Bardsley's — Restaurant in Great Britain

When I say 'Do you fancy fish?' I'm really saying 'Shall we go to the Regency?', when I say 'Shall we go to The Level?', I'm really saying 'Grab the bongos and the Fire Poi'. When I say 'Fish and Chips?', I'm really saying 'Bardsleys?'. Over the years, I've sat inside and eaten from shiny plates, I've taken away wrapped up parcels to dish out at home, I've sat on a bench round the corner and eaten chips with a wooden fork poker thing. AND, (and I say this quietly, because to me it's an indication that they're not endlessly chasing those few extra quid to keep the lights on, the people that profit the mist financially understand that past a certain point, the more of that filthy lucre that comes in is not the equal of or same in worth to the extra time and effort required from you. Whoever runs the whole caboodle understands the whole work/life balance thing, so on the odd occasion I forget that you can't sit in at ten o'clock at night or the fryers are off and the windows are dark on an evening walk home, I tut selfishly for a second and walk on, not for a moment longer begrudging the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labour, passion, commitment and experience of any Bardsley, real or imagined, living or dead, family, friend or employee. Battered fish, grilled fish, even breaded fish one time I think. Consistently at the top of the game, not just at what they do, which they are, but how to do all that other stuff better too, which they do. And when I say "Well that's a big one. Ooh, Never seen one that big before! Looks tasty! Go on, give it a good battering, oh that reminds me of my Charlie, I've no idea why dear. Who dear? Me dear? Hide the sausage dear? Actually, put another one in there but don't wrap it up, that'll do me for the walk home" I'd better be standing at the Bardsleys counter. And if I'm not, well, then never you mind, a real old brass recognises real old class, though there's less of it around these days. That's what she...

A fish and chip shop deserving of their reputation. Wanting some good fish and chips in Brighton I researched and found this place. Not close to the seafront, it’s up past the North Laine, tucked down a side street on the North side of The Level. It doesn’t look like that much from the outside, just a traditional chippie. What is different is that there was a steady stream of people trooping in and out of the door. I’d phoned ahead and reserved and was glad I did as while the tables were empty when we arrived, each had a reserved sign on it, and quickly filled up until every table was full.

After a quick round of drinks were ordered, we looked at the menu. It’s what you’d expect, mostly fried fish, with some specials on. We opted for the calamari and the whitebait as starters, along with 2 plaice and a grill sea trout. And of course some chips. The whitebait was great, but the calamari could have used less batter, it being the same as the fish. You could still tell that the calamari was a) fresh and b) nicely cooked once you got through the batter though.

The mains arrived and while the plaice looked wonderful, the star of the show was the sea trout. Similar in look to salmon, this had been grilled perfectly, difficult for the thickness of the piece served. Expertly grilled, it flaked away nicely. The chips were good, soft and fluffy, exactly the kind to be doused in vinegar and showered in salt. The plaice itself was tasty, and not overcooked. The flavour of the fish coming through the fried batter.

For dessert, we split a spotted dick and custard between the three of us. It’s a large portion and was exactly the old kind of steamed pudding you were served long ago. The custard and pudding combined to make a great finish to the meal. All in all, we were satisfied with our fish and chip dinner in Brighton and will be...

The appearance, cleanliness and staff of Bardsley's are all excellent which is why I have given two stars rather than zero. In terms of food I believe Bardsley's deserves no more than a zero because the eatery very very strongly markets itself as the cream of the crop in terms of traditional British fish and chips but serves the worst. Any experienced eater of fish and chips would be extremely familiar with the difference between the great chips of a good chippy and the edible but not enjoyable ones you find in a chippy that priortisises low price, and sells mainly fried chicken, kebabs and mostly likely only farmed pangasius when it comes to fish. Good chips are always big and soft, and most importantly have a special aroma and flavour that that is very difficult to describe. If you know you know! The cheaper kebab shop sort of chip has a lot more small, skinny and inconsistent shaped chips using the edges of smaller potatoes. They are not all big and soft like good chips and most significantly these low quality sort of chips have a sort of slightly bitter and burnt taste , which may be due to both th type of potato and oil used. But it's a world apart from "proper" chips. The fish I was served was also very small, the size typically served in a low price urban kebab shop and labelled a "mini" fish. Not only length wise but it was just a skinny strip. "Proper" chip shops serve fish that is the full width of fillet and usually so big it has to be folded to fit in a cardboard serving box and hangs over the edge when served on a plate. This fish was a quarter of the size served in a proper chippy. Yet the prices at Bardsley's are that of a premium chippy, not a cheap chicken & kebab take away. You won't find anything for 99p on the menu here. No £1.50 meals. So for that, in terms of food quality it gets a...