SUTTON AND SONS FISH AND CHIPS, ISLINGTON

Last weekend, we had a full family day out in London which was really lovely. It started off with the sun shining and no rain made an appearance during the whole day. An utter shocker at the moment, because it seems to be raining non-stop!

I will always remain honest on my blog, as I would hate to recommend something if it hasn't lived up to my expectations. I wouldn't want a consumer to spend their hard earned money on something that isn't great. 

We was booked in to review a premium style fish and chips restaurant called Sutton and Sons. They have three different locations to choose from; Islington, Stoke Newington and Hackney Central. However, we chose the Islington branch as we know the area very well due to living there a number of years ago.

Being a huge breakfast person, I made the conscious decision to skip breakfast for lunch booked at 1pm at Sutton and Sons, so you can imagine how hungry I was!

Upon arrival, I am sad to say that the restaurant had no idea that I was there for a review and instead of sorting this out immediately to save embarrassment for the both of us; they didn't seem too bothered about the miscommunicated booking. 

I tried to explain to the waitress that I was there as a blogger and had booked this restaurant on X date with X person, but I was made to feel very silly because I was laughed at by the waitress. The waitress became very flustered and after waiting around; she then finally got in touch with her manager. She then informed us that the restaurant could only offer us complimentary drinks. It was then changed to drinks and starters - again not what was agreed in the first place. 

After 15-20 minutes of sitting down and trying to converse with the woman, I was about to give up trying to explain the situation, when she settled and agreed to what was agreed with beforehand. Finally!

We had completely lost our appetite and excitement by the time we was finally somewhat allowed to look at the menu. 

Putting that very embarrassing and awkward situation aside, I was tempted to try the crab on toast (£5.95), but ended up ordering the whitebait starter (£4.50). With an added squeeze of the lemon slice, these were actually really nice and the portion size was very generous. The batter surrounding the fish was perfect and not too oily. 

My mum went for the smoked haddock and cod fish cake (£4.95). These came on its own with a slice of lemon to garnish. She said it was very nice to eat and fried perfectly. She also commented that she could tell the fish tasted very fresh. 

I wasn't too sure what to order for main. The menu has quite a varied amount of different dishes you can order, so I was spoilt for choice. I was torn between the chicken and mushroom pie and cod goujons. I ended up choosing cod goujons and imagined these to be like the texture and look of chicken goujons.

Their version of cod goujons (£8.50) are just mini style battered cods. Somewhat deceiving, but the portion size was extremely generous. Sadly, I hardly ate the fish as the batter was really greasy and quite sickly tasting. It seemed that the ration of batter to fish was very outweighed, so these really let me down. However, the chips were very nice and were enjoyed a lot with a pot of mayonnaise. 

My mum ordered cod and chips (£10.50), which looked a lot more appealing than my own dish. She thoroughly enjoyed her meal and had no negative comments about the fish. It seemed her batter was a lot more cooked and less greasy than my own. 

It would have been nice to explore the dessert menu as I noticed they offer battered chocolate bars and Mrs Sutton's home made cakes. However, we didn't and was pretty full up anyway. 

Overall, my experience at Sutton and Sons was a bit of a mismatch. I think if the service had been better and I wasn't laughed at, then I'd say the food could have saved it - considering the food overall was nice. Maybe the other two branches are a bit better with their service. However, I won't be returning to this branch in particular. 

Disclaimer: A complimentary meal was offered in return for an honest review on my blog. All words and photographs are my own.