Is it Sydney’s, Sydneys’ or simply Sydneys? Anyways, after months of procrastination I have decided to start posting some of my “best of” lists

First up, Fish and Chips.

Why? Well I am the son of a Fishmonger and lived in the UK for 7 years where I don’t think they do it as well as us. A bit like cricket or summer.

After trying over 20 different contenders, below are my Top 3 (three is good, no?)

Fish Butchery 388 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021

Is the hype real? It is a blue chip location but is it blue chip fish and chips? No more questions. Well, maybe a couple of more.

Fish – The fish was ling. If you know anything about fish you know ling is good. How do I know it was ling? Because they had it written on a black board. Honesty it is good fish ling. Ask Roald Dahl. Honestly.  It was cooked well and had that almost sweet flavor that ling is known for.  10/10

The batter – Dark and crunchy. Such crunch is rare and it was there. The batter was a bit too much though, more English then Australian (if you have had fish and chips in the UK you know what I mean). Also the batter had the beer flavor but I am not sure it complemented the fish though. Combinations people. 8/10

The Chips – Hand cut Chips are rare, like diamonds. And like diamonds they should be appreciated. I appreciated these chips. Super crunchy, double fried and skin on. Well salted. I salute well cooked hand cut chips. 10/10

The service – service was good, well presented young man asking me what I wanted. Only wanted one thing though. So I didn’t provide much of a challenge. 7/10

The shop – is it a fish shop? Is it a fish and chip butcher shop? Is it a taxidermist? Is it a cutlery store?  I am not sure.  Only 8 seats makes it hard to bring my cousin’s to feast. Also mongers aren’t butchers. #mongerpride. 7/10

The shops got game, I cannot deny it and either do I want to. Heston would be proud of the delivery of his recipe (Good artists copy, great ones steal). This is a good

Kiwi Fish Shop 895 Botany Rd, Mascot NSW 2020

Some things don’t make any sense until they do. Kiwi fish and chips in Sydney? Located in semi industrial-resi area? Battered sav looking shop?

The Calamari – The way its supposed to be, chunky, well crumbed and full of flavor. Baby what flavor 10/10

Fish – Hake bro, hake well cooked and a good size. Flakey and flavorful. No much else to say, it was all good. 9/10

Batter – the color is the first thing you notice. It really has a glaze. It was soft and had that nice taste and it wasn’t too oily.The crunch is the only thing I would pull it up on. 9/10

Chips  – I like them big, I like them chunky and these were even crunchy. A great batch of chips fried the way they should be. 9/10

The shop – not the best but it suits. Utility over aesthetics. Plenty of seats to bring the fam. 7/10

It all comes together so well here. Everything matches and everything matters. The combinations work well to deliver some solid fish and chips. It’s balanced more than anything with everything working together to deliver some of Sydney’s best fish and chips

The Fish Box & Co 14 Carwar Avenue, Carss Park NSW, 2221

Powering down the princess highway past this non-descript suburban high street there was supposed to be some quality fish and chips on offer.

The Calamari – It was beautifully crumbed, Looked lush and delicious. Just lacked a bit of flavor for me, which is what I was really looking for when I eat that sweet calamari. I mean baby what’s your flavor? 7/10

Fish – The fish was good and even better, it had 2 pieces. What do you prefer one big piece or 2 medium pieces? There is something about 2. The two piece feed is iconic. I feel like fishmongers could learn from the colonel. 8/10

The Batter – Torn is how I feel, just torn. It was light, which is how I like my batter. But the thing is I wasn’t even sure it was all there. I mean did it even exist? Didn’t have enough flavor or crunch. But there wasn’t anything wrong with it to be fair. And nothing wrongs means not bad after all.  7/10

The Chips – The chips were some of the best non hand cut chips I have had. Rectangular and felt like it was almost crumbed. Delicious. Tasty. You could hang your hat on such chips. 9/10

The Service – The service was solid, nice guy, took care of his business and delivered the goods. Said bye on the way out. Again, cannot fault him.  7.5/10

The Shop – The shop is clean and nice, has a modern milk bar feel which I really like.  The window is good without being over the top. The low key location is also a plus for me. 8.5/10

The man made no mistakes. The chips were the strongest part of his game. With everything else being a solid 8 or 7. Sometimes in life it’s just as important to not make mistakes as it is to do the right thing. He did more of the former than the latter, which is okay. More than okay to be fair.