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| - this is the oldest fish and chip place in the city. its been around since the early thirties i think. (might have to correct this in the future). but its damn old and thats the point. they have pictures in there of the grandfather of the vet that works across the street in that gargantuan beautiful old brown building. the guy who owned reliable, was running this place back then. so i suppose they have damn well earned the moniker RELIABLE. its nice that that history is preserved both within and without that building. within, you see these photos, news clippings and history lining the walls; in fact i believe the wallpaper might be a mock up of old newspaper clippings. without the building is the green and gold sign. the font speaks of a different time. and also from without you always see folks eating fish and chips atop the bar stools that face the street behind the windows. its not hard to picture the same scenario, though in all black and white, with the men capped with bowlers and fish being slid under their thick handlebar moustaches. perhaps it was a business decision to keep the history afloat when owners changed hands (as im pretty sure they did. the owners are asian now and werent originally.), but it sure is awful sweet.
now, as for the classic dish, i quite enjoy it because the fish is lightly battered - im not having some fish with my batter. the fries are nice and crispy. the gravy is tangy and rich. i also had clam strips, which is essentially the same deal as the fish, perhaps with a different batter. think popcorn shrimp and you pretty much have the idea. i did find those a little more greasy than the fish, but it didnt keep my equally greezy paws off of them.
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