Fish & Chick: Your new go-to chippy by the sea!

After there being not one single place to find good fish and chips in Hong Kong, suddenly there are now three, the latest being Fish & Chick which recently opened right on the waterfront in Kennedy Town.

Although we both got lost trying to find Fish & Chick (I blame Google Maps!), the setting is perfect. The unobstructed view of the sea is fitting for the restaurant’s concept and instils a calmness that, try as they might, no Mid-Levels chippy can muster (sorry Seasalt and Hooked!).

The other thing that makes Fish & Chick different is that, as you may guess from its name, it also serves roast chicken. Owners Paul Pun and Magdalena Ho used to live in Australia and missed the fish ‘n’ chip shops and rotisserie chicken places they used to love there – so they combined the two and brought us Fish & Chick!

Decked out in typical seaside colours, bearing oars and helms, and of course a giant neon ‘Fish & Chick’ sign on the wall, the restaurant is a cute, inviting space where you can easily while away many hours and forget you’re in Hong Kong.

We began with a very simple salad of frisée leaves, crispy bacon and a perfect poached egg. These three very simple ingredients were a match made in heaven and needed no further help to make this a winning salad.

Following this came a basket of mixed appetisers, consisting of homemade crab croquettes, deep-fried prawns, calamari and a piece of battered monkfish, served with a pot of delicious homemade tartar sauce and wasabi mayo. All of the seafood was lovely and fresh, particularly the calamari, which was only ever so slightly dusted in batter, leaving the succulent squid itself to be the centre of attention. The crab croquettes also had a pleasant flavour, whilst unfortunately the monkfish was not particularly notable. I couldn’t help but think that monkfish, which is such a versatile fish on its own, was a little wasted under the batter.

When you order your fish and chips, you have the choice of cod, haddock, sea bass, monkfish or barramundi. Wanting to stay traditional, we opted for haddock, which came beautifully presented in its golden beer batter atop a mountain of hand-cut fat chips, a side of mushy peas and more of that delicious tartar sauce. The batter was neither too thick nor oily, whilst the fish beneath was perfectly flaky and tasty. Mushy peas aren’t something I crave and these didn’t particularly excite me, although we did like that the peas still had a bit of bite to them.

For those Sassy girls who would prefer to avoid batter, the pan-fried sea bass is a super tasty alternative. Ours came atop a mound of rustic skin-on mashed potato with a drizzle of pesto oil. I love me a plate of good old-fashioned fish and chips, but I might be tempted to say that this healthier and fancier version was actually my favourite of the two.

By the time we had finished the two fish dishes, we had almost forgotten about the second half of the restaurant’s name, but of course we had to try the signature roast chicken. Apparently the chooks are marinated in mustard before being cooked in the rotisserie grill for about an hour to give them their lovely golden colour. The meat was utterly faultless; it was succulent, not dry in the slightest and the skin was deliciously crispy. Our side order of sweet corn, with all its buttery goodness was the perfect accompaniment.

After a feast and a half, the fresh, zesty lemon and lime sorbet was a wonderfully light end to the meal. I loved the chunks of lime zest that gave it a rustic, handmade quality.

Although I didn’t try it myself, Lauren’s carrot cake was apparently lovely and moist. It wasn’t necessarily very spiced itself, but the generous sprinkling of cinnamon, which of course added to the beautiful presentation, complemented the flavours and made for a dangerously more-ish slice of cake!

Prices are reasonable, with a plate of fish and chips coming in at around $120, or half a chicken with one side for $85. The lunch sets, meanwhile, are amazingly good value from just $88 for two courses and a drink. Fish & Chick is a lovely little spot with friendly service, tasty food and an unbeatable setting that we will no doubt return to.

P.S. Fish & Chick also offers takeaway and delivery!

Fish & Chick  Shop 6, 25 New Praya Kennedy Town, Sai Wan, Hong Kong, 2974 0088, www.facebook.com/fishandchick

Check out more from Ale on her fab blog, The Dim Sum Diaries!