Smiths Fish and Chips Balmoral Plaza

Fancy sizable Fish and Chip portions with a British flair? I found a pretty nice Fish and Chips restaurant (Smiths) situated along Bukit Timah road on the first floor of Balmoral Plaza. It is a small shopping centre situated along main road. Smiths Fish and Chips is and easily distinguishable by its iconic front signboard decorated with British Flags.

Smith’s serves up Authentic British Fish and Chips. Moreover, they claim their Fish and Chips are deliciously light, with their secret recipe invented by their founders since 1950s. Selections are very simple on offer. You have 4 main different types of fish (Cod Haddock, Dory and Halibut) on the menu. It is after all a Fish and Chips store.

Starter selections includes small plates to share, Onion rings, Breaded mushrooms, Scampi and Fishcakes they are priced $6.50 to $13 per serving.

Great (but oily) fish and chips

On menu selections, I recommend their staple signature Fish and Chips. You have a choice of Cod or Haddock fish fillets on two sizes. Each fish type is priced differently. Their standard size will set you back $25.50 SGD and a smaller portion just $3 cheaper at $21.50.

Moreover, their fish slabs are rather sizable. Your fish patties are served sitting on top of a bed of French fries on a plastic tray laid with wax paper.

Furthermore, if you desire a more budget option, but still wanting a sizable serving, their Dory and Chip ($21) is a good bet. With the exception of the Cod fish, which has a noticeably oilier meat texture. Having ordered their full selection of fish to try, I personally could not tell the difference between their Haddock and Dory fillets. They are all similarly covered in batter and is really difficult to distinguish them, but probably not for the trained eye!

Quality is pretty good too nonetheless. I am pleased to report that the fillets are pretty sizable and large for the price range. Also, the fillet crispy outer core coats the fish fillet evenly with very little air and voids between the batter and fillet.

Well loaded with a thin batter

Notably, I had tried Fish and Chips from other mainstream establishments, where the size of your Fish batter is not indicative of the size of the actual fish fillet inside. Some may be filled with voids. I am glad to report that Smith’s fish fillets are indeed loaded. The fish fillets served are coated rather thinly, encrusting your fillet with a thin crispy skin. The fillets are as large as the batter itself! It does gives you more fish for your money.

Also, Smith claims that their Haddock and Cod fish are all sustainably sourced. Moreover, all fish fillet selections can be breaded upon request. More premium offering includes the Halibut fish fillet at $29 per serving, also similarly served with potato fries.

Moreover, the accompanying fries are thick-cut potato wedges and fried. Your chips are best eaten with generous servings of HP sauces. You can find the bottles on each of the dining table, though most of them were mostly empty during my patronage.

However, the Fries can be tad bit greasy to your liking after consuming them. Do supplement your meal with good doses of beer or water, as the sizable fried portions can be rather dehydrating. It is best paired with a cool drink or bottle of beer.

Try their non-fish dishes

Moreover, on top of their staple fish and chips, Smiths also offers a variety of non-fish mains such as chicken and steak dishes. There is their Chicken in a Basket ($14.50) and Prime Angus steak burgers ($23.50). However, notably, this is not what you should be patronising a Fish and Chip’s store for.

Topping up the list are other menu sides including a selection of mini pies good enough for one person as a side. There is their Chicken and Mushroom Pie $20.50, and their Wholetail Whiteby Scampi and Chips ($26).

For fish and chips itself, you got to give credit to Smith’s for sizable quality portions. A meal can be rather filling as a whole. Smaller eaters could consider sharing one meal between two with an additional dash of sides.

Affordable, but not so special today

However, with all their main courses priced above $20, this makes Smiths Fish and Chips, isn’t much more price competitive to other main street alternative such as Manhattan Fish market and Fish and Co. Though the latter mentioned outlets have rather varied quality offerings from my experience. The Fish and Chips scene today, compared to say 5 years back offers much more better alternatives. Hence, for the offerings, I found it difficult to find a unique selling point for Smith’s besides just above-average quality Fish and Chips and a nice cosy restaurant to boot.

On my impromptu visit on a Saturday evening dinner, the establishment has ample indoor and outdoor seating and you place your orders at the counter where a buzzer will inform you (in about 10 minutes) when your orders are ready for self-help collection from the counter. Also, the eatery offers a choice of indoor and outdoor walkway seating. I would recommend taking the outdoor seating as it can get pretty oily in the air-conditioned dining area and kitchen.

All in all, Smiths Fish and Chips is a cool place for a nice quiet dinner tucked in the affluent Bukit Timah neighbourhood. You be good for a visit, but probably not a place I would visit too often.

Verdict:

Must Go! | Worth Trying | Shortlist Optionally | Should Avoid
Smiths Fish and Chips
Balmoral Plaza
271 Bukit Timah Road, #01-02
Singapore 259708
Opening Hours: 11:30am–10:30pm daily