Re: i want some fish n chips...

On 2007-11-14, Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Whiskers <catwheezel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2007-11-13, nigel <useweb@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
x-no-archive: yes

used2be wrote:

If you want to torture yourself <http://www.harryramsdens.co.uk/>.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, my mouth is watering...

Sorry to rain on the parade, but I've never been a fan of harryramsdens.
I went to the original when the hype was just starting up and was rather
underwhelmed, and now they've become an even less whelming chain.

I prefer the small, independent chippies - the quality is very variable
but when you find a good one, it's worth it.

I was taken to the original Ramsden's chippy up in the
Lancashire-Yorkshire border region (I forget exactly where it was) some
time in the '70s, and it was certainly a top-notch chippy. I haven't
visited any of the chain or franchise versions personally, but they do
look as though the hype has overtaken the quality.

I've tried it: the food they serve is unremarkable canteen-type stuff.
Why did I do it? Motorway service station, and seeking the lesser evil.

[snip]

That's how the fast-food chains work; the general grimness of the
experience is reliably uniform and that familiarity is somehow more
comforting than risking the unknown. (But big lorries parked around a
small caff not on a motorway, is generally a good sign).

In defence of canteens, I must say that those I had access to in two of
my places of work were pretty good on the food front even if the décor was
less than inspiring.

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-- Whiskers
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