REVIEW: What we thought of Coastline Fish and Chips in Blyth

Being just a 10 -minute drive from my front door, and as someone with a pretty good appetite, it would seem rude not to try out this top-ranking chippy, especially if I could claim I was doing so in the name of journalism.

Coastline stands on the seafront at Blyth, Northumberland and is always busy no matter what time you’re passing by. It also opened a huge new extension ahead of the Tall Ships race coming to the town a few years ago.

Read more: Listed: The 11 best fish and chip shops in the North East

I don’t regularly visit Coastline because I usually think it’s going to be too busy, but that’s probably a good sign that they’re doing something right. That said, I have been there before but not in some years.

Coastline at Blyth Beach. Picture: DANIEL HORDON

I visited on one of the hottest days of the year, as the UK was in the grips of its second heatwave. Blyth beach was packed out with people enjoying the warm weather and I had some trouble getting parked but made my way along to Coastline for a spot of lunch.

There’s no way you can visit a chippy without having good old cod and chips, so when the waitress came to take my order I settled for cod, chips and curry sauce.

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It may be controversial, but curry sauce makes fish and chips for me, so to see whether this really was one of the region’s best I had to give it a fair comparison to other chippies I go to.

There's no such thing as too much curry sauce. Picture: DANIEL HORDON

When I ordered I was told I could have the ‘Coastline Special’, fish and chips with a soft drink, mushy peas (although I swapped them for my trusty friend the curry sauce), tartare sauce, and a bread bun for “just £15.75”.

Nearly £16 for fish and chips is probably a bit steep, but I had decided to sit in to avoid waiting in the takeaway queue and it included a drink, so I was happy to pay and await my feast.

I must have missed the bread bun when I’d read the menu so I was pleasantly surprised when this turned up at my table. I’ve never totally understood why you need bread and butter with fish and chips but it’s what my grandma has always done so that means it must be right.

It was a pleasant surprise when a bread roll arrived at my table. Picture: DANIEL HORDON

When my meal arrived, I was greeted with a massive pot of curry sauce, pile of chips and perfectly cooked cod.

The fish was beautifully cooked and bright white – always a good sign that it’s fresh – and tasted spot on.

The batter can make or break a portion of fish and chips and the batter at Coastline was thin, crisp and golden brown. None of that soggy thick stuff that you know is going to give you indigestion later on.

You can’t go wrong with proper chippy chips and there were plenty stacked on the plate.

Read more: Pictures: Blyth Beach busy as heatwave continues in North East

The curry sauce was also good, a subtler flavour than some but the right consistency and tasty enough that you could still taste the rest of the meal.

I could probably have eaten more, but as my mam always tells me “Daniel, you’ve got hollow legs” so the portion would definitely have been more than ample for most.

There was a queue to take away. Picture: DANIEL HORDON

Although it may seem pricey, it was a good portion and there aren’t many places you can eat for less than £16 a head these days, although for that price it would be nice if the staff brought you your cutlery instead of having to get it yourself.

Overall the meal was top-notch and definitely deserving of a spot in the North East’s top chippies.

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