Finally, the Entente Cordiale seems to be really paying off: that British favourite of fish and chips has - at last - crossed the Channel and arrived in Paris with the opening of The Sunken Chip in the capital's trendy 10th arrondissement, just a hop, chip (sorry) and a jump away from the Canal Saint Martin. Brits in Paris Michael Greenwold (chef at the award-winning restaurant Roseval) and James Wheelen (owner of grimey-hip bar L/Inconnu) opened Paris' first - and only - fish and chip joint earlier this month, to much chatter and excitement not only from deep-fat-fried loving expats but also from cosmopolitan Parisians keen to continue their fascination with foreign street food (see Paris' recent obsession with hot dogs, burgers and street trucks). That said, this may be fast food, but it's still top-notch quality - choice pieces of fresh, ethically caught fish (hake, pollock, coley, monkfish and a catch of the day) are fried in the Sunken Chip's secret-recipe light and crispy beer batter and served alongside golden-brown, crunchy chips and minty mushy peas, all for an extremely reasonable total of €14 (and a drink is thrown in for that price, too). Battered sausages and the hangover special par excellence of a chip butty are also on the menu, and the entirely authentic experience can be completed with a can of Irn Bru, a pickled onion (or pickled egg - not for the faint hearted) and even that 80s teeth-rotter of choice, the wham bar. English-French relations are further cemented with beers brewed on each side of the channel featuring on the menu. Our top tip: as an added extra, ask for scraps while you're waiting for your order - a free cone of all the bits of surplus crispy batter. Thank us later.
The Sunken Ship
39 rue des Vinaigriers, 75010 Paris
Open Weds-Sun, 12-2.30pm, 7.30-10.30pm
Photos copyright Kim Laidlaw
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