Fishmonger: Bangkok's Best Fish and Chips

Recently, my wife and I went out for a lunch date to try Bangkok's best and most famous fish and chips.

Every morning, long before the sun rises over the Andaman Sea, a delivery of the freshest most delicious fish is dispatched from the beautiful tropical waters around Koh Lanta in the south of Thailand to Bangkok, where they are served up daily at Fishmonger, one of the most popular new restaurants in the city.

The Fishmonger menu allows for plenty of customization. First, you can choose between fish and chips, a fish burger, grilled fish Caesar salad, or grilled fish salad with Italian dressing. Next, you can select the fish that you want. You can either choose from the standard fish (shown on the menu itself) or pick from the "catch of the day", which is always written on a chalkboard by the counter.

It's not easy to get a reservation at Fishmonger. You can't just show up and expect to get seated. It's so popular that the owners have instituted a reservation system. You need to make a booking via the LINE communication app, which is the most popular messaging app in Thailand.

After following Fishmonger, you'll be able to request a queue number directly in the app. Don't miss your number! If your queue passes and you aren't there, you'll have to make another reservation. I recommend arriving 20-30 minutes before you expect your number to be called. It would be a shame to miss your reservation!

We started with an appetizer and decided to order the pesto shrimp. The dish was served in an iron pan filled with creamy and cheesy basil pesto sauce and was stuffed with small tomatoes and juicy shrimp. It was served with a few pieces of toasted Cuban bread, a light and crispy white bread. 

For the main course, we wanted to try different types of fish. We ordered two servings of fish and chips, one with a tender bream, and the other with a firm emperor fish, both of which were ordered from the special catch of the day menu.

Each dish came with a bed of fries topped with fish and served with a cup of tartar sauce and a slice of lemon to squeeze over the fish.

I ordered the longnose emperor fish, which was battered in a thick, crunchy coating. The fish itself was firm and perfectly cooked.

I ate it with Fishmonger's house-made tartar sauce.

Pinky ordered the hump nose big-eye bream, which was a softer and more tender fish. The batter coating was also excellent!

Both fish were delicious!

There are two things that make the fish and chips at Fishmonger so special. The first is how fresh all of the fish is. Since all of the fish served is caught that same morning, it's impossible to find any fresher fish anywhere. They pride themselves on the high quality of each and every fish they serve. You never know exactly what the menu is going to be, because it changes depending on which fish are caught that day, and the restaurant closes as soon as they sell out.

The second thing that makes it notable is the batter. Sometimes fish and chips can be greasy, or the batter can be too bready and heavy. Not so at Fishmonger! The batter is light and extremely crispy without being oily at all. It coats the fish to perfection, giving each bite a perfect crunch.

We also ordered Fishmonger's signature drink: lemon soda. It's the perfect refreshing house-made drink to go along with your meal. Each glass is mixed by hand at the bar.

Fishmonger's famous lemon soda