Hi all! Thank you so much for all of your input. I will definitely be searching for the best when I am there. I am really looking forward to London as it is one of my absolutely favorite cities.
Just one small question: what the heck are "chip butties"?
And I will be SURE to visit the Angus Steak House chain -- I hear that it really shouldn't be missed (insert wild hysterical laughter here).

I can only conclude that the clientele at Angus must be functionally illiterate - because I have never read one single positive thing about the place(s).

A chip buttie is a chip sandwich - and quite delicious! It has to be made on white bread, plenty of butter and either ketchup or brown sauce. Buttie is a slang term for sandwich.

Keith, the food was good. Just pay cash.

Paying cash is just what the merchants want you to do. When you don't use your credit card, they don't have to pay any discount points on the transaction.

If cash is more convenient for <u>you</u>, then by all means do it. But don't be intimidated into doing what the merchant prefers by their petty subterfuge.

Stand your ground, and let this be your mantra: CHOICE OF CURRENCY NOT OFFERED.

Hi all!
Thanks for all the advice. With respect to chip butties, I recall a past post concerning peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, where many European posters found this combination absolutely revolting. I must confess that I absolutely cannot imagine that a chip buttie would taste good! Is this particular &quot;sandwich&quot; popular? Do people really, really eat this, or is my leg being pulled just a little bit???

freiamaya: Not at all! Guess it's just horses for courses. Personally I quite like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but equally I wouldn't choose to have syrup on my bacon &amp; eggs.

The chip buttie is quite a Northern thing, where it was more common to have bread and butter with your supper, so if chips were served people would sometimes eat some of them between bread. It's really not at all disgusting, but perhaps a matter of taste!

Incidentally, this is something you do with proper thick chips, not fries.

(Personally I'm rather partial to crisp sandwiches as well but tend not to admit that!!)

Chip butties are real!! no leg pulling here! The chips must be hot though in order to melt the butter on the white bread - it is really good although I admit probably doesn't sound that way. Tallulah, I also love crisp butties, haven't had one of those for a long time! Cheese and tomato sauce was another good one. My Dads favourite sarnie was sliced tomato with lots of salt and pepper and the soggier the bread the better - that one was an acquired taste...

kmowatt: My mum and sisters love tomato sandwiches too! But I only like tomato IN things and preferably cooked.

Now a banana sandwich (white bread, proper butter, sliced banana) is my personal favourite!

Ok, syrup on bacon and eggs is NASTY. I can wrap my mind around crisp sandwiches, and a friend of mine used to have tuna salad sandwiches and stuff it with crisps. Oh the internation dining habit of us all!!!

Very few of the Fish and Chip shops I have visited take anything other than cash. It may be &quot;Steam age&quot; but they are no less real than the &quot;modern&quot; fish and chip shops that do. If aomebody tried to pay by plastic, on a typical Friday night, when the queue goes out of the door and some way up the street, I think there might be a riot.

In terms of the &quot;steam age&quot; countries adopting Chip and Pin, the system was in use in South Africa at least 15 years ago, so the UK is hardly and early adopter.

I've never seen anyone eat syrup on bacon and eggs. Rather, we put it over pancakes which may be ordered with bacon and eggs, but only if you're really hungry!

Never had a pancake sandwich at IHOP or your local pancake house? The pancake serves as the &quot;bread,&quot; and the filling is bacon and eggs. Most people eat it like regular hotcakes, just with the filling inside, so it's served with syrup. (I guess that's how the McGriddle got invented.) I like it.....the salty and the sweet is a good combination.

I've actually seen a lot of odd sandwich combos with my triathlon friends, but I guess that's another thread for another day. Peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich, anyone?

Sorry to go back to this, but what exactly is chip+pin? I'm guessing it involves entering a pin rather than signing? The same way a debit card is used?

Just as an aside, many &quot;restaurants&quot; here (Panera, Boston Market) no longer require a signature if the total is under $25. Don't know whether that qualifies to bring us out of the &quot;steam age&quot;!

chipandpin.co.uk

It's a card that uses a PIN instead of a signature. Debit cards were supposed to work like this, so I don't know what the big deal is, but there it is.

fishandchipandpin.co.uk

Thanks, Robespierre. Had trouble with the website when I tried it after your first post. But got it this time. Still don't quite get the &quot;chip&quot; part of it though. Also don't get what the big deal is. That *is* the way our debit card works. However, I can see that it would make it difficult to have recourse if the merchant charges in dollars rather than local currency.

Try the, Sea Fresh, on Wilton, near Victoria Station. We saw a hundred cabs parked near it on a Friday evening. We asked a driver what was going on. &quot;Best fish and chips in London!&quot;. The manager told us that his fish were caught the day before, landed and brought to market for an early sale on that day. Find out if your shop is using/serving frozen/thawed fish or fresh ones. Cod, Haddock or Halibut?

Why were there cabs parked at a restaurant? Because the drivers ate there? Did the restaurant have room for a hundred cab drivers in addition to their usual clientele? What is going on here?

Can't recommend Geales enough - we have been going there for over 20 years and the fish is excellent. Everything is freshly cooked and the service is efficient and friendly.

For an &quot;experience&quot; try the mushy peas. Not a favourite of mine but something of a traditional (Northern I think) English dish.

The advantage of Geales is that they are licenced - so if you fancy a traditional British pint - or a glass of wine, they can oblige.

I don't think you will be disappointed.