Your resident kepochi is yet back again with another showdown. Wondering where am I even going with this opening sentence? Let me revert back to my recent review on one of KL’s best fish & chips spots located in Wisma Cosway — Brit-owned Boys Don’t Fry.
I did mention how upon discovering the joint right at the front door of the “dead mall” connected to much livelier Pavilion KL, I accidentally unveiled a can of baked beans. The beans being that Boys Don’t Fry used to be partners with another fish & chips joint located on the same floor in the same building — Singaporean-owned Lad & Dad. The old establishment was called Lad & Fry before they separated.
My first thought was — oh, that’s cool they decided to sit so close together while selling the same thing! My next thought (planted in my head by the devil on my left shoulder) — I should pit them both against each other and see which is better!
Okay, okay, just to clear things up — I just believed the idea would be funny. No animosity towards any of these pork- & alcohol-free eateries! I’m sure they’re both amazing. Let me just put that out there. After all, what’s better than a plate of fish & chips? That’s right. Two plates of fish & chips.
Boys Don’t Fry
While I was originally going to revisit the Wisma Cosway outlet, I decided to change things up by hitting up their only other outlet in Bangsar instead. I had the pleasure of meeting the sweet owner — Tony Yeo Gray — who briefly introduced what their Brit Caff is all about.
Other than fish & chips, they’re also offering classic breakfast butties, Melaka sodas, and new Apple Cinnamon and Pisang Goreng Ice Cream. I highly recommend getting their ice cream the next time you come by (which is irrelevant to the objective of this showdown, but I digress — you NEED to try them).
Their Fish & Chips Set (RM38) consisted of a slab of perch on top of thick-cut fries (which is the only option), mushy peas, tartar sauce, your choice of pickles (cabbage, cucumber, and hard-boiled egg) or baked beans, and a wedge of lemon. This set also came with bottomless lemonade — a good deal overall!
Lad & Dad
I regrettably didn’t get to meet the owner, but Lad & Dad’s friendly service was more than enough to make us feel welcomed. It’s located right beside a staircase on the ground floor. Telling you this because we did almost get lost trying to find it (directionally-challenged people problems). Except for the one in Singapore, this is the only outlet they have in Malaysia!
They’re focusing mainly on fish & chips, but it came with two choices of fish: perch and haddock (at a higher price). Their fries are also available in both thin-cut and thick-cut. I was more excited at their wider variety of condiments — tartar sauce, mushy peas, curry sauce, spicy tartar sauce, and KL-exclusive sambal aioli. I also almost got their butter & herb corn, but it was unfortunately unavailable at that time.
To make things fair, I curated my order as close to the one I ate at Boys Don’t Fry. Their Perch Fish & Chips Set (RM29.90) was undoubtedly cheaper, but it didn’t come with any thirst-quenchers, and you’d have to order your slaw separately.
My plate was almost identical to Boys Don’t Fry’s — huge piece of battered fish on top of thick-cut fries, paired with mushy peas, tartar sauce, and a wedge of lemon.
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Fish
From the get-go, it was obvious how Boys Don’t Fry (on the left) had a lighter-coloured crust when compared to Lad & Dad (on the right). The latter’s batter was also scragglier, with more bubbles on the surface which I assumed came from the sparkling water or soda in the batter. Upon cutting it, I could also feel how Lad & Dad had a thicker crust.
Boys Don’t Fry’s fish was bursting with juices, which was enjoyable, but also prevented the crust from sticking to the flesh. The crispy batter acted like a loose shell encasing the fish, almost, which proved to be quite a messy affair when dipping it into the sauces. Don’t get me wrong — the fish was exceptionally seasoned and tender, but after a few bites, it did start to feel jelak in my mouth.
I had expected Lad & Dad’s crust to be a little hard, but I was proven wrong. It was, surprisingly, more brittle than Boys Don’t Fry’s. Just a light chew was enough to shatter the crispy crust. The fish had less moisture, but it helped the batter to stick to the perch more. As a result — every bite was not overly rich, making it easier to finish the whole plate on my own. Seasoning-wise, there wasn’t much of a difference.
Chips
This would be a quick one — both were actually pretty damn similar! Thick but crispy, especially when still piping hot. No complaints here.
Condiments
As usual, on the left would be Boys Don’t Fry and on the right would be Lad & Dad. Boys Don’t Fry won in terms of tartar sauce — it was light, and definitely tasted more authentic. Lad & Dad’s tartar sauce on the other hand, was thicker and resembled mayonnaise more.
While Boys Don’t Fry’s mushy peas were alright, Lad & Dad completely blew me away with theirs. And this is coming from a hater of all forms of green peas. It was seasoned to perfection — definitely more chicken bouillon or MSG-forward, in terms of flavour. As an Asian, I had to say that this suited my taste buds more.
Boys Don’t Fry’s set came with a bowl of pickled cabbage, cucumber, and halved hard-boiled egg. While it didn’t really contribute to the plate, it was done well. The pickles were not overly sour — just enough as a palate cleanser after all that grease.
Verdict
I had to admit, this was a tough one! Both of them were delicious to me, so I had to consider other elements seriously like the sides and the muak (jelak) factor. After much deliberation with my dining partner who has tasted more fish & chips than me, including the alcoholic ones, I chose Lad & Dad as the winner — by a narrow margin!
The fish was easier to finish, and the mushy peas were simply out of this world. Then again, taste is subjective, so why don’t you give both Boys Don’t Fry and Lad & Dad a try? I’m excited to hear your thoughts!
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