TAKEAWAY REVIEW: Friargate Fish and Chips, Friargate, Preston

When the restaurant Fusion Room closed its doors earlier this year, there were many disappointed Prestonians, as it was a great eating establishment with top notch food at reasonable prices.

Happily, Fusion Room has been reincarnated as Friargate Fish and Chips under the same owner, Russell Lee.

Half of the former restaurant has been converted into a fresh and modern gourmet chip shop selling traditional fish and chips, artisan sumo hot dogs, fresh tacos, healthy grilled fish – and it even sells craft beers to wash it all down with.

Inside the new venue, we were impressed by the modern, clean and sleek interior and the menu was simple but effective.

Our lad wanted to go down the traditional route and chose a large cod (£4.10) with a regular chips (£1.40) with a pot of homemade tartare sauce (80p).

Our daughter chose scampi (£3.80) with regular chips.

I was enticed by the fish tacos (£5.50) as they sounded a bit different, while Hubby was intrigued by the Spicy Sumo Dog (£7.50).

All the food was a cut above the usual takeaway fare.

The fish was crispy and comforting with a light, tasty and wonderfully grease-free batter with flaky and tender flesh inside. The homemade crinkle chips brought back childhood memories and while the regular portion wasn’t huge, it was an ample size.

The fish tacos were amazing. As they didn’t come with chips, I feared I might be going for the healthy option, but I received three generously filled soft taco wraps with large chunks of the delicious fish mingled with sweetcorn, onions, peppers and rocket with lemon and garnish.

For those who want a truly healthy choice, there’s grilled fish on offer.

Hubby’s Sumo Dog was an impressive monster and came covered in tasty onions, while the chips were smothered in a delicious cheese sauce and littered with flavoursome pieces of bacon.

Our daughter was just as happy with her scampi and chips and commented happily on the plentiful portion of succulent scampi.

While there is some seating on high stools around the sides of the room, we felt we would be perched too high and on show, so chose to have our ‘posh fish and chips’ at home in proper takeaway style.

While the food might cost a tad more than the average chippy, we felt the food was worth every penny.

If the chippy is a success, Russell has plans to open a noodle bar in the other half of the building. Judging on the food we sampled, if it’s tasty, top quality food that people want, they’ll definitely find it here.