Fish and chips shop in Japan is highly rated by foreigners, but will it impress a Japanese local?

This visit filled our Japanese reporter with fish, chips…and regrets.

Our reporter Seiji Nakazawa has visited England a number of times, but to his great shame, he’s never eaten fish and chips there. So when he came across a rave review for a fish and chips shop in Japan, he knew this was his chance to make up for what he missed.

▼ So he headed down to the fish and chips shop, called Malins.

Seiji had seen this place being recommended on the Junk Food Japan YouTube channel, where host Nicholas Pettas visited the original branch of Malins in Roppongi with Chris Broad, from the Abroad in Japan YouTube channel. Broad had high praise for the fish and chips at Malins, saying, “This is real fish and chips”, so Seiji bypassed everything else on the menu and went straight for the fish and chips. 

▼ He was so keen on the fish and chips that he even ignored the afternoon tea.

Malins offers a Regular fish and chips for 1,800 yen (US$12.18) and a Special for 2,100 yen. Fearing the regular might not be enough to satisfy him, Seiji opted for the Special and when it arrived, he almost gasped at the size of it.

▼ Now that’s a whole lot of fish!

The fish was so huge it was hanging off the plate, and that’s saying something as the plate itself was larger than usual.

Seiji was excited for his first bite, and when he tasted it, he was surprised to find that inside the freshly fried, crispy batter, the fish was actually soft and airy. Judging by its appearance, he’d imagined it would be greasy and heavy on the stomach, but despite being oily — it is deep-fried, after all — it was light on the stomach, thanks to the lightness of the meat.

▼ Plus, the vinegar helped to cut through the oil, adding a sharp freshness to the palate.

However, as he enjoyed bite after bite of delicious fried fish, Seiji began to find himself filling up with food…and a dash of regret at the same time.

“Why didn’t I eat fish and chips in England?” He wondered. “Why did I order a carbonara when we went to that cafe restaurant in Brighton? I wish I could go back in time and screw a codfish into my stubborn mouth”.

▼ Ah, Seiji, if only you’d known better.

They say you only regret the things you didn’t do, and Seiji found himself filled with regret that he hadn’t ever ordered fish and chips when he was in England. If he had tried it when he was over there, he’d have some sort of bar by which to judge the fish and chips at Malins, but alas, he could only judge it for what it was, which was, in Seiji’s opinion…

▼ …”Umeeeeeeeee!”

“Umeeeeeeeee!” in Japanese is like “Yummmmmmmm!” in English, and that was Seiji’s official review of the Malin’s fish and chips.

▼ The chips were just as good as the fish — crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, and you could really taste the flavour of the potatoes.

There are several branches of Malins in Tokyo, but the Shibuya one Seiji visited has a restaurant-like vibe, making it a nice place to relax and transport yourself off to the shores of England. Seiji loves fish so much he dreams of being a fish, and if  he was one he would swim to England…to eat fish and chips. But until he grows fins and a tail, he’ll happily make do with Malins, which now has him caught hook, line and sinker.

Restaurant Information 

Malins Shibuya Seibu store / MALINS渋谷西武店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Udagawa-cho 21-1 Shibuya Seibu Store A Building B2F
東京都渋谷区宇田川町 21-1　渋谷西武店A館 B2F
Open: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. (Separate business hours during the year-end and New Year holidays  — see Shibuya Seibu website for details)
Website

Related: YouTube/Junk Food Japan
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