Fish! (Borough Market)

On the basis that one poor experience may not be typical we went to fish! for a second time before a performance at Shakespeare's Globe. We regretted it, and there won't be a third time.

Whitebait was not just crisp it was brittle to the point of shattering on contact and my grilled main course was dry, with a pathetic serving of limp, moist vegetables. Wife fared a little better with basic fish and chips but the sauces accompanying both dishes were obviously dished up well in advance and had developed a skin. White wine was served tepid and the £80 bill without desserts was a rip-off.

Service was off-hand and I really did not like seeing under-employed staff (it was early evening) occupying one of the prime tables on the terrace smoking, drinking and reading books. This place is a horribly wasted opportunity.
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Kentishwanderer
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, May 12, 2008

We ate at Fish! yesterday and it was one of the worst meals I have had.

The special at £18.95 was tasteless- it was definitely not fresh.

The chosen sauce- garlic butter came separately as a pat of cold butter.

This was served with a few stir fry vegetables which were oily and did not compliment the main course in any way.

At that price you have to pay extra for chips/mash/small salad and

bread and butter was an extra at £1.95.

When a restaurant purports to be a fish specialist and offers simply prepared food- the choice was steamed or grilled- tthe freshness of the ingredients should be paramount.

There is no attempt to enhance the fish with individual sauces simply a choice of 3 or 4 ready made standard sauces ( or pat of butter) to go with all the fish on offer.

Think 70s style pub steak house substituting fish for steak and tripling the prices and you'll know what to expect.
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pad85
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Monday, April 21, 2008

food was ok ,the service was brilliant 4 out of ten
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jardinhoigdoink
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 2
Thursday, April 03, 2008

I visited Fish for dinner mid-week - the location and restaurant itself were very pleasant and the staff were friendly and helpful. But the food, unfortunately, was appalling.

We ordered the house fish and chips, with mushy peas, whitebait and mussels. The fish and chips, which cost £16, were tasteless and the fish was undercooked. The portion size was also disappointing. The mushy peas were fine - thankfully. The whitebait were ok, but didn't taste wonderfully fresh. The mussels were in a tomatoey sauce which tasted like ketchup, slightly mindboggling as they're not a particularly complicated dish.

Sorry to have to review the place so badly - it looked great from a distance and the menu looked interesting, but there's simply no excuse for getting these key, simple dishes so badly wrong.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Thursday, March 27, 2008

We came here as a party of 5, and we were treated well by the waiting staff. Some of us had menus where a certain type of fish was available but it didn't show on other menus, which was a bit frustrating.

I had oysters, which weren't the best I've had. I had the kingfish (the daily special) as the main, as it was something I hadn't tried before - this, grilled, was meaty and tasty.

I found it a bit of a shame that they had the 'build your own meal' option - obviously it was good to have a choice, but it confused some of our party as to which sauce to have (tuna with hollandaise sauce, anyone?) etc. Also the veg accompaniments were small, and all exactly the same. Some variation would have been nice.

Desserts looked tasty, but I was much too full for one.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, February 27, 2008

i hadn't been here for many years and had good memories of it but was very disappointed on my return. the whitebait and calamari were overcooked and bitter like they had been fried in very old oil and the haddock i had for main was also overcooked. how can a fish restaurant overcook a piece of fish???!!! the wine list is vastly overpriced as is the food for the quality. i was with a group so didn't want to complain and make a fuss but i won't be returning. shame as it is in such a great location and i still love the concept.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Saturday, February 16, 2008

Good place for a potato pie. On the menu as a Fish! Pie for some reason.

It's in fact a bowl of potatoes with some cheese on top ,but hey, the junk they sell in the KFC is called chicken..

Proves that in the right location you can sell anything and charge a fortune.

Prices would be reasonable if the food was great. It is not.
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Rollin''
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Friday, November 02, 2007

Fish! Fish! Hmmm.... Lovely place. Fresh, delisious fish but you wait... the most exciting thing is.... HAVE you see waiters there!? Oh.... God, do they have to pass some beauty contest to be taken there? :-0

These masculine guys look like they all after being in Navy...
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Saturday, October 06, 2007

I ate there a couple of time as I leave in the area. The terrace is very pleasant, the food is OK but the portions are tiny, and the dishes are quite expensive... was still hungry everytime I left!! Service was ok-ish.

Don't think I will go back
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caroline - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Friday, September 07, 2007

Four of us, on a summer evening's stroll along the Embankment, discovered Fish at Borough Market. None of us had starters, two had the fish pie and two had Cod & Chips with mushy peas, plus a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I alone had a sorbet to finish. We had some bread and butter, a jug of tap water, one camomile tea & two coffees. The bill came to £96 - which includes a 12% cover charge. Apart from a pleasant, efficient waitress, the meal was average and we were plagued the entire evening by the bell-ringing at Southwark Cathedral opposite. I won't be returning. Pity, because I love good fish.
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Richard
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Thursday, August 30, 2007