I have returned-ed!
Recently, I heard that a little-known coffee shop and restaurant called the Milkmaid served the best fish and chips in the Exeter area. As fish and chips is one of my favourite meals, I could hardly resist the temptation to see if it could beat the current record holder: the unnamed Polsloe Bridge chip shop. But an even greater oppurtunity was in Exeter at the same time.
The Exeter Food and Drink Festival was in town, at the Northernhay Park near the public library, and even though the Milkmaid was supposed to be amazing, the Food and Drink Festival would only be here for 3 days. However, I eventually decided to go to the Milkmaid instead. The price of the ticket to go to the festival was £7.50, which does not seem too much, but taking into account the fact that you would want to buy food in there as well, I thought I would be better off at the Milkmaid. And I am glad I went.
The place is just by Cathedral Green, just next to Cafe Rouge (a considerably less interesting establishment, and no mistake). The restaurant is situated above the coffee shop, and the atmosphere in two different sections is noticeable, and in a way that favours the restaurant. The setting was immaculate, and most of the tables were taken up when I arrived. Service was swift and efficient, but it was a little unnerving being waited by people my age who I was sure I had seen before and had probably been clumsily insulted by.
But enough about that. The "Catch of the Day" was haddock, and when it arrived alongside a good sized portion of chips and a blissfully non-mushy pile of peas, it certainly looked more appealing than the hastily hashed together orders at the Polsloe take-away. After squeezing on some ice cold lemon juice and adding some more condiments, I tucked into the fish, and was veeeery glad I chose to go to the Milkmaid. The batter was not too fatty, but instead crispy and crunchy, and the haddock simply could not have been fried better. It flaked off in the way all fish should, and the lemon juice added a sharp zing to it that really deepened the flavour. The chips were a little underfried, but I myself like my chips as I like my steak; well seasoned, rarely done and abundant on the plate. Instead of lemon juice, the main taste augment was the tomato ketchup, that always tastes better on rare chips. Finally, the peas were not buttered or mushed, thankfully, and their moistness off-setted the dry fish and chips nicely.
Overall, I think the praisers are right; the Milkmaid really does make the best fish and chips in the Exeter area. No dispute. Ever. And anyone who disagrees is a heretic.
A footnote: I am in the process of making a series of reviews called A Taste of Wales, chronicling the restaurants that I had the pleasure of eating at during a family holiday to Snowdonia. For now, ciao!
