The Chippy

The Chippy
Basement, 51a Wellington Street, Central (entrance on Pottinger Street)
Hong Kong
Tel: 2523 1618

Grub: Traditional English-style fish and chip shop - 'chippy' is slang for this sort of eatery.

Vibe: The Chippy does quite a good job of recreating the feel of an old-fashioned English fish and chip shop. The walls are white-tiled and the menu is written on a blackboard. There's a handful of low-brow British newspapers - but these are for homesick customers to read rather than for wrapping chips in, as was once common.

Who to bring: Lots of dads love fish and chips, so take yours there for his birthday or Fathers' Day.

What's hot: There's a lot of good things on the menu, but it is the humble chip that is the star of the show. Chips here are as close as you can get to the classic chip shop style chips found all over Britain. This is largely to do with the equipment used to fry them. In Britain, the oils used to cook the chips also play a role, but here modern vegetable oils are used.

The jumbo battered English sausages are yummy, but they're large so consider sharing one. And if you'd like to try some particularly northern English fare, the black pudding comes recommended - be aware, it's not a dessert.

For dessert, the apple crumble is pretty good and, from Scotland, there is the infamous deep-fried Mars Bar. Here it's ? la mode - with ice cream. It doesn't taste as revolting as it sounds, just like a melted Mars Bar, really.

What's not: The entrance is a bit hard to find first time - the small doorway on Pottinger Street is almost hidden by fancy dress sellers who set up stalls outside.

The cod didn't quite live up to expectations, possibly because it has been frozen. Cod comes from the North Atlantic, so it's hard to get it here without freezing, so you have to make allowances.

Cost: Cod and chips with baked beans or mushy peas is HK$120. Other kinds of fish, fish cakes, pies and sausages with chips are HK$80-HK$120. A mug of tea is HK$15 and desserts are HK$45.