Just where to procure quality fish and chips in London however, seems ever-more elusive. Some lay the blame on factors like the emergence of tikka masala as a foremost national dish (a famous proclamation by late Foreign Secretary Robin Cook), the cumulative effects of unsustainable seafood practices, and perhaps most sanely, the fact that to truly experience transcendent fish and chips, the shop must be seaside.

The first argument is silly and subjective, since after all, Sunday roast beef dinner also has a legitimate claim as a heritage dish of record. Debates about national identity simply do not help explain the apparent loss of fish and chips as a London culinary art.

I say apparent because despite the bedrock wisdom behind the other two factors – available, sustainable fish stocks and location, location, location – and the popularity of curry shops, the London chip shop scene is alive and well. One just has to know where to look. While I submit that newspaper takeaway is classic, my London chippy top ten includes a few unorthodox, practically heretical, establishments.

Rock & Sole Plaice, Covent Garden

This institution near superb Covent Garden hotels is equally popular with tourists and local cubicle workers. Now run by a Turkish-Cypriot family who also serve native dishes from back home, Rock & Sole Plaice still makes superior fish and chips – the way it should be – after more than a century in business.

Rock & Sole Plaice fish and chips – photo credit

Fish Bone, Fitzrovia

Though fish, chips and mushy peas form the basis of what is now a quintessential British dish, food anthropologists believe that the classic fry-technique was germane to new Jewish émigrés in London’s East End. Joseph Malin, proprietor of the first chippy on record in the city, was himself a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe. This brief history lesson helps explain why Fish Bone’s crispy matzah-meal haddock is so sublime. Hand-cut chips and marrow-fat peas help round out a delectable meal.

Fryer’s Delight, Holborn

From posh Cleveland Street in Fitzrovia to the greasy spoon confines of Fryer’s Delight in Holborn we go. A London cab favourite (the ultimate chippy stamp of approval), the key to this Formica diner’s fish and chip success is simple: beef tallow.

Two Brothers Fish Restaurant, Finchley

What’s not to love about a place that serves cod’s roe in butter and jellied eels? For pure takeaway or sit-down fish and chips pleasure, Two Brothers is up there with the best in London.

Masters Super Fish, Waterloo

Fish for “best chippy” on a London food blog and Masters Super Fish is bound to come up. This no-nonsense, no-frills icon just knows how to batter and deep-fry a fresh, generous morsel of fish

Costas Fish Restaurant, Notting Hil

Despite the location, “twee” is not a word one can use to describe Costas Fish Restaurant. A Notting Hill institution long before the gentrification and real estate boom, the star attraction at Costas – fish and chips of course – is always stellar.

Nautilus, West Hampstead

This Fortune Green Road gem in West Hampstead is short on décor and decent lager but so what? The fish, complete with matzah crust, is delish.

Golden Hind, Marylebone

A gold standard in chippy lore, close to the Bond St tube and best hotels in London, the Golden Hind scores with a relic art deco fryer and the best own-made tartare sauce in the city.

Something Fishy, Lewisham

Lewisham’s lovely chippy entry is way off the mainstream tourist track but all the more attractive as a result. Adorably unhip, Something Fishy is a blue-collar canteen with wonderful mash, pies and yes, golden fish, chips and neon mushy peas.

Sea Cow, East Dulwich

Commendably avant-garde and responsible when it comes to sustainable fish and seafood, East Dulwich’s Sea Cow also cranks out some premier, gourmet fish and chips. Charitable portions and fresh, local menu ingredients help make the spot memorable.

June is the month for fishing Vancouver Island’s many wonderful lakes.

That’s the title of an article I came across today in the Times Colonist talking about our region’s wonderful fishing locales.

June is the nicest, productive time of the year for those fly anglers who target drop-down or rise-up trout. These fish, mostly rainbow trout, have moved into the river from a lake to spawn and eat the prodigious insect life prompted by rising temperatures.

The article goes on to talk about the hundreds of lakes on the island like Cowichan Lake and river and some of the more popular destinations like Great Central Lake, Stamp River, and Nimpkish Lake and River. Lots of places to fish around here. Let me tell you.

It also goes on to say that the secret spots only pass to from ear to mouth so you wont find the best fishing spots on a website like this. You gotta go out and find the locals. Or better yet… be one in the first place.

Jayson says this new design will sure be a lot easier to use and I think that’s a great thing.

Look forward to some more great posts about fishing & retirement!

In the mid-afternoon of your last day – on Sunday, we return back down to the coast for a few days. There are events including my nieces birthday party. The long-range trips give us fishermen a chance to fish areas simply out of the range of day trips. Believe me, it feels good. You will get many extra hours on the fishing grounds increasing the chances for catching quality fish. Fishermen can retain two limits of most species on these trips so that’s a good sign… hopefully I need the extra fish

It will be nice!

My wife was telling me all about these IVAs. I guess her cousin got one but I think it’s only a UK thing so I’m not sure if that would really help. I’ll look more into it and see what I can find. Maybe I just need to focus a little better on the task at hand.

I’ve been really busy lately so I’m sorry if I haven’t been posting much lately. I’ll get back to it after the Olympics are over. I’m a big skating fan so I’ll be glued to the Olympics in the coming weeks. Exciting times indeed. I almost wish I could get over to Vancouver to have a look.

Gerald next door dropped in.  I think he had a few too many of them rum and egg nogs because he was soon telling us about the Korean war.  I told him that some of these stories weren’t appropriate but he just kept telling them.

We put up our Christmas tree. Susan wanted to get a fake one this year but I said over my dead body. If there’s one goddam thing I believe in it’s a real Christmas tree and Jesus.

Midnight Mass this year was quite the show. Jessica was chosen to be the Pope’s Ambassador and revelled in her duties as she blessed this and that.  Made us all chuckle.

Sarah went to Jamaica with her work friend Tiffany. She sent us some pictures on the Face Books. It looked like fun, that’s for sure.

As a fisherman, I’ve noticed this kind of garbage in the past and I’m not very happy about it.

Fishing gear, rope, plastics all effect the marine life and tossing garbage over boats and into rivers is just disrespectful and disgusting.

If an animal gets tied up in something like this they will die and very slow and painful death and there is no need for it. Just because you’re lazy doesn’t mean an animal should die.

Sorry for my rant – this kind of stuff is completely unnecessary and it’s gets me steaming mad.

At least the sea lion was able to be saved last week – that’s the only good news that came out of this story.

Anyhow, Janie had mentioned she wanted one of them ipods. Sure was in for a shocker when I realized that it wasn’t a camera, but a little music player?  That commercial sure could have fooled me.  Anyhow, Susan sent me to do my research, and get this – the goshdarn things are over $200! Losing your mom or not, I told Susan, I am not spending $200 on some little doohickey that’s going to break or get lost (sheesh those things are small).  Back in my day electronics were a thing to be cherished, and you used them till they were beyond repair.  I still remember out fixing our old RCA gramophone with Pa in the barn.  A couple timepiece servos, a little oil and some elbow grease and a big dollop of ingenuity and we were listening to our stories that evening.  Course storm didn’t help as the electricity went out that night.  Sometimes Mother Nature just don’t want you to do something and she ain’t shy about telling you. So we did the next best thing at the time.  Ma got her homepressed beeswax candle that she was saving for my Aunt Karen’s wedding and we huddled around entertaining each other with stories of yuletide joy. Boy, now thats a real Christmas memory.  As for Aunt Karen’s wedding – she didn’t get no traditional candle, but that didn’t stop Ma.  She just went and rubbed some pinetree oil into some cold cured hide and made Karen a beautiful little set of hat boxes.  You should have seen Karen’s face, and I’ll tell you, no word of a lie, those hat boxes are still in the family.

Long story short, is that Janie ain’t getting no $200 doohickey.  Thankfully the Radio Shack had a little music playing thing which did the same things as those ipods but it was only $15.  Can’t wait to see Janie’s face when she sees here new… hold on let me get my glasses… her new “Coby 128 MB Audio X-Treme Mp3 Stick.”  Sure is small, but the sales person said they were as popular as them epods and at this price i see why. Something tells me that this little player may still be in the family in 40 years.  Call me sentimental, but I know quality when I see it.