Restaurants

Inside this unassuming chippie a steady queue waits at the counter, while numbers at the tables at the rear grow as lunchtime progresses. The whole place is as bright and brisk as the wipe-clean, pink, white and green floral tablecloths. Diners are more mixed than you might expect, the usual preponderance of men in suits offset by skinny young Greeks and a pair of shopping ladies, hungover and summoning saveloys. The sausages arrived sooner than our halloumi, implying the relative level of care taken in preparation by the effusive Greek proprietors – certainly the cheese was perfectly textured. A main-course haddock was also firm, tasty and big enough to overwhelm the plate, its chips straight-from-the-fryer hot. There are more adventurous options (grilled bream, perhaps), and Fish Bone has an alcohol licence: at £2.50 a glass, you get the house wine you pay for, so Hoegaarden or a half-litre of Whitstable organic beer might be wiser choices. There’s a dimmer switch on the wall, possibly for romantic evening fish-and-trysts.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008