Slapfish (Hilton Head Island, SC)

 1024 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island, SC

 

Slapfish is a national chain of upscale fast food fish restaurants with currently some 20 locations across the US. It has an eclectic menu, which reflects more a fish restaurant than a fast food chain, including Chowder Fries, Lobster Roll, Fish & Chips, and various salads.

 

I get the Fish & Chips, choosing two pieces rather than one ($14), which comes with home-made Tartar sauce. The two pieces of fish are lightly breaded and well fried: very good! The fries are thick and crispy, with light seasoning. The Tartar sauce is yellowish and has a bit of a citrusy taste.

 

VERDICT: 90/100

Very good fish & chips and the other, healthier options, were good too (although the salad had a lot of fries in them).

The Bridge (Reykjanesbær, Iceland)

 Aðalgata, Reykjanesbær, Iceland

 

The Bridge is the restaurant of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at Iceland’s international airport Keflavik. Like many Icelandic restaurants, which cater to tourists, they have fish and chips and burgers.

 

I get the Fish & Chips (~$16), which includes three medium-sized pieces of thinly batter and crispy fried cod, a big heap of fries, coleslaw, and homemade tartar sauce. While the fish is perfectly prepared, it does not have that much flavor and, more problematically, neither does the tartar sauce. The fries are thin and crispy. They have a bit of an aftertaste that suggest they were fried in olive oil. Tasty though. The coleslaw is underwhelming.

 

VERDICT: 84/100

Pretty good and not too pricey for an airport hotel in Iceland.

101 Reykjavik Street Food (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Skólavörðustígur 8, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

 

101 Reykjavik Street Food is a small local and tourist favorite that serves just 8 different meals, 6 of which are different soups. I get the famed Fish & Chips (ISK 1850 or ~$14.50), which is one big piece of perfectly battered and fried cod (I assume). The fries are thin and pretty standard but also perfectly fried. The chipotle mayo is very tasty, the tartar sauce a bit bland.

VERDICT: 90/100

Funky little place with excellent food

Porch (St. Simon's Island, GA)

 549 Ocean Boulevard, SSI, GA 31522

Porch is a fried chicken place in downtown St. Simon's Island with a big outside space that is great for kids. They serve chicken and catfish, grilled or fried, in four levels of heat. They also have salads, shrimp, and sides.

We get the Jumbo Chicken Tenders Plate ($11), Nashville style, and a Catfish Plate ($14), both come with two sides (grilled Brussels sprouts are $2 extra). We also get two spinach salads with grilled chicken and grilled shrimp. The chicken tenders are big but not very juicy and not really spicy. The catfish comes in thin strips, are lightly coated and tasty. The fries are also lightly coated, like the Burger King fries, but big thicker (not a fan). The salads and Brussels’ sprouts were very tasty, according to those concerned.

VERDICT: 80/100 

Great place to go with kids but fried chicken was a bit underwhelming.

Blue Moon Brewhouse (Atlanta, GA)

6000 N Terminal Pkwy, B Concourse, Atlanta, GA 30320

The Blue Moon Brewhouse is linked to the Blue Moon Brewing Co., which serves pretty standard American fare: burgers, sandwiches, salads. I guess most people come here because of the beer, though.

 

I have the Coastal Fish Sandwich ($12), which is a good sized piece of tilapia, grilled, on a bun with lettuce, onion and tomato. Good, but would be really tasty with a Remoulade sauce. The fries are prefab and underwhelming.

 

VERDICT: 81/100

Pretty basic although fish itself was big and well prepared.

Trapeze Pub (Athens, GA)

269 N Hull St #6, Athens, GA 30601

 

Trapeze Pub is a Belgian beer café and restaurant in downtown Athens. It has an extensive dinner menu, which serves several salads, cheese plate, sandwiches, and entrees like vegan pasta and pork ribs. It also serves an additional lunch menu with very affordable options. 

 

I order the Falafel Sandwich ($6) and add French Fries (+$2.5) with “garlic aioli” (don’t call it mayonnaise!). The sandwich includes three big falafel balls, tasty but a bit too moist, with red cabbage, lettuce, humus, tzatziki, on a fresh pita. The French Fries are crispy and tasty, as always. Best in town!

 

At previous visits I had the Double Pig ($10), a big ciabatta sandwich with braised pork and spiced bacon, pickled green beans, arugula, and a paprika-tomato aioli – delicious but heavy. I also had their Southern Fish & Chips ($12), which is a bit less satisfying – I find the crust of the fish too dry and tasteless.

 

VERDICT: 92/100

Trapeze Pub is one of my favorite restaurants in Athens with excellent, affordable, lunch and dinner options.

Champy’s (Athens, GA)

1120 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30606

Champy’s is a southern chain of “famous fried chicken” restaurants, which started in Alabama in 2009. It currently has five locations: three in Alabama and one in Tennessee and Georgia each. They serve different kinds of fried chicken, catfish, frog legs (!), and “Delta tamales”. All come in singles and plates with classic Southern sides.

 

I sample the offerings. I get two wings ($5.50), which are battered with thick coating - whomever thought that was a good idea should be banned from any kitchen. The chicken tender ($2.75) is huge and has the same batter, but much more chicken. They are fat but quite tasty. Unlike the chicken the fried catfish ($3.50) is lightly battered, which is better (even if the tartar sauce is too dilly). The side of fries ($2.99) is huge but disappointing; kind of thick BK fries, battered and airy with little hint of potato.

VERDICT: 71/100

Overall quite poor, but tenders of chicken and catfish are OK.

Atlanta Highway Seafood Market (Gainesville, GA)

227 Atlanta Highway, Suite 900, Gainesville, GA 30501, USA

Atlanta Highway Seafood Market is a seafood market ad restaurant in a dirty-a-dozen strip mall in Gainesville. When we visit for Friday lunch, it is bumping. Fortunately, they work quite fast. There is a large menu of fresh fish and seafood, coming in platters and sandwiches.

I am going for the classic, a Catfish Po-Boy ($6.99), and get it blackened and with spicy rather than regular mayo. The fish is really fresh and tasty, not over seasoned, the spicy mayo has nice tangy favor, while the bread is ok. The sides of M's platter are OK – slaw a bit bland.

VERDICT: 86/100

You come here for the fish, which is fresh and well prepared. Everything else is ok but unremarkable.

The Frying Castle (Colchester, UK)

24B Long Wyre Street, Colchester, UK, T: 01206-616-505

The Frying Castle looks pretty nice for a British chip shop. It gets great reviews online, which lures me to the place. It has the usual staples of British ‘cuisine’: English breakfast, burgers, fries, deep fried sausages and fish, but also chicken, jackets, omelets, pies, and even salads.

I am getting the regular Fish & Chips (£7.45 or ca. $11.50). The fish is cod and its freshly prepared. It is lightly battered and tastes really fresh. Chips are prefab but quite crispy, particularly for the UK. Shame that all sauces are from jars, despite the fairly nice presentation.

VERDICT: 86/100

While not cheap, this is some of the best fish and chips that I've ever had. Would be even better with homemade tartar sauce!

Royal Peasant Pub (Athens, GA)

1675 S. Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30606, T: 706-549-7920

The Royal Peasant Pub is a cross between a gourmet English pub and a sports bar, famed for its beers, food, and English Premier League (EPL) and Team USA games. I had eaten here once before, years ago, and was a bit underwhelmed by the much hyped Fish & Chips.

This time I order the Lamb Burger ($11). It is a standard item on the menu, but the toppings change daily. Today the burger comes with ‘spicy chow chow’, which is explained by the waitress as “Southern kimchi”. The burger is absolutely delicious! The meat is juicy, not too strong lamb taste, the bun is toasted on grill (bit dry), and the chow chow gives it all a great flavor. The shoestring fries are salty but tasty. 

VERDICT: 89/100

The Royal Peasant is a nice pub, which serves really great food, if you choose wisely.

Vickery’s Bar & Grill (Atlanta, GA)

933 Garrett Street #101, Atlanta, GA 30316, T: 404-627-8818

Vickery’s Bar & Grill has been in East Atlanta since 1983. It is one of the many restaurants in the Southeast that specializes in a modern and fancy interpretation of Southern food (normally not my thing). It looks a bit like a fancy sports bar, sending vibes of inclusion and exclusion at the same time. The waiter is fairly pretentious but fails to remember most of our orders and regularly returns to ask again (write it down dude!).

 

We started with the Fried Calamari ($11), which comes with sweet chili sauce, cilantro, and onions & peppers. It was absolutely delicious! The Maytag Bleu Cheese Chips ($7) with bacon, chives, blue cheese crumbles, pico de gallo & bleu cheese sauce (all cheese on side) was also very good. Chips were fresh and crunchy. I then moved on to the Fried Catfish Sandwich ($12), one of the few Southern things I really like. The large piece of catfish was fresh and pan-fried and came with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, cilantro, and tartar sauce on Cuban bread. One of the best I have ever had! The accompanying fries are tasty but nt remarkable.

VERDICT: 91/100

While technically not a real pig out spot, but a serious restaurant, it serves various pig out staples (burgers, fried fish and chicken), and does so deliciously.