For my sins, I have made it to Hull for a weekend. Ahead of indulging in the wonderful Larkin Trail and dining at Dope Burger, one of my favourite burger haunts in the country, I thought I would feast on Fish & Chips. Doing so in a coastal town is often a safe bet. Almost everyone in the country knows the famous Magpie fish & chips restaurant in Scarborough. I’ve never been patient enough to brave the queue but I am told it’s splendid.
Now, Papa’s was centrally located, with a view of the Prince’s Quay, one of Hull’s premium shopping centres. Naturally I abhor commercialism and try to avoid such places at all costs while frequenting Amazon with abandon, like any middle class hypocrite. We got the best table of the house, though being seated near a single glazed window in January in ‘The North’ is seldom recommended.
Being allergic to any mention of fish, I opted for the double battered saussie and chips. This came with a homemade gravy and ticked all the boxes. The sausage itself was lengthy, coated in batter made on site. They use a top secret recipe which they would not tell me at all. The chips were wonderfully cooked, though they did burn my mouth so I’d advise caution when consuming them.
Louise went for the famed Hull Pattie. For one reason or another I had never tried this. I have no frame of reference for whether this is the best in town but I found it absolutely stunning. These savoury patties are battered and deep fried mashed potato, seasoned with sage. This one was moist and well packed, adding to the joy in consuming it. The mushy peas were clearly made on site.
Nick and his festive jumper tried out the fish and chips. Having a fair portion of chips on my own plate, I only went for the fish. St Nick tells me the batter was the highlight in this matter; though this was by far the best and most upmarket place to sit down for fish and chips in town, the fish itself was not spectacular. I understand it is delivered freshly each morning. The fish not being to our exacting tastes does not detract from the overall merit of this restaurant.
The crowning glory of this dinner was the Lotus Biscoff Sundae. Deliciously layered and spectacularly presented. We were very happy to begin our Hull sojourn in this place and look forward to returning before long.