By Andrew Dominick, HamletHub Norwalk editor and Food Dude
The Food Dudes have a motto as it applies to dining…the more you talk, the worse the food probably is. Of course it is acceptable to rant and rave about how good something is, but we stick to it: a quiet meal is a damn good one. On an unusually warm Sunday in April, Rob and I decided to try a place that he hadn’t heard about and I had, but I was well informed on the expected goodness that awaited us at Westfair Fish & Chips.
Because it was only noon, Westfair was closed (they don’t open until 1 p.m. on Sundays). This just made us hungrier. To kill time, we cruised around and then headed back to the somewhat hidden seafood restaurant in the Westfair Shopping Center, and trust me, if you do five miles over the speed limit you may miss the entrance. Head to the back part of the center and boom, there it is.
When we arrived, a few customers were already waiting outside and a couple more came in after us as if people needed their fish fix and knew exactly when Westfair opened. We stepped up to the counter and ordered…really? Come on! You know we got fish and chips. If there is one thing you can count on, if a place is named something or they’re famous for something, we’re trying it! We snagged one of the handful of tables in the nautical themed dining area and we each waited for our two piece fish and chips.
Now, remember that whole Food Dudes motto thing? This is where it came into play. As our orders were called, and we sat down, I swear to you, you have never witnessed a quieter meal. The fish was battered just right, it wasn’t too thick, it was seasoned, and the most important part, it was crispy. The cod was fresh and flaked apart as I used a combination of a fork and my hands. I threw some malt vinegar on the fish and barely chewed. I will not hate on you for liking tartar sauce, but vinegar is the way to go. The fries, or chips if you want to be a stickler about it, were nothing fancy but at the same time were some of the better ones I’ve had when paired with the battered cod. The potatoes weren’t fried to death and had some, for lack of a better term, potato to them. Spritzed a little malt vinegar on those bad boys too. The only missing ingredient, if you can call it that, was having the whole meal wrapped up in yesterday’s news.
Me: Try it with the hot sauce?
Rob: *shakes head* (this was in reference to trying fried fish with hot sauce for the first time ever)
A few minutes later…
Me: How’s the slaw?
Rob: Yeah.
For the Food Dudes, that’s a good sign! My potato salad also rocked, major props for using enough salt and whatever other secrets were in there because it was off the charts good.
Westfair Fish & Chips’ menu has many different seafood choices like shrimp, bay and sea scallops, squid, filet of sole, oysters, clams, daily specials, and much more. On top of that, most items are offered fried or broiled. If you are wondering about price, don’t. A two-piece fish and chips lunch and a Stewart’s Soda came to $10 and change. Westfair even offers a one piece for $5.95 plus tax.
Being a huge fan of fish & chips I have been searching for a good place since Streets of London closed in Norwalk, and now Westfair is my new go-to spot for the British classic. And to think, I was going to opt for a one piece fish. What was I thinking?
Westfair Fish & Chips
1781 Post Rd. E
Westport, Conn.
http://westfairfishandchipsct.com/
(203) 255-3184
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-9 p.m.
If you enjoy our eating escapades, that's a good thing! Get some more of us, eating food of course, at www.food-dudes.blogspot.com