Poppies of Spitalfields

This jewel of a true English restaurant is a singular find with first class food, in an area of London otherwise overwhelmed with foreign food eateries.

Arriving at 8 p.m. with a un-booked a party of 5, we were soon found a table by the manager. Cheerful waitress service ensued, no wondering if /how we should catch their eye – we were very well attended.

A great choice of traditional fish & chips beautifully and generously prepared really convinced our Italian guests of the qualities of British cuisine at its best. Puddings, wine, beer and all at an very affordable price topped off a classic evening out. It was so good one guest ordered a take-away for another friend to eat later on !

I was so pleased to be able show off my homeland's best, and a great credit to Poppies management.

First of all, the fish is fab – moist, tasty and in the lightest but tastiest batter I've had in a long time. That said, we did have to wait quite some time before it arrived, so much so, that one of my lunch companions remarked that we may have been served quicker in the takeaway queue! The chips may well have been “chipped” on the premises, but we're not too sure where they left their taste. I got somewhat embarassed by how much table salt and vinegar I had to add, but even then, I really could not get any semblance of taste from them. A discussion with one of the friendly waiters concluded that they may have been taken out of the fryer a tad too early, but given that this is a fish and chip shop, surely it is reasonable to expect that they serve quality chips to go with their wonderful fish?

The restaurant itself is probably just a tad too “new” and really tries a little bit too hard on the design front and so resembles a Cockney themed environment rather than the authenticity such a menu requires. That said, we will probably give it another go, not least because it is within easy reach of the office, but in the hope that all the current teething problems do get ironed out and we end up with a decent “chippie” on our doorstep!