Smith's Chippy, South Shields, Tyne and Wear

Smith’s Chippy have a food challenge called ‘Son of Moby’.  Customers can call ahead to check if Smith’s have a big enough piece of fish (32oz of cod), and once tucking in, can spend as long as it takes… but must finish it all, along with two portions of chips, sauce and a stottie. (All for £18).

This Chip Fiend did not face the challenge. Instead I had a regular fish and chip meal with added peas, tartare sauce and a cuppa, all for £8.50. This was more than I could manage, so goodness knows how anyone can battle the Son of Moby.

Smiths fry all their fish to order. This means it is fresh and delicious and the batter is lovely and crisp. The cod I ate had a lovely sweetness to it and came in two portions. 

Although the batter was nice and thin, I decided not to eat it all, so that I could manage more chips. Besides, the meal was served with optional ‘scraps’ (sprinklings of batter).

The chips were amazing. Cut to a sort of flattish but chunky shape, most of them were quite long and tasted heavenly.

The peas were a nice natural colour, and tasted good too. The homemade tartare sauce was a bargain. It had a nice zing to it and a large amount of fresh dill was generously mixed in to it.

Try as I might, I couldn’t finish the entire meal. The Grandson of Moby won out.

Smiths also serve cod bites, haddock, scampi, skate, squid bites or rings, popcorn prawns and battered crab sticks. Intriguingly a fish called ‘Sweet William’ was also on the menu. Turns out this is the regional name for dog fish,  also known as rock salmon or huss.

There are a couple of tables inside the small shop to accommodate a few diners.

Ratings out of 5:

Fish (cod): 5

Chips: 5

Mushy peas: 4

Homemade tartare sauce: 5

Bonus: Scraps: 5

Shop / service: 5

Over all: 5