(Image: Danny Malin / YouTube)
A food reviewer has heaped praise on a rare coal-fired fish and chip shop.
Yorkshire-born Danny Malin, known for his YouTube channel Rate My Takeaway, visited Fields Fish Shop in Esh Winning, County Durham.
The restaurant is one of the UK’s last remaining coal-fired fish and chip shops, using traditional coal-fired ranges and beef dripping to cook its food.
'Absolute heaven'
Upon entering the shop, Danny said: "What can you smell?
"Beef dripping.
"Oh, and you can definitely smell the coal fire.
"I love that smell.
"I really do.
"Mixing that together, it's like absolute heaven."
What did he order?
He ordered a full meal of fish and chips, a garlic fish cake, mushy peas, curry sauce, and gravy, and admitted he was immediately tempted by the chips on display.
He said: "I'm stood there and I'm dribbling looking at the chips.
"They look good."
The garlic fish cake quickly became a standout item for the food reviewer.
He said: "That is absolutely gorgeous.
"It's got a very, very strong fish taste to it.
"But then with that garlic coming in as well with the parsley, there's like a little bit of cheese or something in there.
"That is probably one of the best fish cakes I've ever had.
"I love the crunchiness of the batter cooked in the beef dripping."
'All what you want in a chip'
The chips earned equally glowing praise.
He said: "Wow.
"Coal-fired chips in beef dripping.
"There is a sweetness about these.
"They're thin, they're crispy, they're crunchy.
"They're all what you want in a chip."
Fish could have been thicker
Danny also praised the restaurant's commitment to tradition.
He said: "Do you know what I love about this place?
"There's no fancy bells and whistles."
While he enjoyed the cod and its crisp batter, he did note that he would have preferred a thicker portion of fish.
He said: "The batter's cooked really well.
"The only thing is I'd just like a thicker piece of fish."
'Beautiful fish and chips shop'
Despite the critique, he was otherwise full of praise, describing the gravy as proper northern gravy.
He also questioned why more shops do not use traditional cooking methods.
He said: "Why are we still not frying with coal and beef dripping is beyond me."
Summing up, he gave special mention to the fish cake and chips.
He said: "The fish cake, garlic fish cake, absolutely fantastic.
"Beautiful, gorgeous, crisp crunch.
"The chips, some of the best chips I've ever had from a fish and chips shop.
"For me, this is a beautiful fish and chips shop."