Gozo – Victoria – Stanley’s Chippy

After visiting five museums and two cafes during the day, a fine dining experience awaited. Well, what I call fine dining, which was a very British fish and chip shop in the middle of Victoria. The restaurant (I’ll call it a restaurant, although it was something between a cafe, chip shop and restaurant) is in a beautiful location, situated in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption. It’s quite a small restaurant, just a handful of tables and a small kitchen area, but it was clean and comfortable.

The drinks menu, very reasonably priced.

The drink, a refreshing Fanta  🙂

The large fish and chips, which is the restaurant’s signature dish, and which was well presented with everything at the appropriate temperature. The portion size was generous and it was well drained, so wasn’t at all greasy. The batter on the fish had a light and pleasant taste, with an rich flavour. The fish was light and it didn’t taste like cod, although I have no reason to suspect that it wasn’t. The chips were firm on the exterior and fluffy on the interior, with the mushy peas actually having a decent taste. It was all well above average, with the batter on the fish and the mushy peas being of a notable high standard.

The service was near perfect, a rare level of friendliness and engagement from a staff member who seemed proud of what the restaurant offered. The whole service style was informal and down to earth, and I got the impression that a regular group of customers come here and that there’s a little community going on.

This isn’t the restaurant that I would have expected in the location in which it’s sited, but I’m glad that it’s there. It had a welcoming feel to it, with the staff being pro-active and helpful. I felt comfortable whilst eating here and got the impression that the food would of been of a high standard across the entire menu. The restaurant doesn’t seem to want to pretend it’s something that it’s not, and the menu was compact and manageable. All rather lovely.