The Great Malaysian Fish and Chips Hunt

  Battered @REXKL It’s been far too long since we reviewed a fish and chips shop, and in that period no place has been suggested to me more than Battered at REXKL; so finally we’ve made it here to try them out. Owned and operated by a British family, Battered styles itself on traditional British fish and chips, and prides itself on giving the Malaysian punter exactly that. There is only one choice of fish at Battered, which is perch, so we ordered two helpings of fish and chips, and I added their curry sauce to see if it was what I was expecting. Then we waited for our orders. The first thing to get out of the way is the chips. They are the usual frozen fare that we’ve become accustomed to here in Malaysia, and normally this would send me into a spiral of ranting and blaspheming. However, after a conversation with the owners, they are aware of this issue and simply don’t have the space to add a second prep room that would be required to peel, cut, and store fresh chips on a daily b...

  The Corkman Sigh, this one is personal, and for all the best reasons. The Corkman Bar and Restaurant, located in Changkat, unlike a lot of Irish bars and pubs outside the island, is owned and operated by an actual Irishman who, for once, is not trying to change Irish food to suit the locals here in Malaysia, but is producing authentically Irish food — done so Malaysians can adapt their tastes to our way of doing things. The scuttlebutt on The Corkman is that their fish and chips was something to behold, so while I was hopeful, I didn’t raise my hopes too much, considering I had been let down so badly by another ‘Irish’ establishment whose name shalt not be mentioned anymore on this blog. This is fish and chips done the right way — no multiple choices on what sort of fish you wanted, no frozen chips — nothing but quality from start to finish. The moment it arrived at our table, I knew it was a win. It smelt like home. My first ever job was working in a fish and chip shop, and ther...

This week on our merry travels we visit Bröom Artisan Bakery & Kitchen in Taman Paramount. This is one of the ever-popping-up cafés and restaurants that appeal to the content creator class of our species; you know them, they're the ones sitting there with their MacBooks open all the time, nursing a cup of coffee for 14 hours; those ones. As you can tell, I'm quite cynical about these types of places, but we have to be honest in our reviews and go to places that we would never normally darken their doors. So, we order and wait for our food, which promptly arrives in a woven box. Now, considering how I already have a preconception of these types of places being all style over substance, bringing an Irishman his fish and chips in a woven box isn't a good start—and it goes downhill fast from there. It's plainly obvious from second one that the fish is cooked from frozen; the batter was soggy and the fish itself dripping with water when we cut into it. If you're goin...

I’ve had a few fish & chips in my time, and the version at  Sid’s Pub @ Plaza Damansara  gives me good reason to pull up a stool again. It doesn’t completely revolutionise the genre, but there’s enough here to make it a solid go-to when the craving hits. First impressions & presentation Walk in, and the place feels comfortably pubby — warm lighting, wood tones, casual chatter. The dish arrives looking clean and promising: a generous fillet of fish, long crinkle-cut chips, a wedge of lemon, tartare sauce on the side, plus a small scatter of fresh greens to lift things — simple, classic, no pretentious fuss. Taste & texture Fish : The fillet was well-sized, moist inside with a flaky texture. Probably a white fish — cod or similar — mild, clean taste. The batter coating was crisp enough on first bite, though towards the end (especially on the edges) it softened slightly (as such things do), but it survived the journey to the table without sogging totally. Batter : Lig...

EDWARDS Located just around the corner from The Starling Mall, Edwards attempts to distinguish itself from other fish and chip shops in the Klang Valley by calling itself  Urban Fish and Chips . Whatever  Urban Fish and Chips  means remains a mystery to me, but Edwards has built a solid reputation—so it’s their turn for our review. You need to order and pay at the counter before getting seated, which we went along with. Edwards offers three choices of fish: dory and perch (both considered regular options), and barramundi as the premium choice. You can also choose to have your fish either classic (deep-fried) or grilled. We both went for the perch, found our seats, and waited for the food. Straight off the bat, the variety of sauces stood out. Alongside the standard tartar, they also offered a taco sauce and—somewhat surprisingly—a mint sauce. I’ve never seen either paired with fish and chips before. Perhaps  this  is what makes it "Urban"? The chips are the now-...

 Emily's steakhouse  Primarily regarded as a steakhouse (the name gives it away, eh?), Emily's is widely seen as one of the best places to go for a fine bit of meat in the Klang Valley. I have no opinion on that, as we're not here for their fine steaks, but rather for their take on a traditional British fish and chips. Located on Jalan Inai, just off Bukit Bintang, Emily's is housed in a grand two-storey bungalow, which has ample parking facilities around it. We arrived just after opening hours, so aside from another couple, the place was essentially empty. We sat down and got to ordering. They have only one choice of fish — barramundi — so that made things easy. Two orders of fish and chips, please, my good man. Right off the bat, things didn’t start well. The chips were only single-fried, which makes it nearly impossible to cook them properly, as the outsides will be done while the insides remain raw or undercooked — and that was exactly the case here. I also don’t th...