I love fish n chips. Having them in a restaurant or a pub is perfectly acceptable, but in my humble opinion, the only true way to eat them is outside, in the traditional paper wrapping, with your fingers or a tiny wooden fork, sitting on a bench facing the sea. THAT is the perfect fish n chip experience 🙂😛
@@EECCTravels In my humble opinion - and I think many others would agree - fish and chips from a real fish and chip shop, rather than a pub or restaurant, is much better. And rather than cod, try haddock instead. And yes, it's perfectly OK to add tomato ketchup.
Yes to all of the above, particularly facing the sea, on a harbour wall, under gunmetal skies, warding off stroppy sea gulls that demand chips like they are the rent.
The paper in a cChinese restaruaunt is edible rice paper. Englis thick cut chips are much healthier than the This 'French Fries' as you call them (in France they are called allumettes or 'matchsticks') as the thinner fries absorb much more fat than the larger chip due to the relatively larger surface area. You may be in the Indian restaurant which is still operational but the first Curries were served in London in 1773 and the first Indian restaurant run by an Indian opened in 1810. Spiced foods has been opular in te uK since spices were bought back by the Crusaders of the 10th and 11th Century.. One of Queen Victorias favourite chefs was Indian who prpared her favourite curries. I couldnever understand how we got this rediculous reputation for Bland food here in the uK.
If no one is eating in the pub, it might be that they are not serving food at that time. There are pubs in the UK that only serve food at specific times throughout the day.
I understand the history of the reputation British food has in the US - GIs in the UK during WWII rationing etc..etc But that was 70+ years ago! The UK has had an increasingly diverse and inventive cuisine for at least 50 years, welcoming food from all over the world and giving it a unique British twist. Does the US really think the UK is stuck in the 1950s?
I just wanna say how much I LOVE your energy and positive vibes. I watched the first of your London videos last night on a whim and ended up getting to bed at 3am because I couldn't stop watching the rest of them. Your willingness to try everything and the way you were both so open to every new experience was so heartwarming - your excitement is infectious. Such a joy to watch, thank you so much!
Great reviews, London’s pretty infinite food wise…you could spend a lifetime working through its variety and quality eats! The US idea of bad food in the UK comes from GI’s feedback from during WW2 when we had food supply rationing and bland tastes….we’ve come a long way in 77yrs!
0:55 He's right about the pub food thing. Unless the pub specifically has a dining room area primarily for eating, food at pubs is usually eaten for lunchtimes, and also on Sundays afternoons.
Guys you have to put malt vinegar on the chips and tons of salt. That’s what we do. My grandpa had a fish n chip shop when he was young. He’s from Yorkshire, as was my granny
Great to see you break the stereotype of food in England. I walked around Borough market with 4 different foods in my hand and could have kept buying all day- Fish and Chips is something I would marry if that ever became legal- Thank you x
I lost my hair nearly 20 years ago and when I saw how good you looked without your wig it made me feel better about my situation. You look great with it too. Go girl!
Iv had 5 life saving ops so i look like iv been stabed, slashed, shot and atacked by Voldimor. When i had my hart op i asked the consultant to mach my new scar up with my huge gastro scar, he had never been asked to do that. I thought it was funny making it look like id been opened up from neck to tummy button, he did it so i want to get a tat of a zip pull bit on it. My brother is a burns victem with 48% burns at 11months old, so scars are horribly normal and no worries. He has been told "i would normaly have to pay to see a freek like you" it was in a pub, but it was a baby walker and a full kettel, it could happen to anyone and baby walkers should be band, iv seen to many kids in the burns unit due to walkers. He had 3 years in hospital and 17 years of horrible ops, . If you read this and have a walker please, please chuck it away.
We were in London for the Red Sox and Yankee games in 2019z we went to one of the pubs near the the Ild Globe called The Anchor . Had the best fish and chips! We stayed right along the Thames and had the best time! London is amazing!
Spent 5 days in London, drove to Edinburgh & spent 3 nights there. Then another trip spent 13 days in Scotland. Great food everywhere! The drive up one coast in England & back down the other coast was the best! Need to get out of London and see how beautiful it is. But Scotland is our favorite & our daughter has been 3 times.
I think 30 years ago there might have been a justification for the negative view of certain types of food in the UK, but we went through a kind of food Revolution and things changed dramatically over time, including the tightening of the way food is produced. So the Quality and diversity improved significantly, including infusion of styles.
That reputation was started in the 2nd world War by US soldiers who came to the UK. Food was significantly rationed, Farmers were serving in the army, and "land girls" and prisoners of war filling in on the farms. Of course the food wasn't great! That was 80 years or so ago now !!!
Had to laugh when you told her she ate the paper, yes it was rice paper 😂 you should have tried it and found on some of our other UK cookies. Perfectly edible.
@@jamesfahy2935 ...non-brewed condiment is a cheap and nasty bye product of the petro-chemical industry and in no way compares to real brewed vinegar...🤢
You normally add the tartar sauce, or a squeeze of fresh lemon to fish, especially delicate fish like sole and plaice. But vinegar, ketchup, brown sauce and salt are all popular. Also add pickles, like pickled onions, gherkins or pickled eggs. They're normally kept in large jars on the counter.
GIs came here during the war and saw us eating not much and of crap food when we were under rationing due to the war (uboats trying to starve us) in fact we had rationing till 1955. Anyway that's where the stereotype about bad food comes from and tbh it does actually wind me up lol
Ahh, Flat Iron is a bit of an experimental place in London that serves cheap steak for low prices and is still relatively nice. It does well, and the steak is ok, but you get what you pay for. That's why they only have a few options on the menu. It's a steakhouse that doesn't need deep pockets, basically
Great video as always. The malt vinegar and salt is for the chips. Learned that on Princess in the Wheelhouse Bar. Love Indian food. Thanks for sharing.
For the Char Sui Bao (roast pork buns) that you had, and any other buns, just use your hands. Don’t bite into them right away, they’re very hot from the steamer. When you can handle them, turn it over and peel off the paper first. Carefully break it in half to let the steam escape. With filled buns such as those the bottom is usually thinner so I usually hold them with the thinner bottom side up so when I break them open the bottom doesn’t collapse
Proper way for fish and chips is a local fish and chip shop rather than from a pub. Glad you guys enjoyed it…if you ever are back in the U.K. you need to come up north for proper chippy food.
Heading out of the city and you hit the world of country pubs. There are basically three types: 1. Fairly basic local drinking establishment- usually friendly, may serve simple foods. 2. Same as 1 but serve really good quality home cooked traditional meals. 3. Gastro pubs - some of these can be truly excellent but check reviews first!
I would say that London has 6/7 types of pubs/bars: Boozer - A city pub, which does serve food, but mostly for tourists and not good food! (found in zone 1/central London). They often play up to the historical feel and have the stained glass windows, and original features from 16th century etc. City Pub - Which is where you will find people spilling out into the streets after work, great atmosphere. Unless you work in the Square Mile, you wont come across these. Traditional - The same as number 1 in your list. Will host pubs quizes etc Gastro Pub - The feel has more of a restaurant style, with ex michelin chefs etc Village Pub - This is similar to a country gastro pub, really family friendly in a leafy/green area, with a huge and pretty beer garden and then cosy, during the winter with fire places and dogs sleeping on teh floor. Non Londoners are often surprised that London has these, as they arent in central London! Chic Bar - More of a wine bar type feel. Cocktail Bar - similar to chains such as Be@1 etc. Sports Bar - Pub or bar feel, showing sports games, with pool tables etc
I can't bee the only Brit who does sometimes have tomato ketchup with fish and chips. The tartar sauce is similar to a mayo, but with added capers. Some people like mushy peas, some don't. Personally I think that mushy peas along with a good tartar sauce and malt vinegar make a good foil for traditional fish and chips. I have them as an occasional treat and my mouth is watering right now!
The vinegar goes on the chips lol with salt, shame you didn't try a traditional London dish ...pie, mash and liquor from Manzes in tower bridge road and Borough Market
The American perception of British food being bad/bland comes from the war years when US servicemen were based in the UK and almost everything was rationed. This austerity and even the rationing of some foodstuffs continued into the 1950s. On a side note, my dad's idea of a curry in the 1960s was basically a stew with curry powder thrown in.
Curry is like the national dish in the UK. Literally hundreds of restaurants in London. It's like your Mexican food in the states. There is also a distinction between Pakistani and Indian owned restaurants where the menus can be different. Lots of Indian vegetarian restaurants in London as well.
If and when you cross the pond again, see if you can visit the north of England. Lancashire and Yorkshire particularly. Best beer and fish n chips you'll find anywhere. 😋😉
You guys are way more adventurous with food than I am but if you're gonna try different food London is the place to do it. I (as another person said) am biased about fish n chips since I come from a fishing port..walking along the seafront eating out of the paper wrapping...can't beat it😊
i was about to say that... we don't tend to go to pubs for a meal unless its like a Harvester etc for family places... we go to pubs to drink but having food available is handy.. you dont see a lot of ppl eating in them for that reason not because the food is sketch
Chicken Tikka Masala is at the mild end of the curry spectrum but its a great introduction to curries and has become the UK favourite dish taking over from Fish and Chips. Keep with the curries (Chinese, Indian or Thai) and work your way up the spice levels.
You seem to love the food.The variety and quality in London is amazing .The portion sizes are not humungus like in the states but its all the better for it as we hate waste and quantity is not quality.The best part though is how refreshingly lovely and uncynical you are and how well matched and happy!
@@EECCTravels We don't do the doggy bag thing as a rule. The history of that in the States is food-serving taverns and inns in the colonies when you might travel a day on horseback just to get to the next town, you needed something on the go.
The best fish and chips are from a chippy on the sea front. Sausy Sues in Port Glasgo was my fave as a kid but iv had amasig F& C in Lings Lynn Norfork and Southwald Suffork both right next to the sea.
Indian food, tailored to British tastes, is ubiquitous in the UK. It's verging on national dish status. But I struggled to find it in the US. Conversely, Mexican food is very common there but less so here. In both cases, I'm guessing this is for historical reasons.
Thank you for taking us on the London Food tour.😄 My son & his girlfriend will be visiting London this week and I told him about the two market places y'all had visited.
Tell them to try Camden Lock or Acklam Village market on Portobello Road .. They are both cool places to visit/drink/shop but also - I prefer these to Borough Market & Spitalfields
I love your videos ❤ Food is absolutely great in lots of places in the U.K. now. FYI Fish and chips in seaside towns are off the chart good. Chicken tikka masala is a British curry invention. The other might have been a butter chicken or korma
What we noticed in a few of the pubs we visited is that there is an upstairs and that’s where you’ll find people eating. Fish and chips wrapped in paper is just wonderful!
The first of the pubs you went in that were 'buzzing' but nobody eating I am guessing was 'after work' 5-7pm? everyone is there for the beer not the food, as you noticed we Brits don't eat at 6pm we eat later (after the 'after work beers') As mentioned before 'Pub' fish & chips is not the best (IMO) a more local off the tourist route shop would have been better (but your not meant to know that) Dim Sum the king of Chinese foods lots of different fillings to enjoy (you should have tried 'Crispy Duck') on the Curry front very popular in the UK and a bit of an acquired taste (if your not used to it) but Tikka Masala is a solid choice (wish I knew what the other dish you had was!) and you should have tried Onion Bargee! Food in the UK seems to have a bad rep, but every youtuber who visits say they are impressed with the food here, I live here and think we do food very well with the Veggie & Vegan choices as well as the Calorie count, I live in South London if you ever come back I can show you the local places we eat, glad you showcased the food
Up north, if you go to a chippy you can get gravy to go with chips and fish. I never see that in London videos. Its more of a commoner thing I think that the locals go for. Chippy chips are very unique texture, nothing like the restaurant chips
You have to remember meats in the UK have no chemicals in and there not big steaks as there not artificially oversized on steroids...hope that wasn't rude 💕
Welcome to the London curry club!!! It’s amazing and the most popular dish in the UK. Yes even more that fish and chips lol. If you ever come back to London, try visiting Brick Lane. Amazing pubs and the best Indian food in London Alissa you are looking beautiful with your short hair. You inspire me Bess you both ❤
At last, Americans finally killing the myth that British food is bland. Most Americans have never left the US, and have passed these myths down for years. Fish and chips with vinegar yes, (must be malt vinegar). Ketchup, yuk, when I was growing up, 80 years ago, my mother never bought ketchup, it takes all the flavour from the food you are eating, no matter what food. Great video.
Fun fact... the 'vinegar' served in most British chippies is not in fact vinegar but non-brewed condiment, which is cheaper. It's actually illegal to sell or label it as vinegar.
@@citizenpb Hah, I haven't been in England for over 40 years. I know the food has changed drastically from my youth. I left England when I was 40. Chippies, in Britain were mostly just, fish, chips and mushy peas when I was growing up. After the immigration influx, I believe the food/variety has changed mightily. I wish I could visit now, to try the large, different varieties of foods I see these tourists eating.
@@philipashley9723 You wouldn't recognise it. Not just the variety of new cuisines introduced by immigration, but decent grub is more readily available and there's a whole new culture around food, it's become cool rather than just something to fill you up. It can be a bit pretentious though... the humble British fish 'n' chips is now more likely to be sold as 'beer battered, line caught, north atlantic cod with home made triple cooked chunky potato batons and a crushed pea puree.' 🤣
If you get chance try go to a pie n mash shop it’s traditional East end food and its delicious 😋 also try Efes Turkish restaurant you won’t be disappointed!
Not only is ketchup perfectly fine, but their ketchup is better than in the US. Made with sugar instead of corn syrup. Kinda like the ketchup version of a Mexican Coke. If you can find "Simply Heinz" in the grocery store here, that's the same thing.
I've always liked the food I've had in the UK. I even like the mushy peas. It sounds kinda weird to have mint in peas but somehow it really works. I like HP Sauce on my chips but I would sometimes ask for ketchup. Using ketchup is certainly not taboo, they'll have it and chances are it will be Heinz. You do have to ask for as it won't automatically be brought out like here at home.
ketchup is fine for fish n chips, and is great to cut the fried food - I prefer it as it also offsets the savouriness, more so than tartare sauce. Many Brits use ketchup too.
As a person from Massachusetts I love the idea that your supporting our state by wearing Boston red Sox and other Boston clothing when your traveling I'm from a southeast city new bedford and proud to be from here love your channel and never miss a episode ❤ 😀 💙
Ha, I'm from Old Bedford (the original) in the UK. Many of the areas visited in this video were owned by the duke of Bedford (lots of references to Bedford, tavistock and Russell.) years ago.
Pubs are for drinking and cafe's and restaurants are for eating, try Manchester for Curries, there's a road known as Curry mile where you can get mostly Asian food
I'm a Scotsman, I ask for my fish and chips to be smothered in salt and swimming in vinegar. The best roll in the World to eat is sliced sausage, bacon, haggis, black pudding and tattie scone with HP sauce. It's what God has to start his day.
Vinegar goes on the chips NOT on the fish. Punjab is NOT the oldest Indian restaurant in London. That accolade goes to Veeraswamy which has been here since 1926.
Great video, love the variety. The bad food thing is such an outdated yet very prominent stereotype about the UK, it's the only one that does actually annoy me a little haha. Rain and clouds, often true. Wonky teeth, partly true. Bad food, nah.
@@billybudd5854 Yeah, I’ve heard that too. That’s why I went with wonky instead of bad 😂 Although braces are becoming a lot more common these days. We’ve started caring a little I guess haha
Curry is big in the U.K!!! We have a large Indian population!!! We love China town in London!!! We go with my mate who is Singaporean so we know where is good there!!! Fish and chips are awesome!!! Ketchup is cool in the U.K.!!! Malt vinegar is normal vinegar in the U.K.!!!
Go to Brighton, order fish and chips from Harry Ramsden's takeaway and then go and sit on the pier and eat it with your fingers. Ketchup is recommended. The best time is at sunset.
Eating at pubs in London is generally a lunch-time habit. Later in the day, pubs tend to be too crowded to encourage one to eat food. As for food generally in London and UK, as a Brit with an American husband who ran one of America's largest business/ education travel agencies, let's just say he thinks that London has the widest selection food of any city he has been in. The quality is of a very high standard (with exceptions of course). He does complain that he can't really get great Mexican food in the UK to which I retort America doesn't do great Indian food. Anyway, glad you enjoyed your food experience here and were pleased to share that experience with fellow travellers.
The Flot Iron used to be a bar famous for being the watering hole of rock stars in the 1960s. Elton John was discovered there, when a studio needed a piano player for a demo they were recording, and they popped in and asked if there was anyone who could play. The music shops in the small street had studios, and many famous records were recorded there, and The Sex Pistols lived in a house in the middle of that street.
@@georgeprout42 Hello.! This is why I miss the UK so much. Have not been back since the Covid and not seen family since. Could not attend the Queens Funeral. Will miss her. Hope that the monarch will lift travelling for me so will be able to go back. So many different foods you can get at the Farmers Market. Have a great day. Cheers.!
Guys that paper is actually edible rice paper. And you can ask for ketchup, it's no problem. Ketchup is a national condiment. Also with fish and chips with peas, you just have to douse the whole thing in plenty of salt and vinegar. That's what makes fish and chips.
My favorite is a lamb phall and ask the chef to make it as hot as possible, with rice, keema nan, pickles and a couple of poppadom's. Too hot by a long way unless you're used to it so don't copy me!! Mushy peas need a sprinkle of mint sauce - finely chopped mint leaves with salt and sugar and lots of vinegar.
I was in that China town area just a few weeks before you. It was a really cool to walk around. Every restaurant was so busy. I picked a random spot and had dimsum too (it's one of my fav foods). I was shouting at the screen as you were taking a bite of the pork bun. THE PAPER THE PAPER! LOL 😂 ❤️
Loved this video. London is one of my favourite cities to travel to and the food is a large part of that. My husband and I like sharing an order so we can try a lot of food at a lot of different pubs and restaurants.
Great fun video. But you must be beyond stuffed. Never seen vinegar being put on the fish before, it's usually for the chips with salt and mushy peas with fish and chips is delicious. You should expect a wedge of a lemon to squeeze over the fish.
Some Americans (and I'm guessing they're mainly the ones who've never travelled) have a lot of misconceptions about the UK - and probably Europe as a whole. With regard to food, we as a family go to America quite a lot and always look forward to eating out over there. Too often, however, the meals don't actually taste that good. Perhaps something to do with using additives that are banned in Europe, or simply too many ingredients thrown in? The huge portions aren't a selling point either (not with my family anyway).
The whole US image of UK food was fueled by the GI's in WW2, they didn't understand that the ordinary British people were rationed and thought this was how the British always lived and ate, the US Army bases were loaded up with food and items that the ordinary British couldn't buy due to rationing and the losses of shipping to U-boats made this even worse.
The key to good Fish n chips is plenty of salt and vinegar, especially on the chips The mushy peas you eat with a piece of fish or chips not as a side :)
You don't really need ketchup etc if you put lashings of salt and malt vinegar over the fish and the chips. If you're getting them from a decent chip shop (rather than restaurant) they're nice with chip shop curry too.
London isn't a great city for fish and chips...pub fish and chips can be decent, but always different to chippy fish and chips, and there's few (any?) good chippies in Central London. But the arsenal fish bar in Finsbury Park is great.
So glad you tried some good london eating spots! I can’t believe the video cut off before going to greggs 😜 hope you do a part two. By the way Indian food i my favourite I’m so glad you tried it and liked it!
I love fish n chips. Having them in a restaurant or a pub is perfectly acceptable, but in my humble opinion, the only true way to eat them is outside, in the traditional paper wrapping, with your fingers or a tiny wooden fork, sitting on a bench facing the sea. THAT is the perfect fish n chip experience 🙂😛
True but we've some really good places in London too. And London has its own beauty.
That does sound perfect!!
@@EECCTravels In my humble opinion - and I think many others would agree - fish and chips from a real fish and chip shop, rather than a pub or restaurant, is much better. And rather than cod, try haddock instead. And yes, it's perfectly OK to add tomato ketchup.
Yes to all of the above, particularly facing the sea, on a harbour wall, under gunmetal skies, warding off stroppy sea gulls that demand chips like they are the rent.
I cant eat pub fish n chips
The paper in a cChinese restaruaunt is edible rice paper. Englis thick cut chips are much healthier than the This 'French Fries' as you call them (in France they are called allumettes or 'matchsticks') as the thinner fries absorb much more fat than the larger chip due to the relatively larger surface area. You may be in the Indian restaurant which is still operational but the first Curries were served in London in 1773 and the first Indian restaurant run by an Indian opened in 1810. Spiced foods has been opular in te uK since spices were bought back by the Crusaders of the 10th and 11th Century.. One of Queen Victorias favourite chefs was Indian who prpared her favourite curries. I couldnever understand how we got this rediculous reputation for Bland food here in the uK.
If no one is eating in the pub, it might be that they are not serving food at that time. There are pubs in the UK that only serve food at specific times throughout the day.
I understand the history of the reputation British food has in the US - GIs in the UK during WWII rationing etc..etc But that was 70+ years ago! The UK has had an increasingly diverse and inventive cuisine for at least 50 years, welcoming food from all over the world and giving it a unique British twist. Does the US really think the UK is stuck in the 1950s?
Well they are , so probably.🤷♀️
Put the vinegar on the chips with lots of salt - yum.
I just wanna say how much I LOVE your energy and positive vibes. I watched the first of your London videos last night on a whim and ended up getting to bed at 3am because I couldn't stop watching the rest of them. Your willingness to try everything and the way you were both so open to every new experience was so heartwarming - your excitement is infectious. Such a joy to watch, thank you so much!
Great reviews, London’s pretty infinite food wise…you could spend a lifetime working through its variety and quality eats! The US idea of bad food in the UK comes from GI’s feedback from during WW2 when we had food supply rationing and bland tastes….we’ve come a long way in 77yrs!
Good to know. Thanks for sharing!
In the USA you tend to put chemicals in your Steaks/Meat......in the UK we do not. So the taste is how its meant to be.
Hope that helps!
0:55 He's right about the pub food thing. Unless the pub specifically has a dining room area primarily for eating, food at pubs is usually eaten for lunchtimes, and also on Sundays afternoons.
Guys you have to put malt vinegar on the chips and tons of salt. That’s what we do. My grandpa had a fish n chip shop when he was young. He’s from Yorkshire, as was my granny
Great to see you break the stereotype of food in England. I walked around Borough market with 4 different foods in my hand and could have kept buying all day- Fish and Chips is something I would marry if that ever became legal- Thank you x
I lost my hair nearly 20 years ago and when I saw how good you looked without your wig it made me feel better about my situation. You look great with it too. Go girl!
@mary carver wouldn’t say it was obviously a wig, I certainlydidn’t realise until she took it off
Iv had 5 life saving ops so i look like iv been stabed, slashed, shot and atacked by Voldimor. When i had my hart op i asked the consultant to mach my new scar up with my huge gastro scar, he had never been asked to do that. I thought it was funny making it look like id been opened up from neck to tummy button, he did it so i want to get a tat of a zip pull bit on it.
My brother is a burns victem with 48% burns at 11months old, so scars are horribly normal and no worries. He has been told "i would normaly have to pay to see a freek like you" it was in a pub, but it was a baby walker and a full kettel, it could happen to anyone and baby walkers should be band, iv seen to many kids in the burns unit due to walkers. He had 3 years in hospital and 17 years of horrible ops, . If you read this and have a walker please, please chuck it away.
We were in London for the Red Sox and Yankee games in 2019z we went to one of the pubs near the the Ild Globe called The Anchor . Had the best fish and chips! We stayed right along the Thames and had the best time! London is amazing!
Spent 5 days in London, drove to Edinburgh & spent 3 nights there. Then another trip spent 13 days in Scotland. Great food everywhere! The drive up one coast in England & back down the other coast was the best! Need to get out of London and see how beautiful it is. But Scotland is our favorite & our daughter has been 3 times.
I think 30 years ago there might have been a justification for the negative view of certain types of food in the UK, but we went through a kind of food Revolution and things changed dramatically over time, including the tightening of the way food is produced. So the Quality and diversity improved significantly, including infusion of styles.
That reputation was started in the 2nd world War by US soldiers who came to the UK. Food was significantly rationed, Farmers were serving in the army, and "land girls" and prisoners of war filling in on the farms. Of course the food wasn't great! That was 80 years or so ago now !!!
I love how Jason is so encouraging in their family…. He is such a wonderful man!
Yes he absolutely is ❤️
Had to laugh when you told her she ate the paper, yes it was rice paper 😂 you should have tried it and found on some of our other UK cookies. Perfectly edible.
I love the malt vinegar on both the fish and the chips, and then dip the vinegar chips into ketchup. 😋
Thanks for a fun adventure!
Most chip shops use non-brewed condiment rather than malt vinegar. It's better.
@@jamesfahy2935 ...non-brewed condiment is a cheap and nasty bye product of the petro-chemical industry and in no way compares to real brewed vinegar...🤢
You normally add the tartar sauce, or a squeeze of fresh lemon to fish, especially delicate fish like sole and plaice. But vinegar, ketchup, brown sauce and salt are all popular. Also add pickles, like pickled onions, gherkins or pickled eggs. They're normally kept in large jars on the counter.
@04:40 Phone on table looks in a good position to steal
I saw that too!
GIs came here during the war and saw us eating not much and of crap food when we were under rationing due to the war (uboats trying to starve us) in fact we had rationing till 1955. Anyway that's where the stereotype about bad food comes from and tbh it does actually wind me up lol
Ahh, Flat Iron is a bit of an experimental place in London that serves cheap steak for low prices and is still relatively nice. It does well, and the steak is ok, but you get what you pay for. That's why they only have a few options on the menu.
It's a steakhouse that doesn't need deep pockets, basically
Great video as always. The malt vinegar and salt is for the chips. Learned that on Princess in the Wheelhouse Bar. Love Indian food. Thanks for sharing.
I've always loved malt vinegar and salt on my battered fish, probably more so than on the chips, I always have.
I'm on a diet .... so thanks for that video. I'm now chewing my keyboard.
For the Char Sui Bao (roast pork buns) that you had, and any other buns, just use your hands. Don’t bite into them right away, they’re very hot from the steamer. When you can handle them, turn it over and peel off the paper first. Carefully break it in half to let the steam escape. With filled buns such as those the bottom is usually thinner so I usually hold them with the thinner bottom side up so when I break them open the bottom doesn’t collapse
Proper way for fish and chips is a local fish and chip shop rather than from a pub. Glad you guys enjoyed it…if you ever are back in the U.K. you need to come up north for proper chippy food.
FYI the malt vinegar is for the chips.
Heading out of the city and you hit the world of country pubs. There are basically three types:
1. Fairly basic local drinking establishment- usually friendly, may serve simple foods.
2. Same as 1 but serve really good quality home cooked traditional meals.
3. Gastro pubs - some of these can be truly excellent but check reviews first!
I would say that London has 6/7 types of pubs/bars:
Boozer - A city pub, which does serve food, but mostly for tourists and not good food! (found in zone 1/central London). They often play up to the historical feel and have the stained glass windows, and original features from 16th century etc.
City Pub - Which is where you will find people spilling out into the streets after work, great atmosphere. Unless you work in the Square Mile, you wont come across these.
Traditional - The same as number 1 in your list. Will host pubs quizes etc
Gastro Pub - The feel has more of a restaurant style, with ex michelin chefs etc
Village Pub - This is similar to a country gastro pub, really family friendly in a leafy/green area, with a huge and pretty beer garden and then cosy, during the winter with fire places and dogs sleeping on teh floor. Non Londoners are often surprised that London has these, as they arent in central London!
Chic Bar - More of a wine bar type feel.
Cocktail Bar - similar to chains such as Be@1 etc.
Sports Bar - Pub or bar feel, showing sports games, with pool tables etc
I can't bee the only Brit who does sometimes have tomato ketchup with fish and chips. The tartar sauce is similar to a mayo, but with added capers. Some people like mushy peas, some don't. Personally I think that mushy peas along with a good tartar sauce and malt vinegar make a good foil for traditional fish and chips. I have them as an occasional treat and my mouth is watering right now!
Pubs are all different. Some pubs are mainly drinking pubs more like a bar. Some are mainly drinking with food and some are mainly food with drinking.
The vinegar goes on the chips lol with salt, shame you didn't try a traditional London dish ...pie, mash and liquor from Manzes in tower bridge road and Borough Market
The American perception of British food being bad/bland comes from the war years when US servicemen were based in the UK and almost everything was rationed. This austerity and even the rationing of some foodstuffs continued into the 1950s. On a side note, my dad's idea of a curry in the 1960s was basically a stew with curry powder thrown in.
Malt vinegar goes on the chips not on the batter because it goes soggy, it's ok to ask for tomato sauce
For steak, you should have gone to Hawksmoor. They have all the cuts that Jason mentioned and they're all cooked perfectly, next trip.
Noted!
Hawksmoor Knightsbridge or Gaucho either Piccadilly, Charlotte St or Richmond.
@@willfoster1565 I prefer the Seven Dials Hawksmoor but i went to the restaurant at Borough and the quality is pretty consistent
@@willfoster1565disagree, Guildhall.
Curry is like the national dish in the UK. Literally hundreds of restaurants in London. It's like your Mexican food in the states. There is also a distinction between Pakistani and Indian owned restaurants where the menus can be different. Lots of Indian vegetarian restaurants in London as well.
In England 80% of the restaurants are owned by Bangladeshis not indians or Pakistanis.
I'm having so much fun on this trip, thanks for taking me along!
If and when you cross the pond again, see if you can visit the north of England. Lancashire and Yorkshire particularly. Best beer and fish n chips you'll find anywhere. 😋😉
You guys are way more adventurous with food than I am but if you're gonna try different food London is the place to do it. I (as another person said) am biased about fish n chips since I come from a fishing port..walking along the seafront eating out of the paper wrapping...can't beat it😊
That actually sounds amazing!!
It's also worth checking out Dishoom, really lovely food and the restaurants are very atmospheric, particularly the Kings Cross one.
One thing to remember, we have a drinking culture, so not so many people will eat as they will drink, but hey you choose your own adventure 👌🏻
i was about to say that... we don't tend to go to pubs for a meal unless its like a Harvester etc for family places... we go to pubs to drink but having food available is handy.. you dont see a lot of ppl eating in them for that reason not because the food is sketch
Chicken Tikka Masala is at the mild end of the curry spectrum but its a great introduction to curries and has become the UK favourite dish taking over from Fish and Chips. Keep with the curries (Chinese, Indian or Thai) and work your way up the spice levels.
You seem to love the food.The variety and quality in London is amazing .The portion sizes are not humungus like in the states but its all the better for it as we hate waste and quantity is not quality.The best part though is how refreshingly lovely and uncynical you are and how well matched and happy!
We actually really liked that the portions were smaller! They are way to bug in the US and you feel like you need to eat it all so as not to waste.
@@EECCTravels We don't do the doggy bag thing as a rule. The history of that in the States is food-serving taverns and inns in the colonies when you might travel a day on horseback just to get to the next town, you needed something on the go.
From one Southerner to another, (TN-go Vols!😜), you guys are just real! And so cute! I enjoy your videos. The food looks amazing!!
The best fish and chips are from a chippy on the sea front. Sausy Sues in Port Glasgo was my fave as a kid but iv had amasig F& C in Lings Lynn Norfork and Southwald Suffork both right next to the sea.
As a Canadian, we also put vinegar on our French fries! Try it!!!
Indian food, tailored to British tastes, is ubiquitous in the UK. It's verging on national dish status. But I struggled to find it in the US. Conversely, Mexican food is very common there but less so here. In both cases, I'm guessing this is for historical reasons.
Visit Niagara Falls NY USA- lots of Indian restaurants and food trucks.
After 20 yrs every time I have been to the States I have tried to find decent Indian food, but failed.
Thank you for taking us on the London Food tour.😄 My son & his girlfriend will be visiting London this week and I told him about the two market places y'all had visited.
Tell them to try Camden Lock or Acklam Village market on Portobello Road .. They are both cool places to visit/drink/shop but also - I prefer these to Borough Market & Spitalfields
@@AM-dz2sh Thank you!!
I love your videos ❤ Food is absolutely great in lots of places in the U.K. now. FYI Fish and chips in seaside towns are off the chart good. Chicken tikka masala is a British curry invention. The other might have been a butter chicken or korma
It looked more like a Rogan Gosh to me, which sounds like the Indian equivalent to Danny Boyle 😁
I did not know that
They really need to try A Madras.. Vindaloo is a bit much for folks who aren't used to it but a Madras would be lovely for them to try.
Punjab is not the oldest Indian restaurant by a long way. Veeraswamy was founded in 1926.
What we noticed in a few of the pubs we visited is that there is an upstairs and that’s where you’ll find people eating.
Fish and chips wrapped in paper is just wonderful!
We ate at a pub near Hyde Park. We ate upstairs and had wonderful fish and chips.
The first of the pubs you went in that were 'buzzing' but nobody eating I am guessing was 'after work' 5-7pm? everyone is there for the beer not the food, as you noticed we Brits don't eat at 6pm we eat later (after the 'after work beers') As mentioned before 'Pub' fish & chips is not the best (IMO) a more local off the tourist route shop would have been better (but your not meant to know that) Dim Sum the king of Chinese foods lots of different fillings to enjoy (you should have tried 'Crispy Duck') on the Curry front very popular in the UK and a bit of an acquired taste (if your not used to it) but Tikka Masala is a solid choice (wish I knew what the other dish you had was!) and you should have tried Onion Bargee! Food in the UK seems to have a bad rep, but every youtuber who visits say they are impressed with the food here, I live here and think we do food very well with the Veggie & Vegan choices as well as the Calorie count, I live in South London if you ever come back I can show you the local places we eat, glad you showcased the food
We really enjoyed eating around London!
Up north, if you go to a chippy you can get gravy to go with chips and fish. I never see that in London videos. Its more of a commoner thing I think that the locals go for. Chippy chips are very unique texture, nothing like the restaurant chips
You have to remember meats in the UK have no chemicals in and there not big steaks as there not artificially oversized on steroids...hope that wasn't rude 💕
It’s called the Elizabeth Tower , Big Ben is the name of the bell inside the tower 😊
Welcome to the London curry club!!! It’s amazing and the most popular dish in the UK. Yes even more that fish and chips lol.
If you ever come back to London, try visiting Brick Lane. Amazing pubs and the best Indian food in London
Alissa you are looking beautiful with your short hair. You inspire me
Bess you both ❤
At last, Americans finally killing the myth that British food is bland. Most Americans have never left the US, and have passed these myths down for years. Fish and chips with vinegar yes, (must be malt vinegar). Ketchup, yuk, when I was growing up, 80 years ago, my mother never bought ketchup, it takes all the flavour from the food you are eating, no matter what food. Great video.
Fun fact... the 'vinegar' served in most British chippies is not in fact vinegar but non-brewed condiment, which is cheaper. It's actually illegal to sell or label it as vinegar.
@@citizenpb Hah, I haven't been in England for over 40 years. I know the food has changed drastically from my youth. I left England when I was 40. Chippies, in Britain were mostly just, fish, chips and mushy peas when I was growing up. After the immigration influx, I believe the food/variety has changed mightily. I wish I could visit now, to try the large, different varieties of foods I see these tourists eating.
@@philipashley9723 You wouldn't recognise it. Not just the variety of new cuisines introduced by immigration, but decent grub is more readily available and there's a whole new culture around food, it's become cool rather than just something to fill you up. It can be a bit pretentious though... the humble British fish 'n' chips is now more likely to be sold as 'beer battered, line caught, north atlantic cod with home made triple cooked chunky potato batons and a crushed pea puree.' 🤣
Chips with salt and vinegar from open paper while trudging back home through snow after work. It keeps your hands warm.
The best curry in London is at Euston Station - as you can get a train to Birmingham, Leicester or Glasgow and eat where the best curries are
If you get chance try go to a pie n mash shop it’s traditional East end food and its delicious 😋 also try Efes Turkish restaurant you won’t be disappointed!
Definitely, pie and mash is great. I now live in Newcastle and will drive back for some.😋
Not only is ketchup perfectly fine, but their ketchup is better than in the US. Made with sugar instead of corn syrup. Kinda like the ketchup version of a Mexican Coke. If you can find "Simply Heinz" in the grocery store here, that's the same thing.
I've always liked the food I've had in the UK.
I even like the mushy peas. It sounds kinda weird to have mint in peas but somehow it really works.
I like HP Sauce on my chips but I would sometimes ask for ketchup.
Using ketchup is certainly not taboo, they'll have it and chances are it will be Heinz. You do have to ask for as it won't automatically be brought out like here at home.
Love you guys and you sharing your experience with us viewers. Thank you and PLEASE COME BACK TO THE UK!
We absolutely will be back!!
Don't go back to London. There's so much more to England and Britain. Not just the food.
ketchup is fine for fish n chips, and is great to cut the fried food - I prefer it as it also offsets the savouriness, more so than tartare sauce. Many Brits use ketchup too.
As a person from Massachusetts I love the idea that your supporting our state by wearing Boston red Sox and other Boston clothing when your traveling I'm from a southeast city new bedford and proud to be from here love your channel and never miss a episode ❤ 😀 💙
Ha, I'm from Old Bedford (the original) in the UK. Many of the areas visited in this video were owned by the duke of Bedford (lots of references to Bedford, tavistock and Russell.) years ago.
Pubs are for drinking and cafe's and restaurants are for eating, try Manchester for Curries, there's a road known as Curry mile where you can get mostly Asian food
I'm a Scotsman, I ask for my fish and chips to be smothered in salt and swimming in vinegar.
The best roll in the World to eat is sliced sausage, bacon, haggis, black pudding and tattie scone with HP sauce. It's what God has to start his day.
try chicken korma - mild, creamy with coconut milk. Very good and a great intro to Indian food
add vinegar then salt to your chips you wont need ketchup then.curry sauce goes well with fish and chips too
Vinegar goes on the chips NOT on the fish. Punjab is NOT the oldest Indian restaurant in London. That accolade goes to Veeraswamy which has been here since 1926.
Great video, love the variety. The bad food thing is such an outdated yet very prominent stereotype about the UK, it's the only one that does actually annoy me a little haha. Rain and clouds, often true. Wonky teeth, partly true. Bad food, nah.
climate change has put a stop to rainy days
I think recent studies have shown that these days oral hygiene is marginally better in the UK than the US, with fewer teeth missing.
@@billybudd5854 Yeah, I’ve heard that too. That’s why I went with wonky instead of bad 😂 Although braces are becoming a lot more common these days. We’ve started caring a little I guess haha
@@billybudd5854 not just marginally better.
Curry is big in the U.K!!! We have a large Indian population!!! We love China town in London!!! We go with my mate who is Singaporean so we know where is good there!!! Fish and chips are awesome!!! Ketchup is cool in the U.K.!!! Malt vinegar is normal vinegar in the U.K.!!!
Go to Brighton, order fish and chips from Harry Ramsden's takeaway and then go and sit on the pier and eat it with your fingers. Ketchup is recommended. The best time is at sunset.
Eating at pubs in London is generally a lunch-time habit. Later in the day, pubs tend to be too crowded to encourage one to eat food. As for food generally in London and UK, as a Brit with an American husband who ran one of America's largest business/ education travel agencies, let's just say he thinks that London has the widest selection food of any city he has been in. The quality is of a very high standard (with exceptions of course). He does complain that he can't really get great Mexican food in the UK to which I retort America doesn't do great Indian food.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed your food experience here and were pleased to share that experience with fellow travellers.
The Flot Iron used to be a bar famous for being the watering hole of rock stars in the 1960s. Elton John was discovered there, when a studio needed a piano player for a demo they were recording, and they popped in and asked if there was anyone who could play. The music shops in the small street had studios, and many famous records were recorded there, and The Sex Pistols lived in a house in the middle of that street.
That’s so interesting! Thank you for sharing this.
Just remember the UK does not stop in London. Glad you enjoyed your stay, the North UK is superior 🤗
I’m so glad you’re having fun.
Did you ever try the Onion Bloom. Large Onion deep fried. Good for 2 people. Sherlock Homes Pub. Hope you tried that.? Have a great day. Cheers.!
I've only ever seen that the other side of the pond. Rings > bloom tbh.
@@georgeprout42 Hello.! This is why I miss the UK so much. Have not been back since the Covid and not seen family since. Could not attend the Queens Funeral. Will miss her. Hope that the monarch will lift travelling for me so will be able to go back. So many different foods you can get at the Farmers Market. Have a great day. Cheers.!
No, we didn’t see these on the menu.
Guys that paper is actually edible rice paper.
And you can ask for ketchup, it's no problem. Ketchup is a national condiment.
Also with fish and chips with peas, you just have to douse the whole thing in plenty of salt and vinegar. That's what makes fish and chips.
Your channel is delightful. Glad you enjoyed your fish and chips.
My favorite is a lamb phall and ask the chef to make it as hot as possible, with rice, keema nan, pickles and a couple of poppadom's. Too hot by a long way unless you're used to it so don't copy me!! Mushy peas need a sprinkle of mint sauce - finely chopped mint leaves with salt and sugar and lots of vinegar.
I was in that China town area just a few weeks before you. It was a really cool to walk around. Every restaurant was so busy. I picked a random spot and had dimsum too (it's one of my fav foods).
I was shouting at the screen as you were taking a bite of the pork bun. THE PAPER THE PAPER! LOL 😂 ❤️
Usually chips are totally tasty with just salt and vinegar, but it's definitely completely normal for people to have ketchup so no worries! :)
Loved this video. London is one of my favourite cities to travel to and the food is a large part of that. My husband and I like sharing an order so we can try a lot of food at a lot of different pubs and restaurants.
You should have asked for ketchup, every pub has ketchup for fish and chips. Its often on the table already!
Great fun video. But you must be beyond stuffed. Never seen vinegar being put on the fish before, it's usually for the chips with salt and mushy peas with fish and chips is delicious. You should expect a wedge of a lemon to squeeze over the fish.
Ketchup is acceptable I suppose! But malt vinegar is essential when having fish chips and peas. Come try it up north and get a tub of gravy on it..
Some Americans (and I'm guessing they're mainly the ones who've never travelled) have a lot of misconceptions about the UK - and probably Europe as a whole.
With regard to food, we as a family go to America quite a lot and always look forward to eating out over there. Too often, however, the meals don't actually taste that good. Perhaps something to do with using additives that are banned in Europe, or simply too many ingredients thrown in? The huge portions aren't a selling point either (not with my family anyway).
The whole US image of UK food was fueled by the GI's in WW2, they didn't understand that the ordinary British people were rationed and thought this was how the British always lived and ate, the US Army bases were loaded up with food and items that the ordinary British couldn't buy due to rationing and the losses of shipping to U-boats made this even worse.
Thank you guys for always being honest.
I live about 5 miles away from the place they make Aspall cider in a place called Aspal in Suffolk, England. Hope you enjoyed your pint!
The key to good Fish n chips is plenty of salt and vinegar, especially on the chips
The mushy peas you eat with a piece of fish or chips not as a side :)
You don't really need ketchup etc if you put lashings of salt and malt vinegar over the fish and the chips.
If you're getting them from a decent chip shop (rather than restaurant) they're nice with chip shop curry too.
Don't know if you noticed Trident Studios in Chinatown..... This is where David Bowie recorded, among other albums, Ziggy Stardust
Ketchup with fish and chips is perfectly fine. My wife loves it.
We have ketchup with chips. Finger brown sauce. Curry sauce. Don't understand why u think we don't do red sauce on chips. Yum
Depends what time, before 7-7.30pm is too early here.
Great vlog guys! love all the different food stops. Btw Alisa, you are rocking the short hair! looks great on you!
London isn't a great city for fish and chips...pub fish and chips can be decent, but always different to chippy fish and chips, and there's few (any?) good chippies in Central London.
But the arsenal fish bar in Finsbury Park is great.
So glad you tried some good london eating spots! I can’t believe the video cut off before going to greggs 😜 hope you do a part two. By the way Indian food i my favourite I’m so glad you tried it and liked it!