretch I was staying, I decided on little shop called “Fish and Chips”.

OK, c’mon if this place is called fish and chips, they should serve good fish and chips right?

Ugh, the rhetoric.

I stepped in, and ordered myself a piping hot serving of fish and chips and sat down, holding my breath in anticipation. The plate arrived soon after, and I knew immediately it was right.

No tartar sauce. No lemon. No frills.

It was just a slice of thick battered fish, served next to a generous serving of chips.

This is exactly the fish and chips I like – simple and unassuming. All it needs is a fresh, firm fish, lightly coated in a thin batter fried until crispy. The fish has to be moist, but not soggy. And most importantly, hot when served.

The chips, has to be made from fresh potatoes, not from the frozen stuff. It should be cut thick, about the chunkiness of your finger. I personally prefer a certain portion of the chips to be slightly soggy, and the rest crispy. The fish and the chips, to be served plain with a bottle of malt vinegar and table salt so you can season it as salty as you want.

Simple and unassuming.

Perfect.