Brit & Chips

If you’ve read any other article on this website (or you know me personally) you know about my contentious relationship with fish and seafood. For the first half of my life, growing up in a small fishing village in Newfoundland, I ate fish on an almost daily basis. Whether it was baked, fried, caked, fresh or salted, I didn’t like it. In the last few years I’ve been coming around and wading into the waters of seafood once again. As a blogger I have sampled all kinds of wonderful fish and seafood but the absolute best and freshest fish I’ve eaten in Montreal comes from Brit & Chips.

Since 2010 Brit & Chips has been serving up palette pleasing plates of delicious fish & chips and other accompaniments found typically in the best pubs of Great Britain. They recently opened their third location, handily located on de Maisonneuve, which makes it even easier to get some of the freshest fish in the city. Their menu features a variety of fish including cod, haddock, salmon, sole and hake. Each fish is coated and lightly fried in a special batter that brings out their unique flavour. The menu also features pasties (individual pies that are filled with meat and veggies or onions and cheese), pies and sausage rolls. The menu also features a section of bottled beers and of course the wonderful Burgundy Lion Ale is on tap.

Now that the facts are out of the way, let’s get down to business. The fish and chips at Brit & Chips is the best I’ve ever had in Montreal. In the past I’ve always found that the fish I’ve eaten in the city isn’t as fresh as I was used to as a child. It’s hard to beat fresh cod (which is fished from a Marine Stewardship Council certified sustainable fishery – bravo!) that was fished fresh in the morning and served for supper that night. By some miracle the cod I had last Saturday night tasted like it had been pulled right out of the water. The batter was crisp and tasty and the fries, which are cut thick, tasted like the chip-chop I used to eat as kid. Because I wanted to try as much as I could I stuck to one piece of fish and I ordered the steak and veggie pastie as well. The crust was flaky, the gravy was thick and just salty enough and the meat and veggies were perfectly cooked. I recommend washing it all down with a delicious pint of Burgundy Lion Ale.

As I continue wading through this brand new world of seafood appreciation, I’m glad I have an option like Brit & Chips. Their modern approach to a classic British dish allows me to feel like I’ve stepped into a restaurant on the East Coast of Canada and enjoy a moment of pure pleasure.

Image credit: David Major-Lapierre and Brit & Chips