Smiths / Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips
271 Bukit Timah Road
#01-02 Balmoral Plaza 230 Tanjong Katong Road
http://www.smithsfishandchips.com/
Latest Post - Dec-2020
Still A Proper British Chippy
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 5
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 5
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $35 per person.
Update Dec-2020: More than 5 years on, and Smiths / Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips still serve one of the the best classic British English Fish And Chips in Singapore. These days, they're part casual eatery part pub, and despite the out-of-the-way location, people still flock here for their good quality dishes. They still have the old-school Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) donation box here.
Ambience at Smiths remains casual, resembling a traditional British Chippy. A large glass counter displays the range of food, while British flags fly from the rafters. Furniture is casual, simple, and functional. The aging colour themes of white against wood look dated. But the seating is much more spacious than before to accomodate new safe distancing measures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Service at Smiths is completely self-service, with ordering, payment, and collection of orders over the counter. Clearing your own tables remains encouraged. Staff display good product knowledge on the menu, particularly on the various types of fish offered and their sustainable origins, and will still engage guests in polite conversation. They also work quickly in preparing and fulfilling orders.
Food at Smiths is classic British English cuisine, focused on traditional Fish And Chips and other dishes you'll find in a typical sea side Chippy stall. Sustainably sourced from England, their fish is fresh and the batter has a balanced thickness / thinness, still retaining a crisp crunch without being overly oily. Portions are large for 1 person, and prices have increased slightly, now being similar to a restaurant. Budget about SGD $35 per person.
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| Smiths Facade |
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| Smiths Menu 2020 |
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| Smiths Menu 2020 |
The Beer Guinness Draught (SGD $12) is a dark Irish dry stout, named after Arthur Guinness, and is brewed by Diageo PLC in Dublin, Ireland. Among the most famous beers worldwide, this has a deep, dark black brown colour, with a creamy white foam head. The aroma and taste is similar, consisting of smoked malts, roasted coffee beans, faint caramel, and barley. The body is rich, velvety smooth, almost creamy, with a bitter sweet grainy flavour.
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| Beer Guinness Draught (SGD $12) |
The Beer Archipelago Summer IPA (SGD $15.50) is an India pale ale, brewed by the Archipelago Brewery in Singapore. It has a hazy amber orange colour, with aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, malts, and lemon. The body is light, medium, and smooth, with tastes of blood orange, hops, steel, and rock melon. Has a bold fruity citrus sweet sour bitter flavour, with a hazy carbonation, and a light lingering finish.
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| Beer Archipelago Summer IPA (SGD $15.50) |
A variety of Sauces still stand ready on each table, including classic British English condiments like malt vinegar, salt, tomato ketchup, and the iconic HP sauce / brown sauce / wilson's gravy.
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| Sauces |
Loved the Fish And Chips Cod With Mushy Peas Set (SGD $28). The Mushy Peas have a creamy thick texture, with bright vegetal sweet flavour. The thick-cut potato Chips have a soft fluffy bite, with mild starchy sweet flavour; to these I added some salt and tomato ketchup for a contrasting salty sweet note. The Battered Cod Fish is the star of the Fish And Chips. Not oily, with a balanced thickness / thinness to the batter, the flaky soft moist chunks of cod fish hold beautifully delicate sweet savoury flavour. I added salt, malt vinegar, and HP sauce for greater salty sour savoury sweet notes. So filling and value for money, yum. Highly recommended!
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| Fish And Chips Cod With Mushy Peas Set (SGD $28) |
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| Mushy Peas |
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| Chips |
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| Battered Cod Fish |
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| Battered Cod Fish |
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| Fish And Chips Cod With Mushy Peas Set |
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| Fish And Chips Cod With Mushy Peas Set, With Condiments Added |
The Fish And Chips Dory With Baked Beans Set (SGD $26) remains decently tasty. The Baked Beans are soft and warm, with bright vegetal sweet flavour from the tomato gravy. The thick-cut potato Chips have a soft fluffy bite, with mild starchy sweet flavour; to these I added some salt and tomato ketchup for a contrasting salty sweet note. The Battered Dory Fish is the highlight of the Fish And Chips. Not oily, with a balanced thickness / thinness to the batter, the creamy soft moist chunks of dory fish have delicate mild sweet savoury flavour. I added salt, malt vinegar, and HP sauce for greater salty sour savoury sweet notes. Satisfying but rather poor value for money compared to other dishes here. Alright at best.
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| Fish And Chips Dory With Baked Beans Set (SGD $26) |
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| Baked Beans |
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| Chips |
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| Battered Dory Fish |
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| Battered Dory Fish |
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| Fish And Chips Dory With Baked Beans Set |
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| Fish And Chips Dory With Baked Beans Set, With Condiments Added |
The Battered Mars Bar (SGD $6.50) is a classic British English dessert that is so decadent. A whole Mars candy bar is coated in a medium thick, crisp batter, which crunches lightly to reveal the soft gooey interior of chocolate and caramel. Dusted with icing sugar, and with robust chocolatey sweet flavour, this rich dessert sticks playfully in the mouth. Good!
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| Battered Mars Bar (SGD $6.50) |
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| Battered Mars Bar |
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| Battered Mars Bar |
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Earlier Posts - Dec-2014
Proper British Chippy
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 5
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $28 per person.
Original Post Dec-2014: Smiths Authentic British Fish And Chips, more commonly known as simply Smiths, first opened its doors in Singapore in September 2010. Styled after the typical British English "Chippy", or Chip Shop, commonly found throughout England and the United Kingdom, Smiths specialises in serving classic English Fish And Chips, done in the traditional style. Even though I've patronised them since the beginning, I've only just realised that I've never blogged about Smiths!
Ambience at Smiths is casual, resembling a traditional British Chippy. A large glass counter displays the food, while British flags fly from the rafters. Furniture is casual and simple, as befits Smiths dine-and-dash style of fast food. Colour themes of white against wood lend a clean, modern atmosphere, while bright ambient lighting and an open concept lend a sense of homely comfort.
Service at Smiths is largely self-service. You order, make payment, and collect your food at the counter. Clearing your own tables is encouraged as well. Otherwise, interaction with staff is mostly limited to ordering, but I find them able to communicate well, and knowledgeable on the various types of fish offered on the menu. Overall, decent service for a fast food / takeaway style place.
Food at Smiths revolves around various types of fish in their Fish And Chips. I like that their fish is fresh, and the batter isn't too thick, still retaining a crisp crunch while not being too oily. Besides fish, they also have a small selection of other items on the menu, such as chicken or seafood. Portions are large for 1 person, and prices reflect the good quality of food here, expect to pay about SGD $28 or so per person for a meal.
A variety of Sauces stand ready on each table, including British English classic condiments like Vinegar, Salt, Tomato Ketchup, and the iconic HP Sauce / Brown Sauce / Wilson's Gravy.
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| Sauces |
The Beer Adnams Ghost Ship (SGD $11.50) is named for the 600-year-old The Bell pub, located in the village of Walberswick, in Suffolk, England, which is reportedly haunted. A pale, cloudy, British amber ale, with tastes of malt, hops and bread, an aroma of citrus fruits and apple, with a light, clean texture and slightly bitter finish.
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| Beer Adnams Ghost Ship |
The Beer Boddingtons Pub Ale (SGD $11.50) is a clear British golden ale known for its creamy head and light, refreshing texture. Slightly sweet, with no real aroma, and no real strength to its body, this is a very safe beer, good for beginners or those who don't drink much.
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| Beer Boddingtons Pub Ale |
A classic British English side dish, the Mushy Peas (SGD $2) here are pretty good, nicely mashed but still chunky, warm with a good amount of gravy, and the refreshing sweetness of peas.
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| Mushy Peas |
The Baked Beans (SGD $2) are decent as they use the canned version. I like that they warm it up before serving though, so you can the hearty, warm tomato taste.
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| Baked Beans |
The Pickled Gherkin (SGD $2) is pickled in classic style, in a brine of salt, vinegar and water, such that the texture comes out soft and tangy, without being salty or too sour. Decent, extra points for being homemade!
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| Pickled Gherkin |
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| Pickled Gherkin |
The authentic British Fish And Chips typically use either cod or haddock, as these are common across England. Here, it's served with the traditional thick cut style English chips, that have a good potato flavour, on a crinkly wrapping paper that is supposed to resemble newspaper, giving diners the familiar sight and smell of a Chippy. The Fish And Chips Cod (SGD $19.50) features a flaky fillet of cod fish, while the Fish And Chips Haddock (SGD $19.50) features the more firm haddock fish. Both are very fresh and well fried, with a thin, crisp batter.
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| Fish And Chips Cod |
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| Fish And Chips Haddock |
The most common fish used in Fish And Chips in Singapore is dory, and here, you'll be able to get the Fish And Chips Dory (SGD $15.50) as well. This is probably the most familiar tasting fish to Singaporeans, and because it's more readily available here, the cheapest as well. A large, fresh fillet of dory fish is used, coated in the same great tasting, thin, crisp batter.
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| Fish And Chips Dory |
The ultra decadent Battered Mars Bar (SGD $6) has the same tasty, thin and crisp batter, coating an entire fried Mars candy bar. When bit, the warm chocolate and caramel slowly oozes out, sticking to everything. This dessert is so sweet, unhealthy, and indulgent, I actually feel like I should only eat it once every 3 years!
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| Battered Mars Bar |
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| Battered Mars Bar |
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