Here if you get served up 'soggy' fish and chips, your in for a bad meal, usually means the oil was not hot enough or not drained properly and will usually make me feel crook.
@Rodney 1984 all the places around here will wrap things like fish and chips. the local place will even deliver it for free along with pizzas and stuff. around here, the paper bags tend to just be for when you walk in and buy something from the bain-marie like wingdings or something.
As you mentioned, you can go to a hundred fish and chip shops, both here or in the UK, and get just as many taste and texture variations. This makes it hard to make a comparison based on a visit to one shop. The same can be said for meat pies and sausage rolls across Australia. And everyone has their favourite shop, which may not be someone else’s.
Today it's harder to find good pies and pasties...because so many bakeries have closed down and only crappy bakers delight, brumbies and pie face are left.
@@stevenbalekic5683 a combination of retirement and being squeezed out of the local shops by the franchise chains. Agree their stuff is cheap and tasteless
@@suave-rider I miss all the local bakeries that there used to be in every main built up street in our suburbs. Now it's just petrol stations and the franchises.
You needed to try flake, potato cakes, fried dim sims, and corn jacks. The main thing you needed to try is a hamburger with the lot. We do spring rolls as well. Enjoy guys….
I'll second on the flake, fried dim sims and definitely a hamburger with the lot. Don't leave out the beetroot on the burger. Don't wear a white shirt when you eat it. The corn jacks and potato cakes tend to be pretty bland fare, usually used to pad out a meal and make it cheaper for a family feed....
Do they do flake in Adelaide? I haven't tried Fish n Chips in Adelaide but I know when I go to the NT they don't have flake at their fish shops, it's all Barramundi sourced locally from Humpty Doo. I personally am not a fan of Barramundi, I prefer Flake any day.
Having travelled across the UK, Fish n Chips vary from town to town, city to city, the same in Belgium and Australia. Nothing worse than having a craving for them and getting a crook serving. Chicken salt, Malt vinegar, and lemon for the fish is a must. Batter is an art form.
This Aussie has never liked chicken salt or vinegar ruining her fish & chips. A slice of lemon or lime is enough deliciousness and to make it even more different I prefer grilled fish or crumbed if there is a choice. I throw most of any batter away🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 so it is a total waste for me 😁
You could fit England's land area inside of Australia 32 times over. So yeah, it's pretty safe to say you will find a little bit of variation in fish and chips across the country.
Fish and Chip shops in Australia usually vary depending on local tastes and varieties of fish available. Some places have a complete array including flake, which is shark while others are quite simplified.
Chiko Rolls are an Australian version of spring rolls or egg rolls. They are deep fried fast-food item, with a thick, almost chewy dough wrapper on them. The dough is made of egg and flour. Ingredients in the filling inside are mutton, barley, cabbage, carrot, celery and rice, and seasonings
Chips in paper always taste better! We call the battered sausage, a battered sav, or savaloy, it's slightly different. You were just missing the potato scallops! (Also called by a different name depending where you live!)
@@starlightshimmery When I was a kid we used to sell our old newspapers to fish n chip shops. They would place a sheet of clean paper with the fish n chips and all wrapped up in newspaper. Good recycling.
With the different fish available here in Australia, you might also want to try a few other ones. Barramundi is popular for fish n chip shops, but if you prefer a more subtle flavour, then Whiting is a good choice. Flathead fillets are great, too. Fresh fish is best, regardless. Finding a fish and chip shop that gets local fish will likely mean they were kept cool but never frozen solid for transport, improving the taste.
We found the majority of English chips to be oily and soggy. The reason is they are cooked then placed in a a warmer above the deep fryer where they sit for an unspecified timeframe. Generally the fish was good as you got it from the fryer to paper. The best chips we had in England were at the Tower of London! We also had good chips on Orkney and at Scarborough. As for the sausage, you would have been happier with a crumbed sausage as that is more of a proper sausage meat, maybe get one of those battered! A big positive for British shops was that sauces in sachets are free.
We had fish and chips in Bourton on the Water (Cotswold). With great anticipation we ordered from a little shop where so many people flocked. We couldn’t have been more disappointed. The food was soooo greasy that it literally left us feeling sick. Lucky the village was absolutely stunning so all was forgiven 😊
Up here in Queensland, Birkdale to be precise (a suburb of Redland City Council), there is a traditional British fish and chip shop. They offer curry dipping sauce, to go with the soft chips, you can get scampi, haggis, black pudding and deep fried mars bars. It's a bit far from where I live, so I don't get to go there much, it's called "Chumley Warner's" if anyone is in the area and wants to check it out.
I lived the UK for a couple of years in London. The fish and chip shops, instead of cooking them while you wait as in Melbourne, were pre cooked and kept hot in a bainmarie. The grease and soggyness was overwhelming as each batch was placed on top of the other and sat there for hours. They were horrible. However it depends where you buy them. I have been back to the UK and had some nice fish in Cornwall villages. However, not at some famous Cornwall celebrity cook's over priced and underwhelming seafood fare. I have never had barramundi from a fish n chip shop, whiting or flake (shark) is my preference, or have one of their hamburgers with beetroot, fried egg, sauce and fried onions.
Personally if I am going to a chip shop for fish I usually will go for hoki or whiting. Also I normally ask for a bit of lemon for the fish. A lot of places do it but usually don't ask if you actually want some when taking your order. Then I also usually get a "burger with the lot" which usually is lettuce, beef patty, bacon, cheese, tomato, onion, egg and beetroot. Beetroot on burgers is a real Aussie thing and I never realised it was considered weird until I was an adult.
The chips in NZ chip shops are crispy because they are often double fried, and are usually each portion is fried for the customer, where in my experience in the UK they fry a load and then just take a scoop when they "dish" up.
Been to UK a lot & stayed with friends & a lot of time we grabbed fish n chips. The two countries have good and bad shops, but I found all the UK ones the batter was "soggy" possibly from all the malt vinegar & steaming in wrapping on the way back to house. Generally I liked both countries, but being used to chips & batter being crispier, that is what I have come to expect & enjoy. One things I d like is the potato cakes/scallops as they are called, which I didn't see in UK when there. Both countries, from takeaway shops, it is a good cheap meal when you don't feel like cooking & availability of pickled eggs in UK was great too.
Spring roll all the way Chiko rolls are rubbish. It’s funny but I usually get a hamburger or souvlaki. If I have to get fish, King George Whiting. Other favourites are steamed dimmies, beef croquettes, potato cakes. Not a fan of chicken salt Loving the vids.
Barramundi - sea perch family. The smaller the Barra ( yes we shorten that too in Oz 🤭) has a milder fish taste than the larger one's. It actually is a sweet fish but popular moreso in fine dining because of it's buttery texture. It's also one of the healthiest fish you can have and very high in Omega 3 . Anyhow Rob and Charlie here are three of my best batter recipes ever ! .. btw I only like the taste of milder fish but personally I love lemon on mine for freshness on the pallet. 😋 BASIC BATTER - will crisp 1 cup Plain Flour 1 T-spn Baking Powder 1/2 T-spn Salt 1/2 Cup Milk 1/2 Cup Water Method- Sift flour into a bowl, then combine rest. ~~~~~~~~~~ CRISPY BATTER- is light 1 Cup Self Raising Flour 1/2 T-spn Salt 1 Cup Soda Water or Beer Method- Sift Flour into a bowl then combine rest. ~~~~~~~~~~ TEMPURA - authentic 1 Cup Plain Flour 1 Egg I Cup "Ice Water" Method- very softly mix egg up in a bowl. Add ice water, then sifted flour gently incorporate. If slightly lumpy don't worry. All DO APPROX A KILO OF FISH ! Remember Olive oil cooks hotter in temp than say Vegetable oil and never cook batter on too low. That will cause sogginess. Anyhow I agree with everyone here. Depends on the cook, recipe, how many uses of the oil and fish preferences. Spring Rolls get a yay from me...Chiko are ok, has changed over the year's and seem more doughy. Chips depend on potatoes used, size preferred and oil freshness as well as cooking time, so tend to vary by shop. I love crab sticks (battered crab). Finally hamburgers alway win me over. Beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, beetroot, pineapple, bacon and egg. However I find the egg and bacon can dominate the flavour too much so I don't always have it. Depends on my mood 😂 Phew I think I better stop now 😂... hope you like the recipes 😊
In Tassie you can get sausages in batter. Saveloys generally not battered in Tassie. As for chips pommy chips are made with different types of spuds and my recollection is they have the skin on. They always looked greyish and always seemed to be much softer. Not sure they double fry in the UK.
This was my first thought about the spuds, they are grown in soil, our soil is vastly different to that of the UK. So are the varieties of potatoes. Also depends, on the cooking oil. They did look good though 😋 Same with the fish, they are talking about cold water fish as opposed to our warm water barramundi. We all have a favourite fish n chippy. PS: Battered savs are an acquired taste in my opinion.
My favorite fish is Flake (as it’s called here in SA). It is actually shark. It should have a wonderful ‘flaky’ texture and a wonderfully light flavor.
G’Day, it is very hard to do a comparison because it differs from City to City, Sydney is different from Melbourne and so on. The most common fish purchased is Flake, & we have both Chicko & Sprong Rolls, also try the steamed dim sims. Melbourne has the Sausage & Hot dog. Unless you go to a lot of fish & chip shops it is impossible to compare. In Melbourne you have the little family-run chip shops but you also have the Franchise ones which are a little more consistent. Anyway enjoy but that might be hard because you are in Sydney not Melbourne. Stay Safe
👍 yes to the snapper for sure. I can’t do barramundi, I was served up a really horrible experience at a restaurant years back and the Barra was like rancid old lady coochie. Scarred for life. 💀
As a former short order cook ( fish n chips) i have to weigh in on this.nothing worse than soggy batter, each shop does their own version of it, some good some bad. Mostly all of them buy in frozen chips, they come in different sizes and come from different states (Tassie for the win there), they work differently with different oils available. If you like a soggier chip leave them wrapped for longer so they sweat. Chicko rolls just dont taste the same from when i was a kid. Dippy dogs are a battered hotdog with stick in them.
Australia has lots of fish varieties, but Barramundi is only found in Australian waters up north. There aren’t enough Barramundi to go around, so it’s more expensive based on that alone. Most people buy Barra in a restaurant where it’s grilled and served with all kinds of wonderful accompaniments. Barra is softer, flakier, sweeter and only beaten by grilled Wahu, which is even rarer!
Well done guys! Now I will share my batter recipe with you (still the aussie guy living in Ireland) (obviously this is for a reasonably large amount) 450g plain flour 4 tbs baking powder 2 pints of lager Whisk and enjoy!
Depends also on the Oil or Lard you cook it in. I saw a UK show that set up a Traditional Fish and Chip Shop and they researched how they were originally made. The Secret was the Beef Lard they cooked it in.
@Rodney 1984 I remember mentioning this to a Fish & Chip shop on the Gold Coast (as it tasted like my Childhood experience) and he said he used Lard. Yes Lard is Pig Fat my Mistake.
The trick to good fish n' chips is to go early (at lunch) before they get too busy. If they're constantly frying, the oil never gets a chance to heat up properly. The oil also needs to be changed daily (not all places to this). Potato scallops are great, but they have to made fresh (battered) in store (not that pre-made rubbish with batter like cork). Good on ya about the malt vinegar Rob (though I though you were a little light handed). Barramundi isn't the best choice for battered\crumbed, it's too thin and delicate, Barra is a Bass found in the north of Aus that lives in fresh, brackish and salt water.
Interesting feedback, always appreciate the honesty. Every UK friend I know that's tried Aussie fish and chips has always said they prefer ours because the seafoods fresh and the battered stuff isn't as greasy and doesn't make you feel sick after. For me my stomach can't handle really greasy stuff so that's an important distinction. And of course chicken salt is uniquely Australian. But we all like we like there's no right or wrong. 🤷♀️🙂 I think Aussies are generally just more seafood lovers/consumers in general because we have so much fresh variety. Grilled/seared barramundi with lemon and garlic is also very popular here at fish n chips shops and restaurants too. And crumbed (and deep fried) is another popular way to have your fish at fish n chips shops (& probably my favourite). We also have New Zealand hoki fish which is very popular, possibly the most commonly used in fish n chips shops. (And we have perch, cod, and whiting etc.) Here, good chips are usually considered to crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Potato scallops is another popular item. (named after the scalloped cut. Melbourne folk call them potato cakes) I'm not a chicko roll fan😆. But I know some people love them. I would love to see you guys try a HSP (halal snack pack.). Every city has them, just go to any kebab shop.
In case u r interested, the meat in a Chico roll is mutton. Most of the rolls in Aussie are 'stiffer' to allow them to hold together while u r eating them at the footy.
Just a note on Chiko Rolls. It’s pronounced “Chick-O” (as in 🐤 chick) then “o” not “Cheek-o”. Also here in Australia we tend to fry in Canola oil. It’s healthier and does have a particular flavour that we’re probably more used to😀👍🏼Craig
A lot of places in Australia (and the UK) use palm oil. I imagine it is a lot cheaper than canola or animal fat. Palm oil is also considered less healthy than other seed/vegetable oils.
@@moniquem783 Yeah, probably. I did look it up to check, and there is a difference in what the names refer to, but people will use whatever name they want to.
Those chips look worth the trip to South Australia! I hate it when they give you skinny fries at a fish and chip shop. IMO Barramundi is the best fish in Australia for fine dining, I usually would choose flathead or similar for battered fish. Love beer batter if they give a choice and here it’s often triple fried to give it crunch outside but softness inside. Can you tell I love fish and chips? 😅 I’d always add calamari and fish cakes when I’m comparing shops as you have to be good to get calamari right.
Barramundi is a long way from fine dining. In north Queensland we have Coral Trout and red throat emperor that make Barra taste like tadpole. We also have prohibited varieties of reef fish equal to the world's best. Most of the Barra sold in the south is from farms and we never eat that stuff up here.
Fun video - Victor Harbor is always a nice place to go. I don't think you can compare Chiko Rolls (pronounced like pick, not peek) with spring rolls, the cabbage filling in the Chiko's makes them a very different product. Looks like you had a good time. I will have to try malt vinegar, that is a new one to me.
I’ve had English Fish & Chips and Aussie Fish & Chips. Aussie every time. And I’d have Aussie Spring Roll over English but they’re very similar. I’d also have a Spring Roll over a Chico Roll but they’re both fine. Definitely prefer Battered Sausage Aussie or English, over a hot dog. Fried Dim Sim over steamed and battered Pineapple ring and battered bananas are fabulous
Next year when you are looking at places to go you will have to try Salvatores Café in Darwin City. Barramundi is native to the top end, so it is more likely to be fresher there.
When I was in Pickering, Yorkshire, I had a warm brown ale in the local pub. I loved the pub and the people and the brown ale. We are one, but we are many. There is more to beer life than an ice cold lager. Thanks Rob and Charlie, love your work. Come back to Sydney, I will show you the highlights.
Brown ale makes a good beer batter too. I have some Belhaven Scottish brown ale in the fridge and love some Newcastle brown ale. Bit expensive in Australia, mind.
There's big variety between fish and chips within the same street, let alone city, let alone state (although Victor is probably a good place to go for it) - and the 2 biggest variations are the batter (some places have horrible thick batter, others have a much lighter crispier one) and the chips (not sure exact differences, but there's sort of a 'traditional' style (which looks like the ones you got) or a lot of shops seem to use thinner frozen chips. I *think* a lot of fast food in Australia uses cotton-seed oil for deep frying. Crumbed fish for the win (with some prawns and calamari on the side)!! EDIT: Sauce on the fish? Cardinal sin. Tartare sauce or lemon and salt.....
Well here in Sydney-ish NSW the batter has now "beer battered ". As far as I know the battered hot dog (although on a stick IF we are talking the same thing ?? known as "pluto pups" and years ago "dagwood dogs" - yes the old comic "blondie and dagwood" . As I remember the size of beer glasses differed between the three states NSW, Victoria , Perth and a few towns in Tasmania where you ask for a Schooner and you get one of two sizes and by the look on your face Tassies would say "oh , you come the MAINLAND , this was the seventies after all.
As many have said here, I've had Fish & Chips here and in the UK. It really depends on the Chip Shop, including the type of fish they use, they type of chips/potatoes and definitely the type of oil. I've had some awful food in both countries and some truly fabulous food. I found a really old family run business on the south side of the river from Tower of London in the mid 90s and the fish & chips was delicious, don't think they survived the gentrification of the area.
A couple of my favourites at a takeaway are lesagna toppers and corn jacks. Lasagne toppers are a piece of lasagne, crumbed and deep fried. Corn jacks are like a chicko roll, but just contained creasmed corn, no cabbage or anything else.
Charlie has such good taste. You chose 1 of Australia’s premium fish in Barramundi. A warm water fish in tropical waters. It’s a mainstay for fishing in the north. Yes a real delicate flavour. Whiting is also very good too. Try with lemon and/or tartare sauce next time. Agreed spring rolls are much better than Chiko rolls.
Comparing a battered sausage with a battered frankfurt is like comparing a battered sausage with a steamed dim sim. The steamed dimmy with soy sauce wins hands down, although some places don't do good steamed dimmies, I don't know if it's the brand, freshness or some other factor. If you are going to rate one against another, it needs to be like for like. I wouldn't touch a battered frankfurt. Flake has been the common fish in Melbourne for decades but is being replaced by barra - it's more sustainably farmed and tastier.
Head out to Williamstown or Altona beach for good fish and chips while in Victoria. Make sure you order a piece of flake (or special flake which is bigger) and some potato cakes which is more common for an OZ fish and chips order. My local Loz’s in Sunbury is great especially for the items I mentioned. We get the scallops as well. Yummy!
2 things to note about Australia Fish/chips. 1 - some (not all) fish shop upgraded to the inverted winged keel (from the boat design) for heating the oil, there by have a more even distribution for cooking chips/etc. 2 - Australians are ignorant of potatoes. if you go into any shop there are usually only 2 or 3 types of potatoes... washed . unwashed or if your luck a named variety of potato... this applies to chip shops as well. people dont really understand that different potato breeds/variety should be used for different things. thats where aussie chips can be a let down half the time. But great review. reminds me that I am out of malt vinger and need to get another bottle.
In Qld, we get either grilled, battered or crumbed fish (choice of fish) and crumbed sausages, prawn cutlets, calamari rings and (seafood) scallops, sliced potato battered, spring rolls, fried or steamed dim-sims, among other things. I personally avoid the "formed" seafood sticks. I have never seen such a long hot-dog, at the show we get dagwood (hot) dogs, with smooth batter on a stick. You can get a fish and salad burger or a "lot burger" with a fried egg, pickled beetroot and a pineapple slice along with meat, bacon and salad. I tried english f&c in london... the server insisted on giving me a ladle full of cold wet peas, on a plate, with my f&c, which made everything disappointingly soggy. I had already told her I would not be eating any peas as my doctor said to avoid them for medical reasons, but she still insisted.
I've noticed there's a big difference between establishments. I noticed a huge difference when I worked at a winery restaurant in Margaret River. Definitely a high end chef difference to fish n chip shops. It opened my eyes a bit.
Hey Rob and Charlie, I’ve been to England twice and the second time I deliberately chose my hotel to be near this amazing chicken and chips shop that I found the first time I went. It was in earls court and it was hands down the best I’ve tasted. To be fair it was a tiny little place, just a local shop but in comparison to here in Oz it was sensational. Couldn’t tell you why but it was. I think because I grew up in a family that was English/Irish and that’s what my mum cooked I found the food all around the UK and Ireland very tasty. L definitely want to come back and spend months driving around everywhere exploring the little Hamlets etc perhaps when I retire.
The best chips are made by hand by the shop owner. Hand peeled, then cut up and half cooked and left in the chip tray ready for an order. Once ordered they're cooked the rest of the way. If you take them home and have left overs they are still good the next day. Just microwave them and they're as good as new. Very few places makes them like that anymore because it's so labour intensive. All the ones around where I live (Berwick VIC) just use frozen chips which they dump in the hot oil when you order them. They always give us indigestion and are no good once they go cold. You really should try to have some Potato Cakes and also Flake. You'll get a lot more to eat with a piece of Flake than you did with that Barramundi. We grew up in Frankston and Vic's on Nepean Hwy used to be the best Fish n Chip shop but he's gone now. There's used be good little shops all around the Mornington Peninsula.
Sav is short for saveloy and is a frankfurt/hot dog, it is generally red in its skin colour. It is not a sausage such as bratwurst, epping, cumberland, beef, pork etc.
We don't usually have a battered "hot dog", it's a frankfurt. We do, often have a battered saveloy "a sav", which is shorter, thicker and redder-skinned than a Frankfurt and usually on a stick. The best place I've ever got my fish and chips from is the little chippie across from Artarmon station, run by a pair of either Taiwanese or Malaysian guys. The batter on the fish is flavoursome and crispy and the chips are crisp on the outside and fluffy inside and just so yummy.
You got the king of fish with a Barramundi, most go for Flake, while I enjoy Blue Grenadier. Potato cakes are a must try. Have another go in Melbourne.
Flake or snapper is standard - but as a former fish and chip shop worker, Dhufish is the way to go. Nothing can top it. Piece of dhuie, a buck of chips, a pineapple fritter and a dim sim. If you're really peckish, a few squid rings. Salt and heavy vinegar.
@@chrish4469 it's sad really, I like my chips to be home made cut.What chip shops are doing is failing to provide jobs by cheating with store bought chips if people needed a job they could cut potatoes it's an easy process and potatoes are easy to grow anywhere so you wouldn't run out
Barramundi is a strong flavoured fish. You can't compare a dippy dog with a crumbed sausage, they are two different things. I go to a shop most mornings that serve pork, beef sausages, as well as crumbed chicken and hotdog with cheese in the centre, both crumbed. As for Chiko roll, they were created for the footy. A beer in one hand, a Chiko roll in the other. Yes, they are different to a spring roll, they have more winter veg in them like barley and carrots. We have big commercially made spring rolls, years ago, they use to have tiny prawns in them, but cost cutting ✂️ saw them removed.
Looks good, some places do have soggy greasy chips and batter. Some have way crispier chips but this looks like a shop the locals would be happy with. Always thought Chicko roll more like a giant dim sim than a spring roll. A lady at work said a certain fish&chip shop was excellent but when someone said it's chips were awful soggy, she replied that's how she likes them.
You can get crumbed sausages in any fish shop, or battered hot dogs, might be worth asking them if they could batter a couple of sausages, might catch on... 😀
Good on you two for having a go, great vid! Fresh Barra doesn't taste fishy, I don't often get fish, I'm with Charlie on that one, but moreso because I don't like 'fishy' taste you can get sometimes, not keen on soggy batter either, better if they're fried & drained properly, a gutload of grease & you'll be feeling pretty crook lol. You're usually ok ordering Barra because it's a whiter fleshed fish like Nile Perch (Orange Roughy) but yeah it's a 'melt in your mouth' delicious fish. I've been to the Fisho to buy my own fresh Barra fillets to cook at home, tempura crumb them & shallow fry, absolutely beautiful, & you know it's fresh.
What I find when I have fish and chips when I'm in England is the chips themselves are smaller. Like they've been cut from smaller potatoes. So you end up with a lot more of the small runty ones, which I don't care for. We must use bigger potatoes because our chips are more big ones, less runts. I also prefer our frying oil to the UK. Beer batter chips are the best. With lots of chicken salt of course. I also prefer our fish over what I got in the UK. What I can't get enough of over there is the chicken pies from Greggs. And Quavers, love Quavers.
I've had the fish n' chips in England many times and completely agree with you on the batter..... Like Charlie, I didn't like the soggy batter on the fish, but really liked the cod flavour and texture. I think cod is my favourite. I cannot abide barramundi under any circumstances, but like flake (gummy shark) and ling here. I prefer the crunchy texture and fluffy inside of Australian chips better. I think we must use different potatoes and higher temperature oil here. I like the flavour of English chips very much, but they were just a bit too oily for me and were sometimes a bit too limp and soggy. I find chiko rolls mushy and repulsive. Much prefer the spring rolls in the UK.
The Chicken Salt should also have been sprinkled onto the Chiko Roll after eat bite.! And to compare a battered and/or crumbed sausage (which we do both of) to a battered hot dog is not same. But you are right, every place serves up the good and the bad.
I think the longer the chips are sealed in the paper the better, and I love the chiko rolls end bits the best 😋🥰. Barramundi is a high end fish and my fave fish is Trevalla.
Hey guy’s we used to have a pommie fish n chip shop when I was young it was the best by far but using our local fresh fish and things including the type of oil being used. It wasn’t greasy or soggy it was crispy and clean. Now they are mainly run by Greek or Chinese people. I gotta say if I knew there were poms who owned a fish n chip shop near me in Melbourne I would be there with bells on. You just don’t see it anymore. They were bloody great. So maybe a mixture of the two nationalities is the key.
What you actually get in most places is Basa, or Mekong River catfish. Farmed in the heavily polluted Mekong river in Vietnam, filleted and frozen, and shipped all over the world. And it's horrible. Unfortunately it gets other names, often mislabelled as Hake. It's also called butterfish in SA in some places, when it should be referring to Mulloway (aka Jewfish, or Dhufish in WA which is a different but related species).
I'm with you Rob on the Chiko Roll. It's nothing like a Spring Roll mate, not meant to be. Get yourself a really good spring roll at a Chinese restaurant or takeaaway. I can tell you I am not a lover of Barramundi. Give me a piece of CRUMBED Spanish Mackeral any day. That is a battered hot dog, but we usually have battered Sav.. or Savaloy. It's definitely a different texture. Battered Sav can relate to other things of course, that's the way we Aussies roll. Glad you're having fun.
ROB & CHARLIE: Casting my memory back to 1998, I spent about 4.5 weeks in England visiting my mother's family and cousins. We were yo-yoing between the outer 'burbs of London, to Grantham, to York (with 4 days and nights in Paris as a special meet-up with one Aunt), and I have to say Rob is correct. The texture of the flakes in the fish is so much more, um, better I think the word would be, but the flavour, batter, and the over-all munch factor is definitely Aussie. Not being biased as an Australian born and raised - just what I remember. I will say this though ... if you believe Australia does the best "pub" meals, I would say you really haven't tried British "pub" meals. In fact, I would absolutely LOVE to go back to England, and hit the same establishment (if it still exists) up in the York area where I smashed a massive plate of fish and chips, side salad almost as big and heaped as my head, and a lemon-lime-and-bitters standard-sized drink that would put most steins to shame. Welcome to Oz you two - enjoy your brief stay, and hopefully you'll take home some amazing and wonderful memories of this little ex-penal colony. Cheers - Steve (in Sydney suburbs).
As soon as you walked in the shop I realised you were in my hometown! This shop has been here for a long time - definitely ate there as a kid in the 80's. Along that street there used to be several fish and chip places but I think that's the only one left.
Each shop is different.I will try when I’m in the UK. I definitely love Chicken Salt. I’ve never had a Chiko roll it doesn’t interest me.I prefer a Pluto pup.
Battered Savs are the only way to go - battered hotdogs are just a pale imitation. Barramundi is a beautiful fish, especially when caught fresh. It is a lot less oily than cod or hake.
Barramundi is a very soft fish but it has to be really fresh, if its not you get that fishy taste. Frankly its sacrilege to batter it like that. Normally we get flake or cod battered. Go to a restaurant that has barra done with a sweet macadamia crust, that's the way to eat it.
We 100% have battered sausages in Australia as well. It just depends what the individual shop owner chooses to stock. Those chips didn't look great to me, I prefer the chip shops that use SLIGHTLY thinner cut chips, they cook way better. Also you can't judge UK chips with chicken salt cause you bought it :P That's not UK. Barramundi is a good chip shop fish, but most Australian's would normally get flake, which is gummy shark. Completely different flavour and texture. If you can, before you leave Australia, try an HSP (Halal Snack Pack).
Chiko rolls are ok but I wouldn't write home about them. As an Australian tradesman my staple takeaway at work is still a good meat pie. Barramundi is a northern Australian sports fish. One of the best fighting estuarine sports fish you'll get. Best caught in saltwater they'll happily live in either fresh or salt water but will only breed in saltwater
Flake is the standard fish and chip shop serving here in Victoria, Australia. Plus we generally have it grilled and not fried. Need to try grilled Flake.
The best fish & chips I've EVER had, and I've eaten a lot of fish and chips in my 52 years, came from a chippy in Porthtowan. The batter was so crisp and light it was incredible. If you get overly greasy batter or chips from the chippy it's a fair bet the fryer wasn't hot enough and/or not drained enough.
Here in WA you can get Cod, however it’s Rock Cod not North Sea Cod. When I lived in England I remember going to ‘Harry Ramsdens’ which was the largest Fish and Chip shop in England. Wild Barramundi and Farmed Barramundi taste different. Personally I’m not a fan of Fish and Chips, I just can’t do the deep fried thing. I’d say the difference in the chips could be that here we use oil whereas in England some places use Lard. I always used to tell my kids, you can tell a decent Fish and Chip shop by the amount of grease left on the paper. You can’t beat chicken salt though. Yum.
British fish are cold water and Barra is from the northern half of Australia, so it's less oily. In north Queensland you get a lot of Reef Fish. Very white flesh, similar to Barramundi which is my second favourite, after Reef Fish. Chicko rolls are better with tomato sauce
Australia fries fish and chips in hot oil so the oil doesn’t absorb into the potato chip . Sometimes Australia uses frozen chips . It doesn’t matter who has the best fish and chips , it is not healthy lol . I ended up bloated after eating fried foods but I do eat them once in a while . You two are so lovely . You have to visit stunning New Zealand and try their fish and chips . I prefer proper sausage . My husbands cousin visited Australia and he said that the British women were much prettier than the women in Australia . He called us Mingers . I don’t know if I spelt it right lol .
Always go for the battered flake... unless they have battered dory. Always go for the battered dory. And squeeze some lemon juice from a freshly cut lemon wedge on the fish instead of that grubby vinegar. We usually do crumbed sausages instead of battered ones, and they're usually proper sausages, not hot dog franks. You lucked out there in the sausage department. You can only judge based on what's put in front of you though. 🤷♂️ Also, it's not pronounced cheek-o roll. It's pronounced chick-o roll. I'd always choose a spring roll over a Chiko roll though.
Here if you get served up 'soggy' fish and chips, your in for a bad meal, usually means the oil was not hot enough or not drained properly and will usually make me feel crook.
@Rodney 1984 it would not be 'served to you' like that, unless your late picking it up. That's the result of your own actions.
@Rodney 1984 Yuk, in the lower pits of hell, all the food is served in thin paper bags that have been kept in a plastic bag.
@Rodney 1984 all the places around here will wrap things like fish and chips. the local place will even deliver it for free along with pizzas and stuff.
around here, the paper bags tend to just be for when you walk in and buy something from the bain-marie like wingdings or something.
As you mentioned, you can go to a hundred fish and chip shops, both here or in the UK, and get just as many taste and texture variations. This makes it hard to make a comparison based on a visit to one shop. The same can be said for meat pies and sausage rolls across Australia. And everyone has their favourite shop, which may not be someone else’s.
precisely, and barra is not a great fish
@@suave-rider I'd have to agree about barra not being a good fish especially battered. It's much better grilled...
Today it's harder to find good pies and pasties...because so many bakeries have closed down and only crappy bakers delight, brumbies and pie face are left.
@@stevenbalekic5683 a combination of retirement and being squeezed out of the local shops by the franchise chains. Agree their stuff is cheap and tasteless
@@suave-rider
I miss all the local bakeries that there used to be in every main built up street in our suburbs. Now it's just petrol stations and the franchises.
You needed to try flake, potato cakes, fried dim sims, and corn jacks. The main thing you needed to try is a hamburger with the lot. We do spring rolls as well. Enjoy guys….
Doubt they sell potato cakes in South Australia.
Malt Vinegar on chips, yukkkkkkk....
@@shaundgb7367 They do, But they are called potato fritters
I'll second on the flake, fried dim sims and definitely a hamburger with the lot. Don't leave out the beetroot on the burger. Don't wear a white shirt when you eat it.
The corn jacks and potato cakes tend to be pretty bland fare, usually used to pad out a meal and make it cheaper for a family feed....
@@chrish4469 Bloody weirdo South Ausssies...ha ha. They call Milk Bars, Deli's too and call briquettes, charcoal... weird lot
Do they do flake in Adelaide? I haven't tried Fish n Chips in Adelaide but I know when I go to the NT they don't have flake at their fish shops, it's all Barramundi sourced locally from Humpty Doo. I personally am not a fan of Barramundi, I prefer Flake any day.
Having travelled across the UK, Fish n Chips vary from town to town, city to city, the same in Belgium and Australia. Nothing worse than having a craving for them and getting a crook serving. Chicken salt, Malt vinegar, and lemon for the fish is a must. Batter is an art form.
If you need to put on chicken salt and malt vinegar, you’ve gone to an inferior fish and chip shop
@@xkimopye Thanks Nancy for your worthless opinion.
This Aussie has never liked chicken salt or vinegar ruining her fish & chips. A slice of lemon or lime is enough deliciousness and to make it even more different I prefer grilled fish or crumbed if there is a choice. I throw most of any batter away🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 so it is a total waste for me 😁
You could fit England's land area inside of Australia 32 times over. So yeah, it's pretty safe to say you will find a little bit of variation in fish and chips across the country.
Fish and Chip shops in Australia usually vary depending on local tastes and varieties of fish available. Some places have a complete array including flake, which is shark while others are quite simplified.
Chiko Rolls are an Australian version of spring rolls or egg rolls. They are deep fried fast-food item, with a thick, almost chewy dough wrapper on them. The dough is made of egg and flour. Ingredients in the filling inside are mutton, barley, cabbage, carrot, celery and rice, and seasonings
Chips in paper always taste better! We call the battered sausage, a battered sav, or savaloy, it's slightly different. You were just missing the potato scallops! (Also called by a different name depending where you live!)
Well we have savaloy but that's like a hot dog. We like proper sausages.
Agree on the potato scallops! 😃
Love fish and chips served in paper! We hardly ever get that in Sydney anymore. Would love to know if anyone knows where they do it still.
@@starlightshimmery
When I was a kid we used to sell our old newspapers to fish n chip shops. They would place a sheet of clean paper with the fish n chips and all wrapped up in newspaper. Good recycling.
@@blueycarlton same,they should still do it
With the different fish available here in Australia, you might also want to try a few other ones. Barramundi is popular for fish n chip shops, but if you prefer a more subtle flavour, then Whiting is a good choice. Flathead fillets are great, too. Fresh fish is best, regardless. Finding a fish and chip shop that gets local fish will likely mean they were kept cool but never frozen solid for transport, improving the taste.
Problem is the Whiting is quite often not King George normally Hoki unless is over $10
We found the majority of English chips to be oily and soggy. The reason is they are cooked then placed in a a warmer above the deep fryer where they sit for an unspecified timeframe. Generally the fish was good as you got it from the fryer to paper. The best chips we had in England were at the Tower of London! We also had good chips on Orkney and at Scarborough. As for the sausage, you would have been happier with a crumbed sausage as that is more of a proper sausage meat, maybe get one of those battered! A big positive for British shops was that sauces in sachets are free.
We had fish and chips in Bourton on the Water (Cotswold). With great anticipation we ordered from a little shop where so many people flocked. We couldn’t have been more disappointed. The food was soooo greasy that it literally left us feeling sick.
Lucky the village was absolutely stunning so all was forgiven 😊
Up here in Queensland, Birkdale to be precise (a suburb of Redland City Council), there is a traditional British fish and chip shop. They offer curry dipping sauce, to go with the soft chips, you can get scampi, haggis, black pudding and deep fried mars bars. It's a bit far from where I live, so I don't get to go there much, it's called "Chumley Warner's" if anyone is in the area and wants to check it out.
I’ve been there and found it disappointing
Chiko Rolls are a very strange beast indeed. I don't mind them myself, but I can understand people not liking them.
I lived the UK for a couple of years in London. The fish and chip shops, instead of cooking them while you wait as in Melbourne, were pre cooked and kept hot in a bainmarie. The grease and soggyness was overwhelming as each batch was placed on top of the other and sat there for hours. They were horrible.
However it depends where you buy them. I have been back to the UK and had some nice fish in Cornwall villages. However, not at some famous Cornwall celebrity cook's over priced and underwhelming seafood fare.
I have never had barramundi from a fish n chip shop, whiting or flake (shark) is my preference, or have one of their hamburgers with beetroot, fried egg, sauce and fried onions.
Personally if I am going to a chip shop for fish I usually will go for hoki or whiting. Also I normally ask for a bit of lemon for the fish. A lot of places do it but usually don't ask if you actually want some when taking your order. Then I also usually get a "burger with the lot" which usually is lettuce, beef patty, bacon, cheese, tomato, onion, egg and beetroot. Beetroot on burgers is a real Aussie thing and I never realised it was considered weird until I was an adult.
The chips in NZ chip shops are crispy because they are often double fried, and are usually each portion is fried for the customer, where in my experience in the UK they fry a load and then just take a scoop when they "dish" up.
Been to UK a lot & stayed with friends & a lot of time we grabbed fish n chips. The two countries have good and bad shops, but I found all the UK ones the batter was "soggy" possibly from all the malt vinegar & steaming in wrapping on the way back to house. Generally I liked both countries, but being used to chips & batter being crispier, that is what I have come to expect & enjoy. One things I d like is the potato cakes/scallops as they are called, which I didn't see in UK when there. Both countries, from takeaway shops, it is a good cheap meal when you don't feel like cooking & availability of pickled eggs in UK was great too.
It’s becoming rarer but my rule on fish n chips in Aus. is if you have the choice go for a shop run by greeks. They’re the best.
Spring roll all the way Chiko rolls are rubbish.
It’s funny but I usually get a hamburger or souvlaki. If I have to get fish, King George Whiting.
Other favourites are steamed dimmies, beef croquettes, potato cakes.
Not a fan of chicken salt
Loving the vids.
Barramundi - sea perch family. The smaller the Barra ( yes we shorten that too in Oz 🤭) has a milder fish taste than the larger one's. It actually is a sweet fish but popular moreso in fine dining because of it's buttery texture. It's also one of the healthiest fish you can have and very high in Omega 3 . Anyhow Rob and Charlie here are three of my best batter recipes ever ! .. btw I only like the taste of milder fish but personally I love lemon on mine for freshness on the pallet. 😋
BASIC BATTER - will crisp
1 cup Plain Flour
1 T-spn Baking Powder
1/2 T-spn Salt
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water
Method- Sift flour into a bowl, then combine rest.
~~~~~~~~~~
CRISPY BATTER- is light
1 Cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 T-spn Salt
1 Cup Soda Water or Beer
Method- Sift Flour into a bowl then combine rest.
~~~~~~~~~~
TEMPURA - authentic
1 Cup Plain Flour
1 Egg
I Cup "Ice Water"
Method- very softly mix egg up in a bowl. Add ice water, then sifted flour gently incorporate. If slightly lumpy don't worry.
All DO APPROX A KILO OF FISH ! Remember Olive oil cooks hotter in temp than say Vegetable oil and never cook batter on too low. That will cause sogginess.
Anyhow I agree with everyone here. Depends on the cook, recipe, how many uses of the oil and fish preferences.
Spring Rolls get a yay from me...Chiko are ok, has changed over the year's and seem more doughy.
Chips depend on potatoes used, size preferred and oil freshness as well as cooking time, so tend to vary by shop. I love crab sticks (battered crab). Finally hamburgers alway win me over. Beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, beetroot, pineapple, bacon and egg. However I find the egg and bacon can dominate the flavour too much so I don't always have it. Depends on my mood 😂
Phew I think I better stop now 😂... hope you like the recipes 😊
They're great looking chippies 😋 Congrats on 15,000 subscribers 🎉
In Tassie you can get sausages in batter. Saveloys generally not battered in Tassie. As for chips pommy chips are made with different types of spuds and my recollection is they have the skin on. They always looked greyish and always seemed to be much softer. Not sure they double fry in the UK.
This was my first thought about the spuds, they are grown in soil, our soil is vastly different to that of the UK.
So are the varieties of potatoes. Also depends, on the cooking oil. They did look good though 😋
Same with the fish, they are talking about cold water fish as opposed to our warm water barramundi.
We all have a favourite fish n chippy. PS: Battered savs are an acquired taste in my opinion.
My favorite fish is Flake (as it’s called here in SA). It is actually shark. It should have a wonderful ‘flaky’ texture and a wonderfully light flavor.
Flake is shark in Victorian Fish and Chip shops too. The most common fish served at them.
flake in WA too, its pretty much all you get unless you order something specific
@Rodney 1984 never heard of this NSW sheila, she sounds cool, almost like one of us 😉
G’Day, it is very hard to do a comparison because it differs from City to City, Sydney is different from Melbourne and so on. The most common fish purchased is Flake, & we have both Chicko & Sprong Rolls, also try the steamed dim sims. Melbourne has the Sausage & Hot dog. Unless you go to a lot of fish & chip shops it is impossible to compare. In Melbourne you have the little family-run chip shops but you also have the Franchise ones which are a little more consistent. Anyway enjoy but that might be hard because you are in Sydney not Melbourne. Stay Safe
Best battered fish is Snapper by a long way. Barra is usually farmed these days.
👍 yes to the snapper for sure. I can’t do barramundi, I was served up a really horrible experience at a restaurant years back and the Barra was like rancid old lady coochie. Scarred for life. 💀
As a former short order cook ( fish n chips) i have to weigh in on this.nothing worse than soggy batter, each shop does their own version of it, some good some bad. Mostly all of them buy in frozen chips, they come in different sizes and come from different states (Tassie for the win there), they work differently with different oils available. If you like a soggier chip leave them wrapped for longer so they sweat. Chicko rolls just dont taste the same from when i was a kid. Dippy dogs are a battered hotdog with stick in them.
west Aus has the pluto pup (corn dog)... never heard of a dippy dog
in new zealand they are known as fush and chups LOL
Thanks now I’m craving fish and chips!!! 😂
Australia has lots of fish varieties, but Barramundi is only found in Australian waters up north. There aren’t enough Barramundi to go around, so it’s more expensive based on that alone. Most people buy Barra in a restaurant where it’s grilled and served with all kinds of wonderful accompaniments. Barra is softer, flakier, sweeter and only beaten by grilled Wahu, which is even rarer!
Yes if I ever order fish in a restaurant I go for grilled Barramundi which is as close to perfect as a fish can be.
Not true. Barra farms down in the Riverina.
We have plenty of Barra here in NQ and we also have a Barra farm
Well done guys! Now I will share my batter recipe with you (still the aussie guy living in Ireland) (obviously this is for a reasonably large amount)
450g plain flour
4 tbs baking powder
2 pints of lager
Whisk and enjoy!
so the lager is for drinking while making up the batter right ? 😉
You left the Y off whisk!!!
The battered "Hotdog" is called a different thing in different parts of Australia. It's also known as a Battered Sav (Battered Saveloy).
Yes I’d never heard of that but in Sydney we have battered sav. Never had one so I don’t actually know what it is!😂
Was it Roy&HG talked about the battered sav when they narrated the Sydney Olympics gymnastics
The battered sav should be an actual saveloy sausage. What they had was a pluto pup.
Yeah and I think they're called Pluto Pups in Queensland...
@@monicaking2140 yep. Comedy gold😆
Let the potato cake vs potato scallop battle begin.
You forgot Potato Fritter!!
I'm a potato scallop
😂 I call it both and every time I forget & order potato cake they correct me and say potato scallops.
It's a potato fritter in South Australia
It's how us QLDers kept finding those Victorian border hoppers during covid border closures. They'd go to the fish & chips shop & ask for potato cakes
@@davecheffie5706 😂😂😂😂 although they could be Tasmanian! That’s where I get mixed up, have a mixed Sydney Tassie family 😆
Depends also on the Oil or Lard you cook it in. I saw a UK show that set up a Traditional Fish and Chip Shop and they researched how they were originally made. The Secret was the Beef Lard they cooked it in.
@Rodney 1984 I remember mentioning this to a Fish & Chip shop on the Gold Coast (as it tasted like my Childhood experience) and he said he used Lard. Yes Lard is Pig Fat my Mistake.
The trick to good fish n' chips is to go early (at lunch) before they get too busy. If they're constantly frying, the oil never gets a chance to heat up properly. The oil also needs to be changed daily (not all places to this). Potato scallops are great, but they have to made fresh (battered) in store (not that pre-made rubbish with batter like cork). Good on ya about the malt vinegar Rob (though I though you were a little light handed). Barramundi isn't the best choice for battered\crumbed, it's too thin and delicate, Barra is a Bass found in the north of Aus that lives in fresh, brackish and salt water.
How do you not know what Australians iconic fish is???? 😳 sounds like someone needs to do some more aussie reacts 😜
Interesting feedback, always appreciate the honesty. Every UK friend I know that's tried Aussie fish and chips has always said they prefer ours because the seafoods fresh and the battered stuff isn't as greasy and doesn't make you feel sick after. For me my stomach can't handle really greasy stuff so that's an important distinction.
And of course chicken salt is uniquely Australian.
But we all like we like there's no right or wrong. 🤷♀️🙂
I think Aussies are generally just more seafood lovers/consumers in general because we have so much fresh variety.
Grilled/seared barramundi with lemon and garlic is also very popular here at fish n chips shops and restaurants too. And crumbed (and deep fried) is another popular way to have your fish at fish n chips shops (& probably my favourite).
We also have New Zealand hoki fish which is very popular, possibly the most commonly used in fish n chips shops. (And we have perch, cod, and whiting etc.)
Here, good chips are usually considered to crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Potato scallops is another popular item.
(named after the scalloped cut. Melbourne folk call them potato cakes)
I'm not a chicko roll fan😆.
But I know some people love them.
I would love to see you guys try a HSP (halal snack pack.). Every city has them, just go to any kebab shop.
In case u r interested, the meat in a Chico roll is mutton. Most of the rolls in Aussie are 'stiffer' to allow them to hold together while u r eating them at the footy.
Went back to England after 15 years for a holiday had fish and chips and had the worst heart burn ever.
Just a note on Chiko Rolls. It’s pronounced “Chick-O” (as in 🐤 chick) then “o” not “Cheek-o”. Also here in Australia we tend to fry in Canola oil. It’s healthier and does have a particular flavour that we’re probably more used to😀👍🏼Craig
A lot of places in Australia (and the UK) use palm oil. I imagine it is a lot cheaper than canola or animal fat. Palm oil is also considered less healthy than other seed/vegetable oils.
They will know canola as rapeseed oil.
@@moniquem783 Yeah, probably. I did look it up to check, and there is a difference in what the names refer to, but people will use whatever name they want to.
@@daveg2104 ....and Palm Oil production is responsible for rain forest destruction. NO ONE should use it.
Worst tasting item in a fish shop also chicko roll
Those chips look worth the trip to South Australia! I hate it when they give you skinny fries at a fish and chip shop. IMO Barramundi is the best fish in Australia for fine dining, I usually would choose flathead or similar for battered fish. Love beer batter if they give a choice and here it’s often triple fried to give it crunch outside but softness inside. Can you tell I love fish and chips? 😅 I’d always add calamari and fish cakes when I’m comparing shops as you have to be good to get calamari right.
Snapper and Mulloway are the best.
Barramundi is no good for deep frying. Pan fried with butter sauce is good
@@AUmarcus I love snapper too, haven’t tried mulloway
@@stuarthancock571 that’s my favourite way for Barrumundi, the first way I had it on holiday once in Queensland
Barramundi is a long way from fine dining. In north Queensland we have Coral Trout and red throat emperor that make Barra taste like tadpole. We also have prohibited varieties of reef fish equal to the world's best. Most of the Barra sold in the south is from farms and we never eat that stuff up here.
Fun video - Victor Harbor is always a nice place to go.
I don't think you can compare Chiko Rolls (pronounced like pick, not peek) with spring rolls, the cabbage filling in the Chiko's makes them a very different product.
Looks like you had a good time.
I will have to try malt vinegar, that is a new one to me.
@Rodney 1984 Yeh its not something I remember at all.
I’ve had English Fish & Chips and Aussie Fish & Chips. Aussie every time. And I’d have Aussie Spring Roll over English but they’re very similar. I’d also have a Spring Roll over a Chico Roll but they’re both fine. Definitely prefer Battered Sausage Aussie or English, over a hot dog. Fried Dim Sim over steamed and battered Pineapple ring and battered bananas are fabulous
Next year when you are looking at places to go you will have to try Salvatores Café in Darwin City. Barramundi is native to the top end, so it is more likely to be fresher there.
One of the best places up here for sure.
When I was in Pickering, Yorkshire, I had a warm brown ale in the local pub. I loved the pub and the people and the brown ale. We are one, but we are many. There is more to beer life than an ice cold lager. Thanks Rob and Charlie, love your work. Come back to Sydney, I will show you the highlights.
Brown ale makes a good beer batter too. I have some Belhaven Scottish brown ale in the fridge and love some Newcastle brown ale.
Bit expensive in Australia, mind.
Best thing is to combine fish and chips with a sunny day at the beach :) tastes even better somehow. cheers xo
Especially if you're blazed.
There's big variety between fish and chips within the same street, let alone city, let alone state (although Victor is probably a good place to go for it) - and the 2 biggest variations are the batter (some places have horrible thick batter, others have a much lighter crispier one) and the chips (not sure exact differences, but there's sort of a 'traditional' style (which looks like the ones you got) or a lot of shops seem to use thinner frozen chips. I *think* a lot of fast food in Australia uses cotton-seed oil for deep frying.
Crumbed fish for the win (with some prawns and calamari on the side)!!
EDIT: Sauce on the fish? Cardinal sin. Tartare sauce or lemon and salt.....
Well here in Sydney-ish NSW the batter has now "beer battered ". As far as I know the battered hot dog (although on a stick IF we are talking the same thing ?? known as "pluto pups" and years ago "dagwood dogs" - yes the old comic "blondie and dagwood" . As I remember the size of beer glasses differed between the three states NSW, Victoria , Perth and a few towns in Tasmania where you ask for a Schooner and you get one of two sizes and by the look on your face Tassies would say "oh , you come the MAINLAND , this was the seventies after all.
As many have said here, I've had Fish & Chips here and in the UK. It really depends on the Chip Shop, including the type of fish they use, they type of chips/potatoes and definitely the type of oil. I've had some awful food in both countries and some truly fabulous food. I found a really old family run business on the south side of the river from Tower of London in the mid 90s and the fish & chips was delicious, don't think they survived the gentrification of the area.
A couple of my favourites at a takeaway are lesagna toppers and corn jacks.
Lasagne toppers are a piece of lasagne, crumbed and deep fried. Corn jacks are like a chicko roll, but just contained creasmed corn, no cabbage or anything else.
Charlie has such good taste. You chose 1 of Australia’s premium fish in Barramundi. A warm water fish in tropical waters. It’s a mainstay for fishing in the north. Yes a real delicate flavour. Whiting is also very good too. Try with lemon and/or tartare sauce next time. Agreed spring rolls are much better than Chiko rolls.
Comparing a battered sausage with a battered frankfurt is like comparing a battered sausage with a steamed dim sim. The steamed dimmy with soy sauce wins hands down, although some places don't do good steamed dimmies, I don't know if it's the brand, freshness or some other factor. If you are going to rate one against another, it needs to be like for like. I wouldn't touch a battered frankfurt. Flake has been the common fish in Melbourne for decades but is being replaced by barra - it's more sustainably farmed and tastier.
If you find a mixture of textures in your chips, it means they have re-cooked some leftovers from yesterday!
Head out to Williamstown or Altona beach for good fish and chips while in Victoria. Make sure you order a piece of flake (or special flake which is bigger) and some potato cakes which is more common for an OZ fish and chips order. My local Loz’s in Sunbury is great especially for the items I mentioned. We get the scallops as well. Yummy!
Should try the hot chips with gravy 😋
Actually, should go the iconic Aussie fusion food, the HSP (Halal Snack Pack)
2 things to note about Australia Fish/chips.
1 - some (not all) fish shop upgraded to the inverted winged keel (from the boat design) for heating the oil, there by have a more even distribution for cooking chips/etc.
2 - Australians are ignorant of potatoes. if you go into any shop there are usually only 2 or 3 types of potatoes... washed . unwashed or if your luck a named variety of potato...
this applies to chip shops as well.
people dont really understand that different potato breeds/variety should be used for different things. thats where aussie chips can be a let down half the time.
But great review. reminds me that I am out of malt vinger and need to get another bottle.
In Qld, we get either grilled, battered or crumbed fish (choice of fish) and crumbed sausages, prawn cutlets, calamari rings and (seafood) scallops, sliced potato battered, spring rolls, fried or steamed dim-sims, among other things. I personally avoid the "formed" seafood sticks. I have never seen such a long hot-dog, at the show we get dagwood (hot) dogs, with smooth batter on a stick. You can get a fish and salad burger or a "lot burger" with a fried egg, pickled beetroot and a pineapple slice along with meat, bacon and salad.
I tried english f&c in london... the server insisted on giving me a ladle full of cold wet peas, on a plate, with my f&c, which made everything disappointingly soggy. I had already told her I would not be eating any peas as my doctor said to avoid them for medical reasons, but she still insisted.
I've noticed there's a big difference between establishments. I noticed a huge difference when I worked at a winery restaurant in Margaret River. Definitely a high end chef difference to fish n chip shops. It opened my eyes a bit.
Thanks for your honest appraisal.
Hey Rob and Charlie, I’ve been to England twice and the second time I deliberately chose my hotel to be near this amazing chicken and chips shop that I found the first time I went. It was in earls court and it was hands down the best I’ve tasted. To be fair it was a tiny little place, just a local shop but in comparison to here in Oz it was sensational. Couldn’t tell you why but it was.
I think because I grew up in a family that was English/Irish and that’s what my mum cooked I found the food all around the UK and Ireland very tasty. L definitely want to come back and spend months driving around everywhere exploring the little Hamlets etc perhaps when I retire.
The best chips are made by hand by the shop owner. Hand peeled, then cut up and half cooked and left in the chip tray ready for an order. Once ordered they're cooked the rest of the way. If you take them home and have left overs they are still good the next day. Just microwave them and they're as good as new. Very few places makes them like that anymore because it's so labour intensive. All the ones around where I live (Berwick VIC) just use frozen chips which they dump in the hot oil when you order them. They always give us indigestion and are no good once they go cold. You really should try to have some Potato Cakes and also Flake. You'll get a lot more to eat with a piece of Flake than you did with that Barramundi. We grew up in Frankston and Vic's on Nepean Hwy used to be the best Fish n Chip shop but he's gone now. There's used be good little shops all around the Mornington Peninsula.
Most of the chippys ive been to here in Aus; the battered sav is just that, a battered sausage. What you ate was a pluto pup, which is a hotdog.
Sav is short for saveloy and is a frankfurt/hot dog, it is generally red in its skin colour. It is not a sausage such as bratwurst, epping, cumberland, beef, pork etc.
We don't usually have a battered "hot dog", it's a frankfurt. We do, often have a battered saveloy "a sav", which is shorter, thicker and redder-skinned than a Frankfurt and usually on a stick.
The best place I've ever got my fish and chips from is the little chippie across from Artarmon station, run by a pair of either Taiwanese or Malaysian guys. The batter on the fish is flavoursome and crispy and the chips are crisp on the outside and fluffy inside and just so yummy.
You got the king of fish with a Barramundi, most go for Flake, while I enjoy Blue Grenadier. Potato cakes are a must try. Have another go in Melbourne.
It’s a matter of shop versus shop, rather than 🇬🇧 vs 🇦🇺. Type of fish, fresh frying oil, the batter and not over cooked for good fish n chips
I'm now in the kitchen about to cook myself some chips and I blame you entirely Rob . They were nice looking chips yum
Flake or snapper is standard - but as a former fish and chip shop worker, Dhufish is the way to go. Nothing can top it.
Piece of dhuie, a buck of chips, a pineapple fritter and a dim sim. If you're really peckish, a few squid rings. Salt and heavy vinegar.
The sad thing is fish n chips shops sometimes buy store bought chips
I'd say most fish shop do buy store bought chips these days.
@@chrish4469 it's sad really, I like my chips to be home made cut.What chip shops are doing is failing to provide jobs by cheating with store bought chips if people needed a job they could cut potatoes it's an easy process and potatoes are easy to grow anywhere so you wouldn't run out
@Rodney 1984 I always ask if they are freshly cut out the back if not I dont support the shop.
Barramundi is a strong flavoured fish. You can't compare a dippy dog with a crumbed sausage, they are two different things. I go to a shop most mornings that serve pork, beef sausages, as well as crumbed chicken and hotdog with cheese in the centre, both crumbed. As for Chiko roll, they were created for the footy. A beer in one hand, a Chiko roll in the other. Yes, they are different to a spring roll, they have more winter veg in them like barley and carrots. We have big commercially made spring rolls, years ago, they use to have tiny prawns in them, but cost cutting ✂️ saw them removed.
Hope you enjoyed your time here in State of SA
Looks good, some places do have soggy greasy chips and batter.
Some have way crispier chips but this looks like a shop the locals would be happy with.
Always thought Chicko roll more like a giant dim sim than a spring roll.
A lady at work said a certain fish&chip shop was excellent but when someone said it's chips were awful soggy, she replied that's how she likes them.
You can get crumbed sausages in any fish shop, or battered hot dogs, might be worth asking them if they could batter a couple of sausages, might catch on... 😀
Those chips look delicious!!! Vinegar is a must! This was fun to watch, thanks guys.
Good on you two for having a go, great vid! Fresh Barra doesn't taste fishy, I don't often get fish, I'm with Charlie on that one, but moreso because I don't like 'fishy' taste you can get sometimes, not keen on soggy batter either, better if they're fried & drained properly, a gutload of grease & you'll be feeling pretty crook lol. You're usually ok ordering Barra because it's a whiter fleshed fish like Nile Perch (Orange Roughy) but yeah it's a 'melt in your mouth' delicious fish. I've been to the Fisho to buy my own fresh Barra fillets to cook at home, tempura crumb them & shallow fry, absolutely beautiful, & you know it's fresh.
Missed the Holy trinity of both grilled or fried Flake, Potato Cakes with chicken salt, and steamed Dim Sims with soy.
i think the batter has changed in Australia, in the 80s it seemed more English. Now I think it is closer to a Japanese tempura batter.
A Chiko on a cold day at the footy is sublime 😂
What I find when I have fish and chips when I'm in England is the chips themselves are smaller. Like they've been cut from smaller potatoes. So you end up with a lot more of the small runty ones, which I don't care for. We must use bigger potatoes because our chips are more big ones, less runts. I also prefer our frying oil to the UK. Beer batter chips are the best. With lots of chicken salt of course. I also prefer our fish over what I got in the UK. What I can't get enough of over there is the chicken pies from Greggs. And Quavers, love Quavers.
I've had the fish n' chips in England many times and completely agree with you on the batter..... Like Charlie, I didn't like the soggy batter on the fish, but really liked the cod flavour and texture. I think cod is my favourite. I cannot abide barramundi under any circumstances, but like flake (gummy shark) and ling here. I prefer the crunchy texture and fluffy inside of Australian chips better. I think we must use different potatoes and higher temperature oil here. I like the flavour of English chips very much, but they were just a bit too oily for me and were sometimes a bit too limp and soggy. I find chiko rolls mushy and repulsive. Much prefer the spring rolls in the UK.
G'day, Like you said anout the variations in the UK, it will depend on the shop in question and somtimes on the day in qusetion.
You need to try flake but propper (gummy shark) flake which can be hard to find. But I really appreciate the honesty of your views as always
The Chicken Salt should also have been sprinkled onto the Chiko Roll after eat bite.! And to compare a battered and/or crumbed sausage (which we do both of) to a battered hot dog is not same. But you are right, every place serves up the good and the bad.
I think the longer the chips are sealed in the paper the better, and I love the chiko rolls end bits the best 😋🥰. Barramundi is a high end fish and my fave fish is Trevalla.
you like em soggy and soft then, eh?
@@AndyViant uuhhmm 😳🤣
Hey guy’s we used to have a pommie fish n chip shop when I was young it was the best by far but using our local fresh fish and things including the type of oil being used. It wasn’t greasy or soggy it was crispy and clean.
Now they are mainly run by Greek or Chinese people.
I gotta say if I knew there were poms who owned a fish n chip shop near me in Melbourne I would be there with bells on. You just don’t see it anymore. They were bloody great. So maybe a mixture of the two nationalities is the key.
In Sydney, you usually get Hake unless you order a specific fish. Good to see you guys testing the fish and chip shop.
What you actually get in most places is Basa, or Mekong River catfish. Farmed in the heavily polluted Mekong river in Vietnam, filleted and frozen, and shipped all over the world. And it's horrible.
Unfortunately it gets other names, often mislabelled as Hake. It's also called butterfish in SA in some places, when it should be referring to Mulloway (aka Jewfish, or Dhufish in WA which is a different but related species).
I'm with you Rob on the Chiko Roll. It's nothing like a Spring Roll mate, not meant to be. Get yourself a really good spring roll at a Chinese restaurant or takeaaway. I can tell you I am not a lover of Barramundi. Give me a piece of CRUMBED Spanish Mackeral any day. That is a battered hot dog, but we usually have battered Sav.. or Savaloy. It's definitely a different texture. Battered Sav can relate to other things of course, that's the way we Aussies roll. Glad you're having fun.
ROB & CHARLIE: Casting my memory back to 1998, I spent about 4.5 weeks in England visiting my mother's family and cousins. We were yo-yoing between the outer 'burbs of London, to Grantham, to York (with 4 days and nights in Paris as a special meet-up with one Aunt), and I have to say Rob is correct. The texture of the flakes in the fish is so much more, um, better I think the word would be, but the flavour, batter, and the over-all munch factor is definitely Aussie. Not being biased as an Australian born and raised - just what I remember. I will say this though ... if you believe Australia does the best "pub" meals, I would say you really haven't tried British "pub" meals. In fact, I would absolutely LOVE to go back to England, and hit the same establishment (if it still exists) up in the York area where I smashed a massive plate of fish and chips, side salad almost as big and heaped as my head, and a lemon-lime-and-bitters standard-sized drink that would put most steins to shame. Welcome to Oz you two - enjoy your brief stay, and hopefully you'll take home some amazing and wonderful memories of this little ex-penal colony. Cheers - Steve (in Sydney suburbs).
As soon as you walked in the shop I realised you were in my hometown! This shop has been here for a long time - definitely ate there as a kid in the 80's. Along that street there used to be several fish and chip places but I think that's the only one left.
Chikko rolls aren’t meant to be like spring rolls, they were initially made to use up mutton
Each shop is different.I will try when I’m in the UK. I definitely love Chicken Salt. I’ve never had a Chiko roll it doesn’t interest me.I prefer a Pluto pup.
Battered Savs are the only way to go - battered hotdogs are just a pale imitation.
Barramundi is a beautiful fish, especially when caught fresh. It is a lot less oily than cod or hake.
Not a rule set in stone, but generally Australians would have lemon (slice squeezed) with the fish instead of vinegar.
It all depends on your own taste buds and where you were bought up to determine which is better
Barramundi is a very soft fish but it has to be really fresh, if its not you get that fishy taste. Frankly its sacrilege to batter it like that. Normally we get flake or cod battered. Go to a restaurant that has barra done with a sweet macadamia crust, that's the way to eat it.
We 100% have battered sausages in Australia as well. It just depends what the individual shop owner chooses to stock.
Those chips didn't look great to me, I prefer the chip shops that use SLIGHTLY thinner cut chips, they cook way better. Also you can't judge UK chips with chicken salt cause you bought it :P That's not UK.
Barramundi is a good chip shop fish, but most Australian's would normally get flake, which is gummy shark. Completely different flavour and texture.
If you can, before you leave Australia, try an HSP (Halal Snack Pack).
Chiko rolls are ok but I wouldn't write home about them. As an Australian tradesman my staple takeaway at work is still a good meat pie. Barramundi is a northern Australian sports fish. One of the best fighting estuarine sports fish you'll get. Best caught in saltwater they'll happily live in either fresh or salt water but will only breed in saltwater
Flake is the standard fish and chip shop serving here in Victoria, Australia. Plus we generally have it grilled and not fried. Need to try grilled Flake.
The best fish & chips I've EVER had, and I've eaten a lot of fish and chips in my 52 years, came from a chippy in Porthtowan. The batter was so crisp and light it was incredible.
If you get overly greasy batter or chips from the chippy it's a fair bet the fryer wasn't hot enough and/or not drained enough.
Here in WA you can get Cod, however it’s Rock Cod not North Sea Cod. When I lived in England I remember going to ‘Harry Ramsdens’ which was the largest Fish and Chip shop in England. Wild Barramundi and Farmed Barramundi taste different. Personally I’m not a fan of Fish and Chips, I just can’t do the deep fried thing. I’d say the difference in the chips could be that here we use oil whereas in England some places use Lard. I always used to tell my kids, you can tell a decent Fish and Chip shop by the amount of grease left on the paper. You can’t beat chicken salt though. Yum.
British fish are cold water and Barra is from the northern half of Australia, so it's less oily. In north Queensland you get a lot of Reef Fish. Very white flesh, similar to Barramundi which is my second favourite, after Reef Fish. Chicko rolls are better with tomato sauce
Australia fries fish and chips in hot oil so the oil doesn’t absorb into the potato chip . Sometimes Australia uses frozen chips . It doesn’t matter who has the best fish and chips , it is not healthy lol . I ended up bloated after eating fried foods but I do eat them once in a while . You two are so lovely . You have to visit stunning New Zealand and try their fish and chips . I prefer proper sausage . My husbands cousin visited Australia and he said that the British women were much prettier than the women in Australia . He called us Mingers . I don’t know if I spelt it right lol .
Always go for the battered flake... unless they have battered dory. Always go for the battered dory. And squeeze some lemon juice from a freshly cut lemon wedge on the fish instead of that grubby vinegar. We usually do crumbed sausages instead of battered ones, and they're usually proper sausages, not hot dog franks. You lucked out there in the sausage department. You can only judge based on what's put in front of you though. 🤷♂️
Also, it's not pronounced cheek-o roll. It's pronounced chick-o roll. I'd always choose a spring roll over a Chiko roll though.
I mean, I'd say it depends on the individual shop