Dram and Haddock opens at former Haarbour site in St Andrews

The Scotch Chippy!

Fish and chip shop Dram and Haddock opens at former Haarbour site in St Andrews

Taking over the fryers at what used to be Haarbour in St Andrews, the Dram and Haddock has opened its doors to local fish and chip fanatics on Alexandria Place.

Owner Fraser Ogston designed the layout and structure of the premises when it opened as Haarbour.

He says: “I designed the layout of the venue when it was first opened and have now decided to open it as Dram and Haddock, which is a fish and chip restaurant takeaway. We make our own whiskies, and we’ll soon be bottling that and selling our own Scotch whisky.”

Since opening its doors, Fraser is delighted with how popular it has been among local food fans, who have the option to sit in or take away their meal. “It’s been very popular since we opened and every week is getting busier and busier,” he continues.

“We’ve got a 40-seater restaurant to the rear of the property and the takeaway to the front. So, we do both sit-in and takeaway and both are served from the fryers in the middle of the restaurant.

“The aim is to basically be a nice highend fish and chip shop.”

With a team of expert fryers taking the reins in the kitchen, Fraser notes that high-quality fish and chips is not easy to pull off, but he has every confidence his team will succeed.

“There are chefs who think they can fry fish and chips but it’s a completely different thing than what you’d normally make in the kitchen,” he adds. “There’s a knack to it and a way of the batter, a way of cooking it. It’s not just a case of making a batter and pretending that’s your fish and chips.

“These guys need to be experienced and the fryers we’ve bought into the business used to work in fish and chips shops and know how to put the fish in the fryer, how to properly use the batter and how you nurse it in the fryer.

“It’s not just a case of coming along with a recipe and thinking you can cook fish and chips. You have to have 10-15 years of experience in doing so, which the Dram and Haddock guys all have. They’ve worked since teenagers in the fish and chip industry learning how to cook proper fish and chips.”

Heading up the kitchen team is chief fryer Adam Smith, who has 10 years of experience behind him.

He says: “I’ve been working in fish and chips for 10 years now and this opportunity came up, which I’m delighted to take on.” People can sit in and takeaway, and we also do deliveries via EcoEats.”

Do you sell your own beers/spirits? Email austen@chippychat.co.uk