THE Chinese takeaway has been a familiar sight on British high streets for half a century. But China’s gourmets have had to wait until now for the chance to grab an “English”.
Fish Nation, which opened this week in the Sanlitun bar district of Beijing, claims to be mainland China’s first fish and chip shop.
It serves battered cod with handcut chips. Traditionalists will be relieved to hear that the food arrives showered with salt and vinegar and wrapped in newspaper.
Unlike most Yorkshire chippies, however, Fish Nation also offers vegetable tempura and deep-fried squid to tempt curious Chinese palates.
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The restaurant is already building a cult following, particularly among expatriates, helped by its having a late licence and serving beer.
“It was more interesting than just setting up a bar,” said Leng Jie, a local guitarist who set up Fish Nation with another musician and a painter.
Sitting in the small restaurant, which already has the heady smell of vinegar and frying fish, Mr Leng said that he fell in love with fish and chips during one of his many visits to Britain.
“It’s got great potential to be a success. It could be as big as the Chinese takeaway in Britain. Why not?”
The food is served in a specially prepared newspaper, which runs tongue-in-cheek stories about Fish Nation’s origins. Russian or North Korean cod with chips costs just under £2.
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“It’s real cod. In Britain I think it used to come from the North Sea but you can’t get it as often now as you used to, I hear. I think they use haddock as a substitute,” he said.
Mushy peas will be introduced as soon as a good supplier can be found, but Mr Leng said that the restaurant had no plans to introduce deep-fried Mars bars.
Fish Nation’s backers enlisted the help of two friends who had worked as chefs in Britain and who knew a special secret recipe for batter.
Fish Nation’s late licence should ensure the place is popular with Beijing’s frenetic party scene.
“We get people in here and you can tell by their eyes that they’re drunk. It gets very full but we don’t expect any trouble. Once people see the food, they’ll be happy,” he said.
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So far the clientele has mostly been foreigners. “The food is great,” Catherine, a French public-relations worker, said. Ali, an IT consultant from Pakistan, said: “It should be able to cash in on the late-night party people in this area. The food is authentic — a bit oily, but that goes with the territory for fish and chips.”
In the spirit of journalistic inquiry this correspondent sampled the cod and chips. The batter was light, the chips of good size and texture and the fish was fluffy and tasted fresh.
Mr Leng has strong views on authenticity. “Once I was watching television in Britain and saw a famous chef saying how to make Peking duck and getting it all wrong. I hope our British takeaway won’t get it as wrong as he did,” he said.
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