Bialystok – North Fish

North Fish is part of a national Polish chain run by a company called North Food, who also operate another food concept which is John Burg. I visited that John Burg restaurant in the Galeria Echo mall in Kielce last week, which is the same shopping centre where North Fish was started from in 2002.

The reason I thought I’d visit an outlet is that they’re commonplace in shopping centres around Poland, but I’ve never been to one. And, I am quite drawn to fast food chains and their bright lights and shiny menu boards…. North Fish restaurants usually appear to be well attended, with the reviews also being of a higher average than other food court options.

I have to admit to not quite understanding the ordering process, but it seems to revolve around selecting a fish element and then the customer helping themselves to chips or salad elements. The staff member who served me didn’t speak English, so although I could order what I wanted easily enough by pointing and speaking Polish (well, nearly entirely pointing if I’m being honest), there was no explanation of the ordering process or promotions possible on this occasion. The service was always polite though, with the process seeming efficient and well managed.

I’m not entirely sure what this fish is, but it tasted of cod to me and flaked away as I’d expect cod to do. So, I’m going to call it cod. And it was an excellent piece of fish, tender and full of flavour, with the batter being soft, but still retaining some crunch and a decent amount of taste. The chips were fine, nothing exciting, but they also retained some bite, although I didn’t see any opportunity to get sauces and this needed some tartare sauce to raise it up a level. The berry smoothie was excellent, lots of bits of fruit in it and it seemed freshly made.

I didn’t have a clue how much this was going to cost and it came to £6 for the food and drink, which seemed to be reasonable to me. I understand that there are discount vouchers and promotions available, so I’m sure there were better value options to those who understood those, but as a first visit to this chain, it struck me as a positive experience. I do remember, I think it’s in Warsaw, that they have an outlet with an ordering panel, and I might visit that as the ordering by kiosk option will likely give me a better oversight to the menu and the possible promotions. I can see the attraction though of North Fish.