Alas, thick fish paired with thin fries doesn’t add up to a perfect combo
John & Sons Fish and Chip Shop serves skinny fries and thick-cut cod.
The midtown chippy is a 3-monthold offshoot of John & Sons Oyster House next door, the former Terroni space now decorated in Nouveau Cape Cod.
Chef Sonia Potichnyj uses sustainable cod farmed in Gooseberry Cove, N.L., and a flavourful batter whisked together from Creemore Springs lager, flour and baking soda.
So far, so promising. The fake newsprint lining the plate is a welcome touch. But the cod fillets ($18 for two pieces) I ordered a few weeks ago are as big as clenched fists, too dense to cook through. Fried in 350 F oil, the batter is as crunchy as potato chips. Underneath, though, the centre of each fillet is translucent. Only the outer edges of the cod are properly white and flaky.
“It should’ve been cooked through,” Potichnyj acknowledges on the phone.
“We’ve now changed the way we portion our fillets, so they are no longer two to three inches thick.”
The fries, Yukon Gold potatoes cut thinner than the traditional wide chip, are dark and limp. But the vinegar-based coleslaw rocks, enlivened with scads of fresh dill and chives. So does the tartar sauce, a golden aioli bulked up with chopped gherkins, capers and homemade pickles. John & Sons Fish and Chip Shop, 1 Balmoral Ave. (at Yonge St.), 416-9649333, johnandsonsfishandchips.com. Open Monday to Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. apataki@thestar.ca, twitter:@amypataki