Sutton & Sons fish and chips, Essex road: restaurant review
We review the second fish and chip shop from Sutton & Sons in Essex Road, with grilled and battered fish (fresh from their own fishmongers), chip shop classics, and Mrs Sutton's delicious desserts and pickles
In a nutshell
Stoke Newington fish and chip shop and fishmongers Sutton & Sons has opened a second branch in a former chippie in Essex Road, East London. Since 1998, this fishmonger has been supplying East London with sustainable seafood, and husband and wife duo Danny and Hana now have two fish and chip restaurants to their name.
Menu know-how
Reasonably priced small bites (think king prawns, breaded white bait, haddock and cod fish cakes) are a great way to kick things off – order a couple to share. The menu is then divided into traditional British battered fish and chips (classic cod and haddock, along with monkfish and plaice), and grilled fish with chips or salad. You can also go for chip shop classics such as jumbo battered sausages, and pie and mash made in house, and a specials board spotlights meaty tuna burgers and on-trend lobster sub rolls.
Menu must-orders
To start, a generous portion of Cromer crab on toast is livened up with fresh chilli and coriander. Sea bass is lightly seasoned and grilled meaning crisp, brittle skin encasing meaty fish. All seafood comes from Sutton & Sons’ fishmongers in Stoke Newington, so sustainable sourcing is guaranteed. Traditional battered cod has a super light coating, fried in groundnut oil, and is served with proper fluffy chippie chips, bright green mushy peas that taste of a sweet English country garden, and owner’s wife Mrs Sutton’s homemade zingy pickles to liven up the plate (balsamic baby shallots are a must).
Don’t be scared of the deep fried Mars Bar – it’s something you must allow yourself to try at least once in your life, and Sutton & Sons is a good place to start – it’s a treacly, gooey toffee dream with the lightest layer of batter. Mrs Sutton’s sticky toffee pudding, too, is famous among locals for a reason – rich and sticky, with a smooth toffee moat. Both are served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Local lager from Hogs Back London Brewery and ales from Hackney Brewery are refreshing enough to work with all that fried food, or splash out with a glass of champagne (the dry bubbly is the perfect companion to cut through batter).
What we liked
The no frills, what you see is what you get ethos – chefs chat away while they fry, and staff wear large smiles from behind their little notebooks.
What’s the room like?
A revamped local chippie – bright tongue-in-cheek slogans and blackboards adorn the white painted wooden walls, along with traditional white tiling. Choose to perch on wooden stools at high tables, or go for comfier (though we wouldn't mind a cushion!) red and grey low chairs at the back of the long narrow room. Down one side is the display cabinet for takeaway customers, with an array of golden-battered goods to choose from.
Written by Alex Crossley
Published December 2015
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