Review: Fishy Business, Camden Beach, Roundhouse

We love a coastal resort in the rain: steely skies, peeling Victorian villas, wet sand. What else? A lone fishermen on the pier perhaps, or a family shivering behind a wind-breaker.

Talk turned to such matters as our lunchtime invite to review Fishy Business this week coincided with the wettest day all summer. Water had pooled and flooded the sand; a rainswept tiki bar housed just three holidaymakers perched on stools, sucking on straws; and the whole beach was deserted apart from some brave souls holed up in one of the three beach huts, clustered with notepads, no doubt on some office bonding exercise.

So it was lucky that Fishy Business – the pop-up restaurant from acclaimed Roundhouse diner Made In Camden – is firmly covered, its jolly stripey awning and smoking grill distracting the visitor from the reality of whatever weather lies beyond.

The menu is currently £24.95 for three courses and a glass of wine. And by booking a table you get guaranteed beach access – a good idea on a hot day.

This is not a place for the ichthyophobic. A choice of five piscine mains, and just one starter, a sharing platter of smoked fish. But we enjoyed the fresh, chewy sourdough with salmon roulade, rich mackerel pate and, best of all, a delicate crab with citrusy yuzu aioli.

Co-editor Tom had brought his five year old daughter Amyrah who promptly settled for fish and chips. It’s made with coley, here moist and fresh, the batter declared “crispy” and “yummy” by our impish fledgling critic. Elsewhere, an otherwise excellent sea bream was marred only slightly by too many herby potatoes, its sauce vierge, loaded with olives and capers, adding lip-smackin’ saline flavours.

However the finest dish was actually the simplest: a whole plaice with fragrant lemon, caper and rocket dressing. And almost surpassing that was its accompaniment, a perfectly dressed red onion and mixed leaf salad. Throw in a glass of wine – we chose a pink Loire Pinot Noir, perfectly pale and the right side of dry – and we didn’t care whether the sun was shining or not.

Dessert? Oh, go on. Pimm’s summer fruit jelly was far more enjoyable than fishing out the cucumber and mint from the sticky summer drink in its usual form. And Amyrah declared her choice of lychee ice cream “yummy” (Daddy may want to broaden her vocabulary methinks) while almond was nutty and sweet, a raspberry sorbet delectably sharp.

Our verdict? You’d be nuts not to try this place at least once before closes in just over three weeks. We do think they need to review the pricing, however, and offer single courses and lunchtime deals, as it would help return visits from locals. We’ll keep you updated on that.

And finally, it’s easy to forget that no-one else in the neighbourhood is doing anything remotely similar to the Roundhouse. So we should all celebrate having this brilliant multi arts/ foodie haunt a short stroll away.

With Conrad Shawcross’s major installation Timepiece in the main space from today (pay-what-you-like entry), the free Friday gigs at the Beach, and the newly re-energised Made In Camden restaurant downstairs, the venue is nothing short of a mini Southbank alone. And all right here on our doorstep.

“My favourite meal with Daddy, ever!” enthused Amyrah as we all took a wet walk along the beach after lunch, before hurrying back to the stuffy – but dry – office.