There's nothing fishy about The North Sea Fish Restaurant.
In fact, this is actually how I wish every chippie in London could be. Classic. Delicious. A slice of London without feeling touristy. Amazing.
There are two parts to the North Sea, the takeaway to the left and the sit down restaurant to the right. The restaurant is old-world feeling with dark wood and faded tables and it's clearly been there for a long, long time. We came on a Sunday (their second or third Sunday open ever), so it was nearly empty but lovely. We sat by the window, we ate our meal, we talked, it was fantastic.
On Sunday, they have a smaller lunch menu but if you ask for the real one, they'll bring it and be able to make almost anything from it. We both went with classic fish and chips though - I got the regular cod and the person I was with got the matso-egg battered plaice.
Both fantastic - clearly freshly cooked from real fish, mmm, just grand. However, her mats-covering was amazing. Much lighter than the regular fry, each bite was great. I'd come back for that alone and had food jealousy the entire time.
We also got a few sides, included pickled onions (which came as three giant onions that were a bit difficult to cut with the fish knife) and coleslaw, which was creamy and delicious.
It's a little more expensive than other f&c spots, which is the only thing keeping it from that full five stars. Paying over £12, hell even over £10 for fish and chips does make my eyes pop out a little. But only a little, and this was £15 for the regular sized. However, with all the trimmings above and the great ambiance of the place, it's hard not to love here, and I'd send anyone, tourist or not, to try it.