Fush ’n chups with a twist
The first thing Rick Irvine did when he took over the Hooked Fish and Chips shop at the tiny South Point centre at Faringdon, Rolleston, was drop the mushy peas from the menu. The peas were an odd hangover from the shop’s original British owner and he didn’t like them.
The second thing Irvine did was put the mushy peas back on the menu. Customers had a taste for them and let him know.
Irvine is the third owner of the fish and chip shop in a year.
It was launched by English people who imported everything from Britain to recreate the perfect British chippie, complete with warming trays to hold the pre-cooked food, which we don’t tend to do in New Zealand.
The extractor fans are amazing. They are designed to suck smells and grease from the fryers, so there’s an eerie openness to the shop with no big noisy hoods, chippie smells, and no greasy walls.
Irvine says he grabbed the chance to run the shop. He has a background as a chef, and has worked as a financial adviser and a contractor. But he likes being back with food and the challenge of winning customers over to a modern take on fish and chips.
He believes it’s time to modernise and tweak fish and chips, even when that bumps against our deeply embedded ‘‘fush ’n chups’’ cultural expectations.
‘‘Gone are the days when you are buying fish that has been cooked at least twice in animal fat and different drippings, and gone is the day when you’d get your fish and chips wrapped up in a newspaper,’’ he says.
His large fillets are served on a tray in a paper bag. He cooks in high-grade canola oil. The scoop business has been simplified to a ‘‘small’’ chips of about 500g ($3.50) and a large chips of about 900g ($6.50). They are hand cut and can be bought either once cooked for softer and sweeter, or twice cooked for more crunch. He makes cheesecake, churros and doughnuts on site for dessert.
Customers have pushed for sustainable packaging so he now uses biodegradable burger cartons, and plastic bags are on the way out. It will be either use his reusable bags or bring your own.
And a final sign of the times is a gluten-free batter option for an extra $1, made from three flours (chickpea, maize, rice) to get the right golden look and flavour.
Freemans on the move
Nick and Sarah Freeman ended the stress of running two restaurants at once when they closed their Lyttelton Freemans site on London St last week.
The couple have been there for 12 years and, in April, opened a second restaurant, Birdwood Eatery and Pizzeria, in Beckenham.
Sarah says they are very hands-on operators and that meant just one outlet was the eventual plan.
Nothing has been confirmed around new owners for the Lyttelton site. There has been interest and negotiations are under way.
‘‘We’ve loved owning Freemans but we made a decision about what the next 20 years look like for us and ... yes, there’s sadness in leaving like you wouldn’t believe,’’ she says.
‘‘I’ve watched people’s christenings and weddings, and I’ve watched people’s children grow up. We have shared people’s lives over there.’’