How do they do that, anyways?
It’s a pretty fantastic story that Bliss and Chips don’t necessarily shout out their vegan credentials, and that some people walk in, order fish and chips, and have no idea that they’re not eating fish, but instead something… else…
I mean, how do they do that, anyways? The battered mock fish that we had tasted just like fish. I mean, it tasted like a processed piece of fish, as it was cut into a perfect rectangle, but the colour was right (white, with grey parts) and more amazingly, the texture was right, with little bits of faux-fish that flaked off under your fork. We were super-impressed.
The fries were tasty and crisp. The dipping sauces OK. The faux seafood basket was slightly less successful than the fish. I thought the squid really tasted like squid. The crabstick tasted appropriately like fake fish, because that’s what crabsticks taste like. The prawn looked like a prawn but… didn’t have a variety of texture.
In any case, for ten bucks for each main, and five for a healthy bowl of chips, this is inexpensive eating.
I suppose that’s my problem. I really did want to love this place, instead of just being impressed with the wizardry but on a cold Friday evening, with the open shopfront (chilly!), and plain tables and cutlery, this place feels like a bit downmarket, a bit too much like fast food. There’s also a bit of a headspin with the idea that the food is healthy for the environment (being vegan) but the perfect shapes feel processed, and the deep frying doesn’t feel so healthy.
We should probably have ordered some salady things as well, to make it feel more complete and formal and less fried. So, I couldn’t recommend it as a place to go as a destination, or to really enjoy a meal… but if you want a vegan snack (or even just a tasty deep-fried snack) and you’re in the neighbourhood, you should definitely try it.