UK's local dish...or at least in Sunderland

On my first trip to France many years ago I had McDonalds the first night because I was too scared to order anything from a menu that was written in French. This totally freaked out my wife who is a food fundi and would've done anything in her power to try all the local dishes. So, I eventually decided that even though it is more 'safe' and easy to order a Big Mac in most countries, I will at least try one local dish. I have been to the UK many times before, but never actually looked into what their "local dish" might be, probably because it is so similar to what we eat in South Africa. I have found that the food here compared to the way we have it in South Africa tastes a bit bland. No wonder the locals worship the likes of Jamie Oliver and that foul mouthed Gordon Ramsay who dared to add something with flavour to their food and then sold themselves to the world as "food experts". I think their are housewives in South Africa that make better food than those two, they just don't advertise themselves as well and will properly never receive the recognition they deserve.

So, I was looking around to see if I could find some restaurant that might give me an indication of what the people around here eat. I have seen the "English Breakfast" on the menus, but apart from that dark round thing on my plate which resembles a black ice hockey puck, everything else that is part of the "English" breakfast, you can find in almost any restaurant in South Africa that serves a descent breakfast. So, guided by what I could see along the main road on the Sunderland beach front, I figured that the local dish must be "Fish & Chips" then. People are prepared to stand in long queues waiting to be served and there are in a radius of 1 kilometer probably 10 Fish & Chips outlets selling exactly the same thing....fish, fish cakes, pork sausages....and chips. All deep-fried in oil. So I decided to join the queue and see what the local dish tastes like.

The prices are  more or less the same in all the outlets, between 4 and 5 quit for the "dish of the day". The fish all seems to be from the same species too...which is Cod. I have not seen Haddock around. If you want to add something on the side you would go for a deep fried pork sausage in batter, maybe deep-fried scampi in batter or simply leftovers from the batter that stays behind in the oil...aptly called "batter". I have to mentioned that the chips here are similar to what we call "slap (flacid) chips" in South Africa, and probably the best take-away chips I've ever had outside the street corner Portuguese Fish & Chips cafes from South Africa. The fish, which once you get through the batter, is not bad tasting either. When you eat it with the batter however, you consume enough vegetable oil to fuel a Massey Ferguson for 8 hours non-stop. There will definitely be strong competition once the world moves over to diesel fuel, and with the proposed "fat tax" that they want to introduce in the UK to fight obesity, don't be surprized if the price of UK's favourite dish rises to 10 quit overnight.

If you like to treat yourself every now and then, do try this. Even if it is just for the sake of the chips. If you are into health foods and weight conscious...stay clear! I am for sure having one last Fish & Chips before I return to South Africa next week....

Fish-4-Africa

For me choosing between fish or meat for a braai (BBQ) is like choosing between watching soccer or rugby. You only do the first if the second is not an option, but seeing that soccer is getting all the attention my wife suggested a fish braai and I accepted. So, if you are in Cape Town and you looking for the best shop to buy your fish, then this is the place. Situated in Woodstock in Victoria Drive you cannot miss this little Portuguese corner shop called Fish-4-Africa. The fish is fresh, the price more than reasonable and the staff friendly and very helpful. Our choise for the day was Blue nose, and even though I still prefer a proper meat braai, our guests were really impressed with the final product.

(Note: I am not being paid for this good word I've put in for this fish shop)

Fish & Chips

My weekend didn't start out well. Friday afternoon I was thinking of going camping, but the weather just didn't play along. Saturday was better, but soft drizzle prevented me from doing anything either, especially on my bike. Sunday came and what a glorious day. I thought the only place for me to go on such a "short notice" was to Hout Bay to have some fish & chips. The closest route from where I live to Houtbay is through Milnerton and Camps' Bay over the Suikerbossie pass straight into Hout Bay. The popular hang-out spots along the way were filled with people soaking up some of the rays from the last winter sun, and along the way quite a number of motorcyclists had the same thing in mind as I did...get out and ride! Hout Bay is a small town situated about 20 km south of Cape Town's city centre. I did not take any pictures of Hout Bay because the mist that was driven in from the Atlantice was giving the whole picture a hazy look which does not really compliment the scenery. Hout Bay is not only famous for the Chapman's Peak Drive, one of the most beautiful roads in South Africa, but also for its fish & chips.

I passed Mariner's Wharf, my first option of having fish & chips and went straight down towards the end of the harbour area. Althought situated at a very nice spot next to the small fishing harbour, Mariner's Wharf is more frequented by tourist, a little bit more expensive and usually very overcrowded. So I headed straight down the road to Fish on the Rocks. I always buy my fish and chips here because I like the setting more than the one at Mariner's Warf and although usually crowded as well, you can still get your meal very quickly and go sit on the rocks if you cannot find an empty table. Although there are more than just fish on the menu, I stick to what I like, hake and chips. For R35-00 you get hake and for R32-00 snoek. Both are well worth trying.

My plan was to go from here, sit somewhere where I could find a good view of Hout Bay and read a book. Just when I wanted to leave the restaurant I realized that I don't have my mobile phone with me. This could only mean one of two things. Either I left it at home or it fell from my pocket. Now this thought really dampened my mood, so I thought reading a book not knowing where my phone is is not a relaxing way to spend the rest of the day, so I decided to skip the book and go straight home. I still enjoyed the ride back home, especially the twisties between Llandudno and Camp's Bay. When I arrived home I was relieved to find my mobile phone where I left it while looking for my bike's spare key. Oh, that was another story, but let's not go there... Anyway, finding my phone didn't really make up for the fact that my whole day was already ruined. Unfortunately not a weekend to remember. But, like they say, the sun will shine again...and who knows what next weekend has in store....