Takeout stakeout

IN: We were supposed to go to Hook, the combined bakery/fast-food Ponsonby Rd joint that opened recently. But a sign on the door said there’d been a hospital emergency. That’s rough — we hope they’re okay. But at 5pm, with a 6.30pm Friday event to get to, we still needed a quick and easy dinner. A quick Google search came up with the Fish & Chippery. We read the reviews, gazed at their impressively large menu and quickly decided we were in. It’s a chain with stores in Glen Eden and New Windsor but their Grey Lynn store was just around the corner. We headed there pronto. OUT: Parking was easy, and our hunger got the better of us: we ordered what turned out to be too much food. Two scoops of beerbattered fries ($4.50), onion rings ($3), a piece of battered tarakihi ($5.90), two fishburgers ($8.50), chicken tenders ($4.50) and a hot dog ($3). While we waited, a growing Friday night crowd showed up to support what was clearly

their local. The vibe was chill: everyone seemed to know everyone else, and staff joked around with customers. The kids dived into a free lolly jar, and a kind cook bought over a small tub of fries for us to snack on. Both freebies are a nice touch. More takeaway joints should follow suit. THE TAKEAWAY: The beer-battered fries were dark and crunchy but needed more salt. The fish could have been a little fresher and we didn’t get lemon wedges to help with that. But that wasn’t a problem wtih the burgers, giant towers chock-full of fish, salad, a cheese slice and sauces. The hot dog was smeared in tomato sauce, as it should be, and the chicken tenders were given the thumbs up. All in all, The Fish & Chippery is a lovely little local doing things pretty damned well.