Papas is perfect plaice for lunch

So a couple of my colleagues and I decided to make the short journey to Papas on High Hoe Road for a spot of lunch.

When we walked in to the recently renovated restaurant we were all impressed.

It somehow seemed more spacious than before, and the decor was clean, crisp and modern, but warm and welcoming at the same time.

We were asked where we would like to sit and handed our menus by the pleasant waitress.

The menu looked good with quite a variety of dishes on offer considering it is an eatery that specialises in fish and chips.

We made our choices but did have to wait a while to place our order. After around 10 minutes we managed to get someone’s attention.

She apologised explaining the waitress who was serving our side of the room had a splinter. Fair enough.

For me the decision was simple. I ordered the regular haddock and chips at £5.49, with a side order of mushy peas at (99p), bread and butter at (19p) and a coke (£1.39).

One of my colleagues chose the same minus the bread and butter while the other went for something off the specials board - fishcake and chips (£4.99) with a side of curry sauce and a pot of tea.

We enjoyed our drinks and a chat while we waited for our food to arrive. There was a reassuring wait for our meals, a sure sign that everything is being cooked from scratch.

When my fish and chips arrived it was a generous portion. The fish was golden brown with perfect crisp batter, which was neither too heavy nor too light. Beneath the batter the haddock was well-cooked and bursting with flavour.

The chips were crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, while the mushy peas - which can be tricky to get right - were some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

The bread was a half round of brown and a half round of white. A little basic, but nice all the same.

The fishcake was huge and filed with tasty fish and potato and coated in crisp breadcrumbs and served with a heap of chips.

The curry sauce was a triumph - just as you would expect from any good chippy and full of flavour.

Silence descended on our table as we happily tucked into to our food. I managed to clear my plate - it was simply too tasty to leave anything behind.

There was a good selection of deserts on offer but we were all far too full to give one a try.

Without the long wait, this would have been a five star visit without a doubt.

Claire O’Neill

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