Make a Stop at the Traditional Chip Shop

By Dining Dave on January 20, 2015 in Food

Step 1: Stand in queue. Step 2: Order Step 3: Wait. Step 4: Pick up. Step 5: Enjoy.

I think I can describe my experience at the Traditional Chip Shop on a Friday evening with the above five steps, because the process to get the food is almost as enjoyable as actually eating it in this homage to UK take-away madness.

By foot, you’ll find the Chip Shop two blocks south of Ebley Street on Bronte Road, near the heart of busy Bondi Junction. Follow the rich smell of salt, vinegar and battered fish to the long queue that will inevitably be snaking out the front door and onto the footpath.

My companion arrived first in order to secure some seats, then I showed up and hit the queue. This in itself is an experience, as a motley crew of characters line up in single file around you. The single room eatery is decked out in glossy white brick tiles on one side and exposed red bricks on the other. The furniture isn’t much, but for a take away shop it is way more than you’d expect, with two dark wooden tables and a long bar/ledge with high stools featuring. The matte black hanging lamps round off the British/Irish dockyard feel of the place.

At the counter you can see directly into the cooking area, and you can make your selections from the six black hanging menu-boards. The menu is quite broad, offering everything from the core fish and chips to burgers, sausages, pies, puddings, haggis and fried chicken. Not being so adventurous, we ordered a piece of haddock and a piece of cod (imported from the North Atlantic), some scampi, a small serve of chips, mushy peas and their curry sauce.

After about a ten-minute wait, the counter staff shouted out my name and I picked up the large brown paper bag that housed our bounty. The fish and everything else was wrapped in paper or served inside a small paper bag, so you should expect a lot of soggy paper on the table if you’re dining in. Everything is super fresh, and that’s why it’s worth the wait. The scampi was a solid starter and the perfect preparation for the moist, flaky haddock and meaty cod, both of which were thickly battered, just like in the UK. The curry sauce (imported from England) added that extra hit of flavour to the already tasty fish, while the mushy peas gave a bit of balance. There are no salads to be found anywhere in this place.

Intrigued that they had ‘succulent southern fried’ chicken on the menu, I rejoined the queue, and while I was there I also decided to indulge in a deep-fried Mars bar for dessert. I have to say that this was some damn fine fried chicken, maybe the best I’ve had in Sydney so far, and while frying a Mars bar probably isn’t totally necessary, the Poms love it and it will give you a good jolt of energy.

Those who are devoted to the Aussie version of fish and chips may not find this authentic UK offering to their liking, but maybe that’s the point – to shake things up a bit. And if the long queue out the door is anything to go by, plenty of people are embracing the change.

The Traditional Chip Shop

Address | 78 Bronte Road, Bondi Junction
Phone | 1300 CHIP SHOP
Website | www.thechipshop.com.au
Email | info@thechipshop.com.au
Open | Sun – Tues: 11am – 9.45pm; Wed – Sat: 11am – 10:45pm
Prices | Cod/Haddock $15/$16, Chips $4.50/$5.00, Mushy Peas $2.50/$3.50
Seats | 22
Cards | All major cards
Licensed | No