From Great Orme to Great Food! (Fish Tram Chips (Llandudno))

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Fish Tram Chips (Llandudno)
Date:	30/07/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious food, a choice of takeaway or sit down meal, a clean establishment

Disadvantages: They might run out of potatoes - which is a little bizarre for a chippy!

While having a weekend in Llandudno recently we decided to go on the Great Orme Tram as it was one of the things on our 'maybe' list of attractions, once we realised just how close to the seafront the tram was we just had to have a ride on it. After a wonderful couple of hours on the Great Orme we caught the tram back down and then realised just how hungry we all were.

Luckily Fish Tram Chips is directly opposite the tram station at the bottom of the Orme and I can honestly say they serve the very best cod and chips in Wales.

Fish Tram Chips is both a licensed café and normal takeaway fish and chip shop, we ate from the takeaway section although my son in law did pop into the café to get himself a beer before we headed back to our accommodation.

The first thing I noticed was how clean the premises was; we had visited a different chippy in Llandudno the previous day and it was so dank and grimy looking that we walked out without ordering anything. In stark contrast, Fish Tram Chips was practically gleaming in the July sunshine with spotless windows, serving area, seating and staff wearing clean and pressed uniforms.

Because the chippy gets so incredibly busy (thanks to it's excellent location near the tram) they have a ticketing system that I've never before seen operating in a takeaway, you queue up as usual to order and once you've paid you'll be given a raffle ticket. You can then go outside and soak up the sun (or get soaked in the rain, depending on how you look at it) until your number is called. I think this is a fantastic system as it means that you don't have to stand around waiting in the baking chippy heat for your food to be ready, although really this is the only feasible way Fish Tram Chips could have done it as the takeaway section was so incredibly busy at the time of our visit that I'm sure the staff would get confused rather quickly if the tickets weren't available.

I had cod and chips and, well, it was absolutely delicious. Served in a tray with curry sauce, I paid around £4 and was satisfied with both the size of the fish and amount of chips on my tray. The fish was wonderfully cooked, there wasn't too much batter and what was there was light and absolutely wonderful. I had initially been a little disappointed that the fish was smaller than I was expecting but after moving a few chips around I realised that the fish was very thick and this made it seem all the more substantial as every bite was 'meaty' and full of fresh flavour.

Others in my party had haddock and that too was apparently a delight, in fact everyone absolutely loved their takeaway meal from Fish Tram Chips and there was not a smidgen of food left for the scavenging seagulls which were milling around.

The eat-in section of Fish Tram Chips has very pleasant décor and comfortable seating. As it's licensed you can buy an alcoholic drink to enjoy with your meal, although my son in law commented on how very expensive the lager was compared to the pub we had drunk at the previous evening near the seafront. Here you can purchase proper plated meals (as opposed to simply fish and chips), I quite liked the look of the huge pieces of scampi a lady was eating as I passed to go to the loo although by this point I had already ordered my cod and chips so it was a little late to change my mind.

There is a good range of drinks available inside including lagers and wine, the selection of spirits wasn't so extensive however but really I cannot imagine there would be much call for this kind of drink in what is basically a glorified chippy anyway. I ordered a cup of tea to drink outside while I was eating my fish and chips and it really was a lovely cuppa and not terribly expensive either, I think I paid around £1.40 for it which considering the slightly out of the way location of Fish Tram Chips is very reasonable.

If you are ever in Llandudno I completely recommend you give Fish Tram Chips a try. It's very easy to find as you simply follow the signs to the Great Orme Tram and there is plenty of outdoor seating so you can sit and relax while eating your dinner. Most of the benches were taken when we arrived but a very kind young couple stood up to make room for my and my son in laws mum so we were fine, if a little embarrassed at having been singled out as 'elderly' or perhaps 'infirm' (please delete as applicable!).

Please be aware that Fish Tram Chips does get very busy indeed, they actually ran out of potatoes and had to close the takeaway a few minutes after our meal was ready - luckily we had ordered in time as we had been considering having a walk around the area before our lunch and we'd have missed out on this delicious meal!

Summary: An excellent chippy located directly opposite the Great Orme Tramway.