At Fish & Co, these 'F' words rule: Fresh, flavorful and fish-tastic
MANILA, Philippines – In this fish lover’s haven, the “F” words are a way of life. “F,” of course, stands for what the restaurant serves best — fresh, flavorful, and fish-tastic dishes.
Now is the best time to indulge in Fish & Co.’s signature fish and chips as the resto introduces its newest tempting bait — the Fish Around the World pan. Savor how the world perceives this “poor-man’s food” in four variants — Malaysian, Philadelphia n, Japanese, and Indian Fish and Chips — that got us hooked on our first bite.
Those who want their fish and chips spicy should try the Malaysian variant in sambal sauce or the Indian Fish and Chips, which is smothered with curry sauce. I personally love the Japanese version. The zesty dory fillet is wrapped in a nori strip and spiced with wasabi-lemon butter sauce.
Crispy and creamy best describe the Philadelphia Fish and Chips. This delightful dish has a cream cheese filling with lemon butter sauce that melts in the mouth. Served with chips, steamed veggies and lemon wedges, the Fish Around the World pan is a steal for only P795. It’s good for two to three persons.
“We’ve put all four flavors in one pan so diners can sample our latest offerings in one go. Also, they won’t have a hard time deciding what to order,” explains Lilet Martinez, operations director.
Customers have the option to order them separately. The regular serving is at P405, while the Just for Me size goes for P205 per pan. The latter is perfect for diners on a budget. Each serving comes with a delightfully seasoned fresh fries.
At Fish & Co. the seafood dishes are prepared in a simple and straight-forward manner and are served in a pan, a practice inspired by Mediterranean fishermen who pan-cook fresh-from-the-sea food to ensure freshness.
“We use cream dory for our fish and chips. There are different kinds of dory and each has a different taste and after taste. The tastes depend on how or where the fish is cultured. We have a local supplier that’s been approved by our principals in Singapore . We also follow the standard size and weight for the dory that’s why our serving portions are very consistent,” explains Lisa Ronquillo, marketing director.
The secret of flavorful fish and chips, Lisa adds, lies in the batter.
“Other fish and chips are covered with thick batter that you can’t taste the fish anymore. Our fish and chips is crispy and juicy. We use a propriety batter, which is specially developed by Fish and Co. We are not allowed to make it from scratch. We have a commissary in Singapore which provides us the pre-mixed stuff,” relates Lisa.
More Than Just Fish & Chips
A mélange of appetizing pasta and salad dishes also await foodies at Fish & Co. Try the pasta and shrimp salad served, well, cold. This chilled spaghetti, drizzled with sesame oil and Japanese mayo topped with shrimps, is simply divine.
It goes well with a huge mug of Jungle Freeze. This one-liter rambutan and pineapple smoothie goes for P220 and is good for two persons.
The soft-shell crab salad is another tempting option. Flavors exploded on our palates as we relished the crispy breaded soft-shell crab and assorted greens with balsamic sauce.
Other to-dine-for dishes include the peri-peri prawns, the chunky and juicy Fish Collar which tastes like fried chicken (swordfish’s collar deep fried and served with spicy mango vinaigrette), the Whole Line Fish topped with butter sauce, and the seafood platter (seasonal fish, calamari, and tiger prawns), among others.
If you’re a meat lover, anytime is a perfect time to get hooked on Fish & Co.’s meat offerings. Specialties include the chicken peri-peri, grilled porkchop basilica, and grilled Mediterranean tenderloin.
“Since Fish & Co. is a specialty restaurant, most diners aren’t aware that we also have meat items on the menu. In Singapore, Fish & Co. serves only fish dishes. When we opened Fish & Co. in the Philippines in 2005, we weren’t allowed to offer meat items as well. But due to the changing times and since Filipinos are carnivorous by nature, the principals gave in to our demands and allowed us to offer chicken and pork meals,” notes Lilet.
So whether you’re craving for fish and chips, salads, seafood, or meat dishes, Fish & Co. has something that will surely tickle your palate.
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Visit Fish & Co. at its branches in Greenbelt 3 in Makati; Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City; SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City; TriNoma Mall in Quezon City; and Alabang Town Center.
