Sea Cow

It is expensive compared to a high-street chippy, but the quality is way better (you get what you pay for). I know lots of people who go regularly.

This place really is quite overpriced, but that's what you'd expect for East Dulwich. There's not many places to eat here that aren't a rip-off for really rather mediocre food. You'd be better off trying a gastropub instead.

We visited the Sea Cow on a Saturday lunchtime and we could not have been more disappointed. We started with the whitebait, which was utterly competent - the batter was crispy and the whitbait meaty. However, the tartare sauce was the sort of tartare sauce you find in a Little Chef. At around £6 for the dish, we felt that this should have at least been made in-house.

For main course my partner ordered the haddock, chips and mushy peas. This was awful. The haddock was rubbery, overcooked and flavourless, while the batter left a puddle of grease on the plate. The mushy peas tasted as if they had emptied a can of mushy peas into a blender with a sprig of mint. After a few minutes of sitting on our table, the peas developed small pools of green water on the top.

I ordered the crab cakes with salad and lime mayo. The crab cakes had a sickly taste to them which completely overpowered the flavour of the crab and the lime mayo turned out to be garlic. The accompanying chips were like school chips - absolutely devoid of crispiness and with a strange aftertaste of plastic.

As if this were not bad enough, our waitress was completely disinterested and the radio very loud. The icing on the cake was that we had to pay £30 for the pleasure of eating this meal when we could have enjoyed a much better meal at our local chippy for a fraction of the cost. Disappointed, to say the least.

Fantastic fish and chips, tasty wine, and a lovely eye for flavours that work (mild chilli dressing on salad to go with grilled fish - gorgeous!). They do charge a bit for fish and chips, but it's very good value for money. I'm very picky with fish and chips usually - I don't settle for the bland rubbish that most places sell for a couple of pound less - and this is my new favourite place. I can't wait to go back.

This was top notch when it opened. Traditional fish and chips plus wine or beer. It was one of the best I've had. A year later things started going downhill: slow service, soggy batter, indifferent chips. Went back few weeks ago and it was no better. A great shame.

Took friends there. We had a 2 hour drive to get there but we'd have been better off staying at home. Staff were very unfriendly and prices very high (£7.00 for cod and chips!). What a shame.

Very overpriced and overrated. What a shame!

Fresh, fresh fish and very useful as a fishmonger. Chips vary from average to excellent. You can actually phone through your order (except Fridays and Saturdays) if you want to avoid waiting. Decent wines if you eat in. Convivial bench seating. 'Mushy' peas are not actually mushy, just pureed - you might like them sunshine, but I'm a Northerner!

Disappointing food - especially since it's expanded.

They should deep fry the art - might taste better than the haddock and chips I had last night (for an astounding 8 quid).

Way overpriced. I don't mind paying money for great food, but there was nothing great here, a real disappointment, as I'd read so many good things. A flash in the pan! RIP Sea Cow.

The food could be better in the sense that either the fish tastes great, or the chips do - but one always lets the other down... it's just too inconsistent. Having said that - it's nice to have a 'posh' fish 'n' chip to eat in - the decor is spot on.

Good fresh honest fish'n'chips.

Just great fish and chips.

Pretentious and expensive. I prefer plastic chairs.

Soggy batter, uncooked chips, laissez faire service and often closing 20 mins early! A confused chippy that thinks it's a stylish restaurant. Oh, and you can buy art there.

The best quality fish I have ever tasted - delicious!

Absolutely fantastic. Best fish and chips ever. And the mushy peas could be eaten on their own.

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