Park Slope location:
383 Fifth Ave. (at 6th St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 832-7701 / (718) CHIPSHOP
So, I was strolling down the street one day with a fine bloke (my boyfriend!), looking for a nice cuppa' when I spotted it... the Chip Shop... fantastic! Okay, okay, enough of the Brit talk. I wasn't looking for tea, but I must admit, when we were looking for food, it was quite a surprise to stumble upon this place. Being a native Brit (half), I always get giddy when I find a British place because they seem to be few and far between. The Chip Shop was a fun alley-type restaurant with the decor practically screaming, "I'm all about the UK!!!!" Lots of memorabilia and the wait staff was authentic too, which is always nice. For some reason, I find a restaurant more comforting and true-to-its-roots when the staff is native of the cuisine. Makes sense, right? Anyway, let's get to the food.
I ate bangers and mash, mostly because it noted on the menu that the bangers are from Myers of Keswick!!!!!! Myers of Keswick is a British food store located in Manhattan. They make a lot of their own sausages, cornish pasties, pork pies, etc. So, with that said, I was very satisfied with my meal. It was like a taste of home. YUMMMMM so good!!! The portions are quite huge and, in my opinion, worth the money.
I ended with good ol' Treacle sponge, a sponge cake with a sticky, sweet topping and usually served with custard. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed because it seemed like it was overly microwaved and I don't think it was the brand that I like (Heinz) but overall it was okay. The custard that covered it made everything okay. Then again, when DOESN'T custard make everything okay??
To wash everything down, I wanted still-Ribena, a deliciously sweet blackcurrant drink. They only had the fizzy stuff, so I just had water but did try the Holy Ale beer which was pretty good. It reminded me of fellow British beer, Boddington's... but that could be secondary to my poorly lacking beer-consuming history!
The Park Slope location was small but the native- Brit staff was extremely friendly, accommodating, and just plain nice!!! The decor is genuinely British with lots of memorabilia on the walls and tables that put a smile on my face throughout dinner because I love those type of unpretentious places that make you feel comfortable. We loved our waitress and she was so nice that we even got a free plate, straight from the UK, out of it!!! I am so happy to have found another UK haunt, this time in Brooklyn!
Side note: I did not try any of the fried desserts, which is what I saw advertised about the Chip Shop on television one day, however, I am waiting to go back. Oh, and PS, I also want to return to the street it was on. It was FILLED with intriguing looking restaurants; a nice surprise!
