I wrote in a recent post on my blog that one of the things I missed from the UK was real fish and chips. Remember that we’re vegetarian so when I say ‘fish and chips’, I really mean ‘chips’ but it’s important that they are proper chip shop chips.
A couple of people who read my blog told me they had to rush off and eat some chips – including Jules! I also saw a very similar blog from another website written just days after mine entitled ‘What I miss from the UK ‘(which is pretty much what mine was called!) Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I read his blog and guess what was first on his list of things he missed? Fish and chips!
One of the nicest things about writing a blog is that people make comments (mostly very nice) and offer you suggestions about where to find things mentioned. This is what happened to my post about chip shop chips. A very kind person called Stu Williams suggested I try ‘A Plaice in the Sun’ and it was in Playa Blanca where we live!
I had written about steaming chips that are covered in salt and vinegar, wrapped in paper so that they are soggy and stick to the paper….mmmmm…..My brother in law’s family had a fish and chip shop and he maintains you can tell how good fish and chips are going to be by the smell outside the shop. He says if the fat is good and fresh and at the right temperature, the smell will be perfect and mouth-watering. If the smell isn’t good, don’t go in!
We’ve had lots of really good chips in Lanzarote but they tend to be French fries (very thin) and cooked in sunflower oil. They are lovely but they’re not chip shop chips! At one stage, my favourite chips on the island were from the restaurant in IKEA! But then they changed them and although they’re good, they’re still not chip shop chips. So the quest went on….
I decided to follow up Stu’s comment and we went to find A Plaice in the Sun. Firstly, what a great name?! I love the funny names people give to shops but this is perfect, isn’t it? I bet they were so delighted once they’d chosen that name!
As it turns out, A Plaice in the Sun is actually very near where we live. It’s in CC Papagayo in Playa Blanca which is turning into quite a centre for restaurants and bars. The sign on the main road says British Fish and Chips and this is a popular haunt next to Playa Dorada. The restaurant itself has a great sunny terrace with fantastic views over to Fuerteventura. The shop also has indoor tables and a second eating area in the shopping centre itself.
The owners come from Leeds and have been in business for a little over 2 years with a steady flow of business in that time. There are Pukka pies, roast chicken and different types of fish to tempt you. More importantly there are also fabulous chips! We took a seat on the terrace and had ice cold drinks while we enjoyed the view and waited for our chips. When I placed our order, they thought I’d asked for chip butties and once I’d heard the words ‘chip butties’, that was it! We had to have them. So we had chip butties, with soft fluffy rolls and piping hot chips melting the butter (have I got your mouth watering yet?) and moaned and mmmmmed our way through! Well, the chips were wonderful and they are cooked in vegetable fat which suits us too.
So thanks for the heads up, Stu. Perfect chip shop chips are very near to home for us and next time, we’re going to have them wrapped up so we can enjoy them from the paper! Well, the rest of the time our diet is pretty healthy so we believe a little of what you fancy does you good.
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