Toby Atkin-Wright

How veggie-friendly are the chip shops in St Andrews? I thought I’d ask them what they fry their chips in, in light of my unhappiness with the Tailend (documented in the standrews community at http://community.livejournal.com/standrews/22479.html).

Chip shop	Fat
Tailend	beef dripping
KFB	beef dripping
Pizza Connection	beef dripping
Empire	vegetable oil
Marmaris	vegetable oil
Fritto	vegetable oil
Dolce Vita	vegetable oil

Did I miss any chip shops?

Of the three that fry in beef dripping, only the Tailend claims to serve “veggie” fried food.

My favourite for chips is Dolce Vita. Mmm.

How veggie-friendly are the chip shops in St Andrews? I thought I’d ask them what they fry their chips in, in light of my unhappiness with the Tailend (documented in the standrews community at http://community.livejournal.com/standrews/22479.html).

Chip shop	Fat
Tailend	beef dripping
KFB	beef dripping
Pizza Connection	beef dripping
Empire	vegetable oil
Marmaris	vegetable oil
Fritto	vegetable oil
Dolce Vita	vegetable oil

Did I miss any chip shops?

Of the three that fry in beef dripping, only the Tailend claims to serve “veggie” fried food.

My favourite for chips is Dolce Vita. Mmm.

I had lunch at the Tailend Restaurant and Fish Bar with Kate, Beth, and Mary. Tailend is the new chip shop, fish shop, and café on Market Street, where long-term St Andreans may remember the Joe’s chip shop used to be. It is owned and run by people who used to own the well-marketed world-famous Anstruther Fish Bar. The café was bright and pleasant, and despite a fish-oriented menu, they were happy for me to order veggie food from the chip shop menu. With bottles of HP Sauce and Heinz Tomato Ketchup, and the food presented on real plates, the presentation was good compared to Anstruther.

My soup arrived quickly, but the main courses seemed to take an age. Kate and Mary had fish & chips, Beth had a salad and a bowl of chips (which due to being in a slanted bowl, she described as looking like a loo full of chips), and I had veggie haggis with chips and peas. The peas didn’t appear, despite me reminding the waitress when the rest of the food arrived. The veggie haggis was excellent — I’ve never had it battered and fried before — and worked well with HP. The chips on the other hand were nearly good, but on my plate they were overcooked, too dry, and rather tough. It’s hard to judge an eaterie this early in its life, and I hope they do better, but a chip shop needs to serve better chips.

It was busy in the café though, and the takeaway counter was buzzing. I think they’ll do well.

I had lunch at the Tailend Restaurant and Fish Bar with Kate, Beth, and Mary. Tailend is the new chip shop, fish shop, and café on Market Street, where long-term St Andreans may remember the Joe’s chip shop used to be. It is owned and run by people who used to own the well-marketed world-famous Anstruther Fish Bar. The café was bright and pleasant, and despite a fish-oriented menu, they were happy for me to order veggie food from the chip shop menu. With bottles of HP Sauce and Heinz Tomato Ketchup, and the food presented on real plates, the presentation was good compared to Anstruther.

My soup arrived quickly, but the main courses seemed to take an age. Kate and Mary had fish & chips, Beth had a salad and a bowl of chips (which due to being in a slanted bowl, she described as looking like a loo full of chips), and I had veggie haggis with chips and peas. The peas didn’t appear, despite me reminding the waitress when the rest of the food arrived. The veggie haggis was excellent — I’ve never had it battered and fried before — and worked well with HP. The chips on the other hand were nearly good, but on my plate they were overcooked, too dry, and rather tough. It’s hard to judge an eaterie this early in its life, and I hope they do better, but a chip shop needs to serve better chips.

It was busy in the café though, and the takeaway counter was buzzing. I think they’ll do well.