Nothing beats a good fish and chips, which is why it is probably Britain’s most famous export other than Harry Potter. When I grew up fish and chips was usually a meal eaten at home from a takeaway wrapped in paper, although over the years high-end, chain fish and chip restaurants have sprung up to cater for those who want to enjoy this glorious meal with a little but more pizzazz. One such location is The Mayfair Chippy which has locations in Mayfair, Tower Bridge, and Clapham, and I was invited to come and check out the latter.
The fish and chip restaurant is located in Clapham in the charming Abbeville Village, a quaint little street located a short walk from the common. The restaurant looks fancy without being off-putting and reserves a lot of old English charm. The menu offers an array of seafood, so much so it was hard to choose what to have. Luckily they a variety of weekday deals, one of which were £1 oysters, so we got 6 of the Carlingford Rock Oysters (£6), and a glass of Prosecco (£8.25) each to get the night started. The oysters were absolutely lovely, and my half were soon devoured, I’d be ordering more than three each next time for sure.
We moved on to two more starters, the first being the Cornish Salt & Pepper Squid (£7). The squid was coated in a light crispy batter and came with a Vietnamese style dipping sauce, with lime and chilies. The squid itself was tasty but I would have appreciated a mayonnaise based dipping sauce. Secondly we ordered the Mussels (£7.25), which came in a cream, wine, and parsley sauce. For a starter size these were huge, especially when paired with the bread. The sauce was really scrummy, and I ate far more than I had room for.
The main event is their signature fish and chips dish the Mayfair Classic (£15.50). This consists of fried cod, chips, mushy peas, tartar sauce, and chip shop curry. Oh my god was this good, a huge piece of fresh white cod in a light and crispy batter that was golden and crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. The chips themselves were perfection too, proper chip shop style and the perfect texture. The accompanying mushy peas, tartar sauce, and chip shop curry sauce elevated the dish even more into pure nostalgic paradise. It was a massive portion and we were easily able to share it between us, top marks all round.
By the end of the meal we were stuffed, but my greed triumphed and I took a look at the dessert menu. I can never say no to Eton Mess (£5.75) so we ordered one to share. Again the portion was huge (they are very generous here). The strawberry, cream, and meringue concoction was an absolute delight. The sweet strawberry sauce running through it, really added an extra dimension. It was a great way to end a lovely meal, so make sure you save room for this British classic.
Overall we had a great meal, the quality of the food was excellent and the prices very reasonable considering. The location is a little out of the way if you aren’t local, but as they have the other locations in Mayfair and at Tower Bridge that are more central. Highly recommended if you are looking for a classic taste of Britain.
The Mayfair Chippy is located at 50 Abbeville Rd, London SW4 9NF. The nearest tube station is at Clapham South (Northern line). For more information you can check out their website. They are open from 12pm – 10pm.