Captain Haddock

At High Street Fish and Chips in North York, the fish is the focus

Chippy Chat & Fast Food Magazine • March 2020 36 S ince 2005, it’s been tucked inside Donwood Plaza on Underhill Drive, near Victoria Park and Lawrence avenues in Toronto, Canada. The quirky sign outside noticeably reads “High Street Fish, Chips And” which Chen says was the owner’s whim and also a clue about what’s inside: fish and chips, but much more, from meat pies to blood sausage and haggis. From ship’s wheels on the walls to cosy booths, this place is all old school love.

Co-owners Sharon Chen and Paul Chow took over the family-oriented restaurant from a Scottish and English couple seven years ago.

“We came in very quietly,” Chen told The North York Mirror. “We just wanted to come in and make sure they (customers) didn’t notice any difference, like the food is still good, the service is still there and we didn’t want them to say, ‘Oh, there’s new owners, everything’s different, now everything’s changed and it doesn’t taste the same’ and we didn’t get that.”

When you walk inside, there’s an old-school feel. Artwork and Scottish poems line the walls to the front counter. Posters explaining why you should eat fish hang nearby.

The menu highlights several dishes, including cod, Alaskan halibut, battered tiger shrimps and breaded clam strips.

But according to the menu, it’s the haddock that made the restaurant “famous.”

“We make a darn good haddock,” Chen said. “Our fish is really good quality; our batter is straightforward.”

The haddock is shipped in from Nova Scotia, Chow said, adding that the batter is light and crispy. “It’s not heavy, it’s not oily,” he said.

The way it’s listed as the haddock “superb fillet” with the note “it made us famous!” shouldn’t be ignored: $13.35 with crispy fresh cut fries, this steamy, luscious filet glistens within its crackly, bubbly, golden and light flour batter. Tartar sauce, gravy...nothing more is needed. Except maybe a Guinness ($6.55). Outside, the restaurant’s sign teases that it serves more than fish and chips.

“High Street Fish, Chips And,” it reads. Half of the business, Chow said, is meat pies.

“We make all of our meat pies in house,” he said. “Everything’s made from scratch.”

Some of their more popular pies are steak and ale, and steak and mushroom, Chen said, but customers can choose from a variety, like steak and kidney, chicken pie, mac and cheese pie and shepherd’s pie.

Chen recommends the Melton Mowbray, a cold meat pie that was originally made to be eaten on horseback. $10.55 served classically with surprisingly awesome baby beets and super creamy coleslaw, it’s filled with chunks of pork and gelatine that kind of create the effect of a pie stuffed with terrine or pate. A lot of High Street’s customers come through word of mouth and are regulars, Chen pointed out. But that’s starting to change.

“A lot of new families are moving in, but we know quite a few (regulars) and I think that helps the business,” she said.

Looking forward, the duo wants to make High Street a destination in Toronto.

“Fish and chip places aren’t around as much anymore,” Chen said. “We hope people want to make that special trip.” Chow agrees. “People come for the experience,” he said. “They want, I guess, an authentic experience.” In order to achieve their goal, Chen said they must keep things simple.

“We focus on the fish and make sure what we’re doing, we’re doing it right,” she said. “You’ve got to keep your focus so the quality stays.”

Have you visited a chip shop abroad? Email austen@chippychat.co.uk