FISH & CHIPS
TOP 5 EDINBURGH
THE TAILEND 14–15 Albert Place, Leith Walk
L’ALBA D’ORO 7 Henderson Row, New Town
CAFÉ PICCANTE 19 Broughton Street, Broughton
FRANCO’S THE CODFATHER
7 Comely Bank Road, Stockbridge
3–5a Sciennes, Southside
An ultra-violet-lit, beat- The Alonzi family have been
Replete with comedy
infused den of iniquity . . . feeding the residents of
and chips. Where else could you i nd fryers doubling as DJs and acid house-inspired
Stockbridge for nearly half a century, stretching back to the Park Café in the 60s.
T-shirts for sale behind the Fresh, thick haddock i llets are
name and Corleoni-esque references, this Meadows- side i sh bar serves up real quality, with the fryers able to elevate the humble haddock
cooked to order, even on a to a Don-like eminence
The Tailend has long been touted as the poshest of Edinburgh’s i sh bars, and the standard i sh supper
here is succulent and coated in a batter that’s
both thin and crispy, while the chips are cooked in beef
dripping – good news for all but those of a vegetarian persuasion. Alternatives to standard haddock include Finnan haddie and Arbroath smokies, while specials can include sea bass, scallops and monki sh, all of which
L’Alba D’Oro has been at the forefront of i sh-frying in the capital for nearly 40 years, and your freshly cooked i sh is boxed and ready well before you’ve i nished digesting the various accolades that adorn
the walls. Inside a jacket of golden, non-greasy batter there’s a slab of l aky white
haddock that’s just right, and chips are spot-on as well,
with a i rm outside and a soft, yielding centre. A special i sh alternative, which could be monki sh, pollock, sea bass
can be battered, breaded or
grilled. There’s a separate seated section alongside for
or halibut, is available too, and there’s the option to have your i sh breaded or ‘alla Romana’
bubbling vats of fat? Yet while on paper this might sound like some sort of
Caledonian culinary Faliraki, Café Piccante possesses a certain roguish charm that draws in a diverse age range of diners, and they produce a mean i sh supper to boot: the i sh, if somewhat on the small side, is especially succulent,
busy Saturday night, in batter that comes laced with a hint of breadcrumb for extra crunch
and is accompanied by
golden, i rm and l uffy chips. And although they can no
longer call on long-time sister establishment San Marco next
door (it’s now the Kitchin- owned Scran & Scallie), this
thanks to a choice of batters and an insistence on frying their i sh to order. Although its name suggests an emporium
of all things piscine, curries are actually the mainstay of The Codfather’s output, and those keen to combine their love of heat with a yearning for i sh might be tempted by the spicy batter alternative,
and the chips manage to keenly priced chippy still offers
strike just the right balance of
an impressive 60 pizza and which warms the cockles and
sitting in.
(with sage and onions). crunch and l uff.
pasta variations. lends the dish a real zing.
Fish supper: £6.50 Fish supper: £6.70
Fish supper: £5.50
Fish supper: £5.20 Fish supper: £5.90
14 Nov–12 Dec 2013 THE LIST 17