Tuesday 24 April 2007

Cakaudrove Fish & Chips

Re-opened after some time-out; new management, new name... Despite inheriting the location and reputation, the new management are doing things differently, so we've given them a fresh review. This review will remain here, for old-times sake.

Cakaudrove Fish has been supplying good seafood to the denizens of Suva for many years, so it makes sense to me that they would expand their little empire to include fish & chips. And they do it right!

For a start you can pick your fish: raw fillets on display in the ice box, and then get both the fish and the chips cooked up for you right then and there. Gone are the days of lining up at the local chippy and hoping the contents of the warmer were actually cooked today.

The fish options range in price from $6.50 per serving for the nondescript stuff, to $9.50 for top-of-the-line cuts. I usually settle on something from the $7.50 pile - wahoo is nice. Whilst they have some nice cuts in the upper price ranges, I'm not sure that deep-frying does the more expensive fish justice - at the end of the day fish & chips will still be fish & chips.


Your money will get you a very generous serve of fish and a rather large amount of chips: I usually have difficulty finishing the chips before they reach the too-cold-to-eat point. Sharing one serve between two people often works out well.

They can also whip up prawn fritters, seafood sticks, mussels, and potato scallops ... depending on what's available on the day.

The whole deal is served up in a nice cardboard tray with a good-sized lemon wedge and a little plastic container of tomato sauce. Tartar sauce is also available for a bit extra.

The usual range of soft drinks is available in-store.

My only real gripe is that the amount of tomato sauce supplied struggles to provide adequate coverage for the chips. If they got a little more generous with that, and perhaps used seasoned salt on the chips, I would happily give them 10 out of 10.

The shop itself is a dinghy building behind Kunda Singh's Supermarket. But don't let the exterior put you off.

You are however, going to want to take your meal somewhere else to eat it. There is very little in the way of eat-in furniture, and what there is, is not attractive. Getting your meal from the shop to your chosen eating spot before it cools down too much is the least of your worries.

In Summary

Cakaudrove Fish & Chips
11 Bureta St, Samabula
Opening Hours:
8:30am - 6pm Monday to Thursday, 8:30am - 6:30pm on Friday, 7am - 6:30pm on Saturday, 8am - 1:30pm on Sunday
Spend
$6 - $10 per person
Verdict
Thumbs-up

16 comments:

thrashor said...

For my money, the best fish and chips in Fiji. Great idea for a blog! Keep it going.

Kania Tiko said...

Its great fish and chips to be sure but I have an issue with the size of the serve. Its too big for one person and its not big enough for two. Its in that fucked up grey area.

I've had some success in buying two serves for three people, but organising three people for fish and chips can be quite the logistical challenge.

Finally, I am of the opinion that the western end of Bureta St. is in Tamavua and not in Samabula, can we get a ruling on this from an impartial authority (beside that bloody useless phone book)

Kania Tiko said...

Wow, the self appointed doyen of "web 2.0" and "consumer created content" (terms that make me gag uncontrollably) in Fiji has given us his stamp of approval.

Thanks but no thanks, I spit on your approval.

And just to show how petty and spiteful I am I will not post another article for a week, as a way of resisting his neo-colonial order for me to "Keep it going".

Anonymous said...

Keep it going Kania Tiko :)

Anonymous said...

Great site! What's a doyen?

Anonymous said...

That kind of food is the best way to ensure that Fijians life expectancy will remain low, even lower than in Samoa or Tonga.

Anonymous said...

Grease is the word.just what we urbanites need -cholestrol heaven.

Anonymous said...

I wish that Fiji was a French colony hehehe !

Seriously, if you look at the last Human Development Index report(http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/report.cfm (click on 'tables')) there is 4 years between Tongan's life expectancy (72.4 years old) and Fiji's one (68 years old).

Fish and chips should stay in England.

Anonymous said...

fish n chips great, NICE, but they should add a little seasoning to the fish batter, it is too straight up n down...tasteless.. or maybe have salt n vinegar available to splash on...oh oh and the boss man w the great "floppy -affro" hairdo, he is nice and all, very kinda ozzie-like guy should wear gloves while picking the fish out of the batter ...and must not use the same hand for pressing the till and changing the money....please OHS kerekere

Anonymous said...

An other 'anonymous' suggested to "have salt n vinegar available" in order to enhance the taste...
mmmm not good for blood pressure...

Maybe that would mean the lost of an other 2 years of life expectancy...

Some Fijians should read that book :
http://www.amazon.fr/Foods-Fight-Cancer-Richard-Beliveau/dp/1405319151

Anonymous said...

I tried their Fish-&-Chips today... the pieces they gave me were so big, I had to get my friends to help me out finishing it!!!

They have a lovely batter formula I reckon - the flaky crumbs and soft succulent fish makes me want to go back for more!!!

Anonymous said...

Man tis blog thing is really gettin sum of us checkin out places..whose brilliant idea was it anyway?!

Anonymous said...

oh yesssssssssssss no doubt its yummmyyyyyyyyyy

Anonymous said...

I reckon the best fish and chips in the whole of Fiji is The Joli Fryer's serves. Theyre located at Rewa Street, close to the Rabi Kava Shiop. Beautiful thin crisp tasty batter and served with a good serving of well-fried non-oily chips. You also get to serve yourself foc pickled onions and free-splash vinegar. Value for your money @ $5.00 - a good heap of chips and 3 good size fish pieces. Homemade tartar sauce is real yum! Why dont you guys check this out! Nice neat little shop - immaculately clean and smart set up - simple but very welcoming!!

Anonymous said...

Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!

Anonymous said...

Couldnt agree more with that, very attractive article