The owner of a South Shields fish and chip restaurant says he has been given the ultimate Christmas present after receiving two back-to-back rave reviews by leading food critics.
Richard Ord Jnr of Colmans Seafood Temple made the comment after last weekend’s newspaper review by Jay Rayner in The Guardian was followed up today by a social media vlog from Food Review Club.
Richard comments: “They are both great in different ways. Having Jay Rayner come to the business is incredible because he’s probably one of the most famous food critics in the world, never mind the country. To have him come in and say what he did about our family business is nothing short of brilliant and it’s a testament to the team because what they did was incredible and he loved it!
“On the other side, you have Food Review Club. What they have built over the past few years is equally impressive. They have built such a clever brand, especially for younger people, they have brought food reviews to the younger crowd of people who wouldn’t follow Jay Rayner’s reviews.
“The two reviews are complementary as they both appeal to totally separate markets. For me, it’s like a really good Christmas present to get two back-to-back, 10 out of 10 reviews just before Christmas.”
In Jay Rayner’s article for The Guardian, headlined ‘Colmans Seafood Temple, South Shields: ‘All the things you want’, he writes: “Here come plates heaving with the golden deep-fried stuff, which is less lunch than birthright. But there are other fancier routes to tread.”
He went on to praise the Lindisfarne oysters, calling them “sizeable”, describe its XL crispy prawn tacos as “huge specimens” and refer to the whole fish of the day – sea bass – as a “slab of crisped salty skin and pearly flesh”.
A special mention was given to the Temple’s “proper” chip shop curry sauce and its mushy pea fritters, describing the latter as “fat discs of thick pea loveliness in a lacy batter coating”.
The rave review finished with Rayner writing: “They’ve devised a menu that is part bargain-priced Bentley’s or Scott’s, part kiss-me-quick-and-kiss-me-again. You can come here for something light and dainty. Or you can come here for something that will harden your arteries at 20 paces.”
Meanwhile, Matt and his Food Review Club team kicked off their critique of The Temple, saying: “Nothing I’ve ever been to compares to the look and feel of this inside.”
Tucking into a portion of large day boat cod, chips, mushy peas and curry sauce, Matt remarks: “I’m completely blown away, it’s overwhelming that is, that’s the standard. This is their fifth generation and if their generations before were here now eating that, they would be very proud of what they are doing here now today.
“I can’t believe what I’m about to say, it’s the best I’ve ever had. That’s a new scale of professionalism.”
Read The Guardian review here and watch The Food Review Club review here.
