FISH & CHIPS

TOP 5 EDINBURGH

THE TAILEND 14–15 Albert Place, Leith Walk

L’ALBA D’ORO 7 Henderson Row, New Town

CAFÉ PICCANTE 19 Broughton Street, Broughton

FRANCO’S THE CODFATHER

7 Comely Bank Road, Stockbridge

3–5a Sciennes, Southside

An ultra-violet-lit, beat- The Alonzi family have been

Replete with comedy

infused den of iniquity . . . feeding the residents of

and chips. Where else could you i nd fryers doubling as DJs and acid house-inspired

Stockbridge for nearly half a century, stretching back to the Park Café in the 60s.

T-shirts for sale behind the Fresh, thick haddock i llets are

name and Corleoni-esque references, this Meadows- side i sh bar serves up real quality, with the fryers able to elevate the humble haddock

cooked to order, even on a to a Don-like eminence

The Tailend has long been touted as the poshest of Edinburgh’s i sh bars, and the standard i sh supper

here is succulent and coated in a batter that’s

both thin and crispy, while the chips are cooked in beef

dripping good news for all but those of a vegetarian persuasion. Alternatives to standard haddock include Finnan haddie and Arbroath smokies, while specials can include sea bass, scallops and monki sh, all of which

L’Alba D’Oro has been at the forefront of i sh-frying in the capital for nearly 40 years, and your freshly cooked i sh is boxed and ready well before you’ve i nished digesting the various accolades that adorn

the walls. Inside a jacket of golden, non-greasy batter there’s a slab of l aky white

haddock that’s just right, and chips are spot-on as well,

with a i rm outside and a soft, yielding centre. A special i sh alternative, which could be monki sh, pollock, sea bass

can be battered, breaded or

grilled. There’s a separate seated section alongside for

or halibut, is available too, and there’s the option to have your i sh breaded or ‘alla Romana’

bubbling vats of fat? Yet while on paper this might sound like some sort of

Caledonian culinary Faliraki, Café Piccante possesses a certain roguish charm that draws in a diverse age range of diners, and they produce a mean i sh supper to boot: the i sh, if somewhat on the small side, is especially succulent,

busy Saturday night, in batter that comes laced with a hint of breadcrumb for extra crunch

and is accompanied by

golden, i rm and l uffy chips. And although they can no

longer call on long-time sister establishment San Marco next

door (it’s now the Kitchin- owned Scran & Scallie), this

thanks to a choice of batters and an insistence on frying their i sh to order. Although its name suggests an emporium

of all things piscine, curries are actually the mainstay of The Codfather’s output, and those keen to combine their love of heat with a yearning for i sh might be tempted by the spicy batter alternative,

and the chips manage to keenly priced chippy still offers

strike just the right balance of

an impressive 60 pizza and which warms the cockles and

sitting in.

(with sage and onions). crunch and l uff.

pasta variations. lends the dish a real zing.

Fish supper: £6.50 Fish supper: £6.70

Fish supper: £5.50

Fish supper: £5.20 Fish supper: £5.90

14 Nov–12 Dec 2013 THE LIST 17