My aunt and I had lunch at the “Black Pearl Pub”:http://www.blackpearlpub.ca/ a few days ago and enjoyed some very good fish and chips. This is a restaurant attached to a motel on Fanshawe Park Road West in North London, Ontario. There are a few parking spots out front and more at the rear where you’ll find the motel.
I had read that they had excellent fish and chips so had wanted to give them a try for a while. When we entered I wasn’t sure what to expect – the décor is decidedly nautical, dark and worn, the tables have plastic cloths and I could smell the air conditioner (although it was a very warm day and we were thankful for the air conditioner). However, there was malt vinegar on the table, the waitress was friendly and provided prompt service and the food was good. It became apparent throughout our meal that most of the other patrons were regulars which also boded well for the food.
The haddock and chip dinner ($12. 99) was one of the lunch specials and came with beef barley soup as a starter. The soup was home-made, had a good peppery flavour and had more huge chunks of beef than barley. So far, so good. The fish and chips were a generous portion, especially after the soup. The tartar sauce was good and the coleslaw was short-cut and very tasty. The chips were light and crispy and the fish was nice and meaty. The only thing I would have changed was the batter; I found it too cakey. I prefer one that is light and crispy and hardly there. As one always on the lookout for good fish and chips, this one is very good if you can look past the batter or prefer a batter that is more substantial. I ate half the batter and focused on the fish.
