I think the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten was in London, from a food truck. I was in Shepherd’s Bush, had just seen Bonnie Prince Billy play the Empire, and the late-night snack ticked every stereotypical box. Wrapped in newspaper? Check. Greasy? As all hell. Stupidly overpriced? Come on, I was in London — of course.
Outside of England, I’ve been to a few fish-and-chip places I’d consider decent to good, but nothing ever got to London levels.
Now, enter Lawson’s, a new entry on Edmonton’s fish-and-chips scene. While Lawson’s is new to us, the owners come from a family of fish-and-chip makers who have opened restaurants across England and Scotland over the past three decades.
When you walk in, the decor grabs you right away. There’s a picture of Phil Collins having fish and chips right next to a photo of the Beatles getting, you guessed it, fish and chips. There’s a poster of the Who, and, of course, for the cool kids in the corner, Sex Pistols and Clash posters near the back. The white tiles are an homage to Pink Floyd’s The Wall, right down to messages scrawled in black spray paint.
It’s a British cultural mash-up, with seating made to look like you’re about to sit in a double-decker bus.
(At this point, I’d argue that somewhere there needs to be a Ziggy Stardust poster, but who am I to split hairs?)
From the chip butty to mushy peas, the menu screams “British comfort food that’s bad for you.” And I order the cod and chips, regular size.
What stuns me is how, well, not greasy the fish and chips are. I douse them in the appropriate amount of malt vinegar (translate: a lot) and still the batter holds up. It’s light, crispy, and doesn’t have any of that burned flavour that comes when something’s been cooked in old oil. It’s a big portion, but the fish is light, it’s flaky, and the batter has just the right amount of crispiness. With the mushy peas on the side, I am feeling awfully English today — your love of fish might tear you apart, but Lawson’s offers anything but fool’s gold.
Lawson’s British Fish & Chips
Sunwapta Industrial | 10183 186 St. NW, Edmonton | 780.249.6133 | lawsonsfishandchips.com
