Chippers. Love them or loathe them, they are here to stay, and new ones are constantly sprouting on the scene across the north-east – as well as Scotland as a whole.
I for one have never been a regular customer at my local fish and chip shops.
But on reflection, it’s maybe down to the fact I am yet to discover one that’s left me feeling satisfied and wanting more.
So whenever the chance to try a new one arises, I am all for it.
My colleague Julia sits at the other end of the spectrum and is a huge lover of chippers, but tends to stick to the same order time and time again.
After hearing through the grapevine that Aberdeen’s The Dolphin Chipper served up a variety of battered items that neither of us had sampled before, we took to the road to try them out for ourselves.
The Dolphin Chipper: What is it and what’s on offer?
The Dolphin Chipper is a family-run company with a number of branches, based on:
- Chapel Street, Aberdeen
- Hazlehead Crescent, Aberdeen
- Provost Watt Drive, Kincorth, Aberdeen
The pair of us made way for the Chapel Street branch, given that it’s based closest to our offices in Marischal Square.
The menu features a range of chipper favourites as well as some unique dishes.
With the team priding itself on serving the highest quality ingredient to customers, this meant our expectations were high.
The order:
The results
So, did our dishes prove the perfect catch? Or leave a sour taste?
Battered Mars bar
I made it no secret that this was my first time trying a battered Mars bar, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
I had always made sure to avoid them in the past due to my wariness of the batter being wet, chewy and drenched in oil. On this occasion, it turned out to be lovely and crunchy, and wasn’t greasy.
Other battered Mars bars Julia has tucked into have been quite oily whereas this one, the batter was crispy but soft to bite through and the chocolate and caramel inside were molten and incredibly delicious.
Half was more than enough for us as it was quite rich.
Presentation
Julia: 3/5
Karla: 3/5
Taste
Julia: 4/5
Karla: 4/5
Battered Lorne sausage bap
It was the battered Lorne sausage bap that enticed Julia and I to visit the fish and chip shop in the first place, and oh boy, was it a treat!
The thin batter encompassing the sausage, which was flavoursome, juicy, well-cooked and tasted just as good as it smelt before diving in, was five stars.
There was the perfect ratio of batter to sausage, too.
Although the freshly baked softie hadn’t been buttered and we had no sauce in amongst the mix, it really wasn’t needed.
I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say I’d urge you to stop by and try it, you won’t be disappointed.
Presentation
Julia: 3/5
Karla: 3.5/5
Taste
Julia: 4.5/5
Karla: 4.5/5
Haddock supper
A haddock supper is a quintessential dish to order when stopping by a chipper, so of course, we had to try the business’ take on the iconic pairing.
From the get-go, we thought the batter would be a winner (given its delicious-looking golden-brown colour), and we were right. It was crisp, not greasy and tasted amazing.
The fish also hit the spot and was evidently fresh, flaking away whenever our knives sunk into it and it melted in the mouth.
We didn’t think the chips were that great, purely as they were quite inconsistent and some didn’t taste like they had been cooked for long, while others were super fluffy inside.
However we received a good portion, so that was a bonus.
Presentation
Julia: 3/5
Karla: 3.5/5
Taste
Julia: 3.5/5
Karla: 3.5/5
Macaroni bites
Keen to try the chipper’s macaroni in a slightly different format, and because they aren’t usually something Julia would order, I thought we should opt for the macaroni bites.
The sauce inside was incredibly rich and creamy, and the small pieces of macaroni pasta reminded Julia of those you’d find in a macaroni pie.
I will say they were more on the heavy side so one portion, which contains five bites, is definitely for sharing.
Presentation
Julia: 4/5
Karla: 4/5
Taste
Julia: 3/5
Karla: 3.5/5
While we enjoyed all of the dishes at The Dolphin Chipper, it was the battered Lorne sausage in a bap that came out on top with a score of 15.5/20.
Can you think of any local venues or dishes you would like the Drive-Thru Diners to try?
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