The Sunken Chip (CLOSED)

The idea of a fish and chip shop in Paris carries with it overtones of the dreaded Irish bar abroad, all stale spilled Guinness and badly dressed tourists out on the lash. Thankfully, The Sunken Chip couldn’t be further from this shudder-filled idea. It is run by expats, and it has set up shop in that crook of the Canal Saint-Martin so popular with nesting Brits and Americans, but it has done so with style and plenty of local sympathy (the menu is knowingly bilingual). It’s also a very smart move – younger Parisians are endlessly enthusiastic about foreign fast food innovations, and there had yet to be good quality takeaway chippy in the French capital. This one positively begs for you to take your cardboard container, your wooden knife and fork and your beer, and wolf your lunch down at the water’s edge.

The bright, fresh little space is done out in a traditional blue-and-white tiles, wooden benches combo with touches of neon and funky lettering, the good-looking staff in hipster plaid or Breton stripes. It’s a chippy done by Instagram. Happily, the food offering hits the spot perfectly, so the ironic little touches – calling the soft drinks ‘English pop’, the cutesy explanations of pickled onions and battered sausages for the Frenchies, the glass jars of sweets – don’t grate too badly. The spanking fresh catch – Pollock, Hake, fish nuggets or a special – comes hot, light and crunchily battered, on a pile of chunky chips with a healthy dollop of quality minted mushy peas. Add in a soft drink, and the lunch menu is €14 for a serving that’s enough to make a Brit homesick.

Service is swift and cheerful, and on our visit the clientele included some fascinated French tots getting a new culinary education. The Sunken Chip seems all set for success, which is a jolly good thing.