Seafood & Dessert Fiesta at Fish & Co.

Before I begin, do tell me where can I find the place that serves your favorite fish and chips in Jakarta?

Fish and chips have become a ubiquitous dish that actually had its origins from the West. Be it the Europe, America or Australia, each places have special attachment to this comfort food. At this part of the world, it’s a common sight to see fish and chips sold on mobile food carts on the streets. Sounds like our nasi goreng street vendors? Very much so, I‘d say.

There was one time when I tried to sample fish and chips at several restaurants and I realize that so far, only few could come close to Fish & Co.’s fish and chips. Yes, I sound terribly biased and some of you must be yelling now. But, this conclusion did not come about without prior evidence gathering.

Fish & Co. Indonesia, is a brand developed by PT. Gading Food, the sole license holder in Indonesia from the franchisor in Singapore. The fishy tale began in 2003, at its first outlet in the then hip shopping mall among the youth: Mall Taman Anggrek. Today, after almost a decade, Fish & Co. has opened 11 outlets in Jakarta and Surabaya’s popular shopping malls and 2 more are opening soon in Kuningan City and in Bali. Who says one cannot enjoy good and fresh seafood inside the malls?

The tag line “One bite and you’re hooked” couldn’t be any truer. I couldn’t get rid of the trauma from the fishy smell that some terribly processed seafood have, but it’s never the case for Fish & Co.’s products. Hence, I don’t go crazy about seafood like some of us do. However, the very first time I had Fish & Co.’s fish and chips, I fell in love at first bite. -- No kidding! No seafood had ever done that to me and I was equally baffled.

So what’s the secret? The succulent and juicy dory fish fillet is imported fresh from Vietnam. Top it off with the signature lemon butter sauce. The crispy golden batter covers the fillet almost like skin, it’s not the crumbly batter type like some versions at other restaurants.

Furthermore, Fish & Co. Indonesia brings the world of fish and chips to us with its several international twists, such as Japanese, Danish, Singapore, Indonesia and America (New York and Philadelphia). My personal favorite is the Danish (oozing with stringy mozzarella) and Singapore (topped with homemade chilli crab sauce).

Some additional facts: Fish & Co. doesn’t only appeal to local tongues. Apparently, some British and New Zealander friends once conceded that the fish & chips here are as good as what they get back home.

This fishy business is so lucrative that some copycats blatantly reproduced the entire concept disguised under a different name. The case had been settled legally, with the competitor still allowed to run their business with certain terms and conditions. But our tongue is the most unbiased judge, it knows what is original and what is fake, yes?

*) This article has been previously published on The Jakarta Globe Blogs, Life Lived, on 26 May 2012.