Fish and chips are one of my favourite deep-frying foods. However, I feel that fish and chips in Singapore are in a strange position. The lower price range (7 to 10 SGD) which was commonly found in hawker centres / koptiam (coffee shops), is always Vietnam dory fish fried in breadcrumb style. On another hand, we have a wide selection of fish to choose from barramundi to cod with the classic England batter style but the price was relatively high, from 20 SGD to around 50 SGD. Mid-range was not existent at all.
So I across an online article from 8days that a new Western stall, Fin-ery Kitchen, opening a new outlet in North East run by Mr David Toh, who previously worked as a sous chef in a one-Michelin-starred restaurant. Without further ado, I made a trip down for the fish and chips.
There are 3 types of fish on the menu: Barramundi, Pollock and Halibut which are some of the best types for fish and chips (Cod is the most popular). Other than fish and chips, they do sell other interesting dishes such as Paella, Grilled Tomahawk which is not common in kopitiam. They have a wide selection of sides too.
This stall is currently run by 3 young chefs. Hats off to them for running the stall with an extensive menu.
The Ordered dish:
Halibut Fish and Chips (12.50SGD)
I chose frites (french fries) and coleslaw for my sides. The batter was well-fried with the fish, not too thick. If the batter ended up being too thick, you are eating pancake fish, not fish and chips. Oh yes, they do have malt vinegar on the counter as well!
There is a crisp sound when I cut the fish and it was well-cooked. the texture looks flakey but it was firm and tender with a mild, sweet taste of white meat. This is why I always prefer halibut as my fish and chips and the batter enhanced the taste too.
Whenever you eat fish and chips, you can't miss tartar sauce. The homemade tartar sauce was light, citrusy and not heavy-creamed. It harmonizes and cuts through the richness of the fried fish and chips, providing a refreshing and tangy element to counterbalance the greasiness.
I really recommend the frites here, it is not your typical frozen french fries you bought from the supermarket. It has that fragrance of fresh potato once I took a bite, I believed it was fresh-cut. My only little complaint was the frites still can be more crispy. The coleslaw was normal, nothing to shout about.
Thoughts
Finally, we have some decent choices for a mid-range price for fish and chips. It was well done and the servings were big.
The waiting time was ok, I got my food for around 10 minutes. However, please do note that during peak hours the waiting can be as long as 45 minutes as I observed.
Lastly, I have a concern about their consistency as my friend's plate of fish and chips was not fried as well as mine. I believe this young team will improve their consistency and timing in future. I will revisit their stall for other dishes like Paella rice.
Other food around this area:
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 forks ( due to inconsistency )
Location
Address: 475 Upper Serangoon Cres, Singapore 530475
Opening hours: 12 pm to 9 pm, closed on Tuesday
Do find their latest update on their Facebook!
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