A popular Swindon chip shop has been visited by a social media channel dedicated to reviewing the UK’s hidden gems.
The Food Review Club, a popular digital media platform, recently posted a video on its Facebook page showing a visit to Phillip’s Fish and Chips on Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill.
The platform has 641,000 followers on Facebook, 103,000 followers on Instagram, and 65,800 followers on YouTube, with its food review videos of visits to takeaways and fast-food joints across the country getting tens of thousands of views.
When the Adver asked readers where the best fish and chips in Swindon was, Phillips Fish Bar was the clear favourite, and it seems that the guys at Food Review Club had gotten wind of this.
So, in Food Review Club’s first-ever visit to Swindon, one of its hosts, Matt, who the BBC has dubbed ‘The Kebab King’, paid the town a visit to see if the reviews for Phillips were true.
The video begins with Matt speaking to a passer-by who tells him that the food scene in Swindon is ‘questionable’ before adding ‘it’s okay, could be better’.
Then, after explaining why he was there, and commenting on the fact he was wearing a large jacket and shorts in the middle of a rainy night in Swindon, Matt goes into the shop and looks at the menu, praising the prices.
After placing an order for cod, Matt then asks the staff about the business while waiting for his food and mentions to them that they were ‘sticking out on Google as the number one’ and reassures them they are trying to find the best places to eat.
Matt was impressed that the fish and chips were served in a bag, and happy at the amount of salt and vinegar used describing it as ‘one of the most aromatic fish and chips he’s ever smelled’.
Before he can try the food, he gets a visit from another member of the public who left his house just to see him after getting a text from his mate that he was there.
After finally trying some of the food he said, “chips are unbelievable!”
After trying some of the fish, he added: “I can say this, without even quivering, that is absolutely bloody delicious, meaty, creamy, wow, really tasty batter, has like an outer crisp to it, it’s not the best I’ve had, but reminds me of my favourite one back home.”
After deliberating he gave it a very respectable 8.3 out of 10.
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