The tour was the annual get together of a few friends who agree a
location to spend a few days chatting, walking, cycling, eating and drinking.
This year’s venue was the magical Ellan Vannin. A place that feels gloriously
peaceful with little of the histrionics that seem to invade our daily lives.
Our first night was spent in Peel in a pub that is an institution in
the town, The Creek Inn. I love the Creek Inn. Good beer, a ‘sun-kissed’ beer
garden to the front and just a great bustle of people from all over the world
enjoying their time on the island.
I waited for my fish and chips (£12.50) trying to ignore a nearby diner’s
lamb shank which hummed with the smell of mint sauce. I’d had brilliant fish
and chips from the Creek a few years earlier so was very excited about the meal
to come.
When it came it looked OK and the fish was OK. Just OK. A little too
dry and without a lot of flavour but not bad either. The same could be said of
the batter which was fine but didn’t tickle the tastebuds yet it did have a
good clean, crisp crunch to it.
The chips were homemade but were overcooked and the flavour of the
potato had been completely removed from inside the outer crispy shell. The
other problem was they had taken on too much oil and I could see them oozing
fat when forked which didn’t make them terribly appetising.
The peas seemed to have come from a packet and had little if any taste.
The tartare was also from a packet and had a harsh acidity which was far too
overwhelming to make it enjoyable. There
was far too much tartare and far too few peas.
A piece of lemon was provided but the vinegar had to be requested.
So my initial excitement was well and truly deflated by this start to
my fish and chip exploits on the island. To top it all off the meal was washed
down with a very average Oakham Citra.
The end of the following day’s cycling from Ramsey to the Point of Ayr
and back was a return bus to Peel and the Peel Fisheries chippy.
We could smell
the chip shop when we got off the bus and it just got better as we made our hungry
way through the back streets of Peel. It’s a small corner chippy with some
seating outside and they were just at the start of frying for the evening
shift. With the sun beginning to fade over the Manx hills it felt very, very
right.
The fish was cooked to order and without being remarkable was enjoyable
and along with the fantastic batter it was a fine balance of taste and texture.
The batter was perhaps a tiny bit oily.
The chips were glorious. A great clean potato taste and a perfect level
of crispiness. The best I’d had in some time.
The peas didn’t have a lot of flavour but at least they did have the
classic chip shop consistency.
There was no need for anything else as they had added the right amount
of salt and vinegar.
There are fewer better things in life than sitting on a bench next to a
back-street chippy with the cars and buses of Peel trundling past and the good
people of Peel popping in to get a cheeky Tuesday treat. The meal was washed
down with fresh air.
The final fish and chips of the trip were at Tanrogan in Douglas which
came as part of their two courses for £15 set lunch menu. Tanrogan is widely
accepted as one of the best restaurants on the island and the ambience of this
fine looking eatery was only disturbed by a group of ‘ladies who lunch’ chatting
far too loudly.
The fish was fantastic. Superb intense fresh fishy flavour in big
chunks of perfectly moist meat. Happy days. The fish was encased in very crisp,
very brown and very tasty batter and they worked elegantly together to give me a
deep-fried taste sensation I hadn’t had in some time.
The chips were as good as the battered fish. They were bloody big
things but crispy on the outside and a stunning floury flavour from some high-end
potatoes.
As anticipated from the rest of the food, the tartare was excellent with
big chunks of gherkin and capers in the mayo creating a cracking cut-through
freshness against the fish.
I wasn’t surprised by the size of the lemon, but I was by the numerous pips
that came out of it when squeezed.
The drinks that accompanied the meal were a bottle of Swiss 1936 beer and a glass of Nostros Sauvignon Blanc.
Great food served with very good service and attention to detail in
every aspect of the experience. Highly recommended.
Afterwards it was off to the ferry for Liverpool.
Thank you Isle of Man.
