The oldest fish and chip shop in London, Rock & Sole Plaice is in the heart of Covent Garden. Founded way back in 1871 on Endell Street, it was the third fish shop ever opened in London and has been a part of the city for almost 150 years. In fact its basement room served as a meeting place for community volunteers to plan where provisions would be distributed to displaced people during the Blitz in WWII! Pretty impressive!
The menu includes a selection of pies and both battered and saveloy sausages but if you come to the oldest chippie in London you have to have fish and chips right?! As well as the classic cod and haddock, there are also some different options such as plaice, skate, rock and lemon sole. All come with chips and tartare sauce but if you want mushy peas, you’ll have to order them separately.
The shop uses the same fish you’ll find at the fish counter at Harrod’s so you can be sure your fish is top notch! We opted for the two mainstays – cod and haddock. Fried in peanut oil, the higher smoking point means the batter stays crisper and doesn’t soak up as much grease.
The batter was light and crispy and the fish well cooked, it hadn’t dried out and lost all of its flavour in the cooking process. The chips were fat but a little too crispy for our liking, we personally prefer a slightly squishier chip from the chippie – better for soaking up the vinegar!
The location of Rock & Sole Plaice means you pay a bit more than your standard high street shop but if you’ve got guests from outside of the UK, this is a place to impress with our traditional dish!
