UK expat Mark Danby, who moved to Spain from Stockport, Greater Manchester, recently decided to treat himself to a large portion of fish and chips – but he was left unimpressed
Mark Danby posts Spain-related content on his YouTube channel, Tapas Guy(Image: Tapas Guy/YouTube)
A British expat was left underwhelmed after sampling a “humongous” portion of fish and chips in Spain. Mark Danby, originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester, swapped his UK lifestyle for the sun-drenched Spanish coast of Manilva, located in Malaga.
Embracing life in Spain, Mark seems to still hanker for some aspects of home, particularly the classic British dish of fish and chips. Fortunately, he discovered that this staple is not hard to come by in his adopted hometown. An IT worker and running a YouTube channel, Mark moved to Spain on a digital nomad visa.
It allows foreigners to live in Spain while working remotely for firms abroad or as self-employed. Mark, who documents his life abroad on his channel Tapas Guy, recently had a craving for the British food and headed to Marlows in CC Los Hidalgos, a local chippy.
Opting for a large cod and chips at the cost of €16.95 (around £14.65), he chose to dine alfresco. Upon its arrival, Mark remarked on the “humongous” size of the portion.
He admitted that perhaps he shouldn’t have “gone for large” as he unveiled two pieces of fish in what seemed like an enormous serving on film.
Mark noted the “humongous” size of the portion (Image: Mark Danby)
However, the actual taste test left something to be desired. Starting with the chips, Mark remarked: “I mean, it’s okay, but it’s a little bit greasy.”
“Don’t know if you can see the grease on that, but certainly not crispy. Sort of a bit soggy, bit sort of bendy. I think it needs a sauce. Not particularly tasty, unfortunately. I mean, they’re okay.”
He then moved on to the cod, which he also branded as “greasy”, though he acknowledged the second portion was “crispy on the top” and appeared a “little bit better” beneath.
He observed that it was a “bit flaky”, but it “doesn’t hold the flakiness” and went on to push fragments onto his fork, noting it “kind of just mushes together”.
He added: “I’m afraid the fish is absolutely tasteless. So what you’re left with…tasteless. I’m afraid it’s tasteless fish and greasy batter. Let’s try this piece of batter. Well, I have to say I’m disappointed at this point.”
Mark appeared to soften his opinion of the meal later on(Image: Tapas Guy/YouTube)
However, during his final verdict, Mark seemed to have mellowed his stance slightly, describing the portion size and cost as “pretty good value”, though he remained unimpressed with the “quality” of the meal, particularly singling out the fish.
He did acknowledge some “mitigating circumstances”, suggesting the fryer might have had a “part” to play if they were operating with just one, and praised the tartar sauce as “very nice”.
Mark also remarked that he consumed a “fair amount” and admitted it filled him up, and when pressed to rate his meal out of ten, he awarded the fish and chips a respectable seven or “possibly an eight”.