Man, time sure does fly, doesn't it? The last time I posted on Mr Fish and Chips was well over seven years ago! Sheesh, seven years.....seven years! Just think, the first iPhone was released in June of 2007 four months after this post.....Twitter was less than a year old...and it seemed that Mr Fish and Chips had been here forever.
For some reason, this little mom-and-pop....and daughter operation kind of flies under my radar. It could be that I just don't consume that much fry-o-lated food anymore. It could be that it's tucked away in the strip mall that I hardly visit....the one that's been undergoing renovation for what seems like forever.
So I was rather surprised when frequent commenter "Soo" mentioned that a fire had shut down Mr Fish and Chips. I eventually did check out the location after taking my sweet old time and they were indeed closed. I'm sure Soo was happy when they reopened.
So after waiting a couple of months, before we left on our trip, I decided to drop by....you know, just to see. Apparently Soo wasn't the only one happy to see them back in business. They really knew all their regulars and what they ordered, the older Korean woman even chastised one of the men who hadn't visited since they reopened.
I went with the Fish Plate ($8.99) with Fries. This is straight up fried fish....no flavor of the month seasoning, nothing frou-frou....very old school.
The fish is decent, it ain't tilapia or swai, or anything you'd find on a 99 cent fish taco. The batter is closer to tempura, crisp, light, slightly lacquered. The fish was moist and flakey, very mild in flavor. The fries....sigh....are SYSCO-lated, but I expected no less. I would usually order the onion rings.....but decided my batter quota was already being met. I thought the simple coleslaw was better than I recalled, cold, nice vinegar.....maybe I've been longing for something simple and old school.
For some reason, I really thought the Malt Vinegar was weak and insipid....perhaps my tastes have changed, but I couldn't get the flavor I wanted no matter how much of that stuff I poured out. Don't ask me about the tartar sauce....just don't.
In the end, I got what I expected and came here for. What more could I have asked for?
Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours
Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
Closed on Sundays
what the heck is "california malt vinegar, english style"? i don't doubt you couldn't get flavour off of that.
Posted by: santos. | Monday, 16 June 2014 at 10:10 PM
:(
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 17 June 2014 at 12:43 AM
We ain't that old! I think H&H Salt or Union Jack has the best malt vinegar.
Posted by: nhbilly | Tuesday, 17 June 2014 at 05:22 AM
Hi Santos - I haven't a clue...it's really bland.
It actually was pretty good Kat. Not great, but good....which is all I expected.
It's all relative Billy! LOL! BTW, if you ever get a chance to try Sarson's Malt Vinegar, you need to check it out.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 17 June 2014 at 06:23 AM
Goodness I haven't been here in forever. Probably been 7 years for me, too! Looks about like what I'd expect of the place. I might be curious enough to try their scallops sometime.
Posted by: Mary | Tuesday, 17 June 2014 at 10:08 AM
Kirk that's cool you visited again! Get the onion rings next time. They are alot better than the fries. I like them better than the fish which is a bit bland. :-) The fried zucchini isn't bad either.
Posted by: Soo Hom | Tuesday, 17 June 2014 at 10:41 AM
I should have bought some Lays Salt & Vinegar Kettle potato chips, but its so addicting.
Posted by: nhbilly | Tuesday, 17 June 2014 at 06:44 PM
Hi Mary - Being tucked away from Balboa makes it kind of easy to forget about the place even if you pass the strip mall all the time.
Hi Soo - I usually get the onion rings......but it just seemed like too much batter for me this time around.
Love salt and vinegar chips Billy! Now I gotta go get some....
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 18 June 2014 at 06:47 AM