General introduction to the
Fish & Chips
“In England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, fish and chips are
undeniably the most popular takeaway meal and a cultural symbol”.
(1) This is for a good reason of course, “who can resist the
mouth-watering combination of fish in crisp golden batter served
with hot, fluffy chips?! Whether you prefer yours smothered in salt and
vinegar, or with chips, mushy peas, brown sauce or curry sauce, there
are endless possibilities with fish and chips”. (2)
“ “Fried fish was first introduced to London by Jewish immigrants from
Portugal and Spain as far back as the 17th Century”. In America,
“President Thomas Jefferson described eating ‘fried fish in the Jewish
fashion’ on a visit to the capital at the end of the 18th Century and even
Charles Dickens makes reference to a fried fish warehouse in Oliver
Twist. Fried potatoes as chips probably originate from Belgium”. (3)
I
Inn UK “the most interesting and patriotic claim is that fish and chips
helped win the First World War! Fish and chips were highly important
to the nation’s working classes and therefore the government ensured
supplies were not rationed. It helped feed munitions workers and kept
the families of the fighting men in good heart. Again, reprieved from
rationing during the Second World War, Prime Minister Winston
Churchill referred to fish and chips as “good companions”. British
s
soldieoldiers identified each other during the D-Day landings by calling out
‘fish’ and the response or password was ‘chips’ ” (4).
picture1
01The Amber Grill (1, 2, 3, 4) (A Brief History by Vicky Parker, www.anglotopia.net)
02The Amber Grill
While in
Ireland
In Ireland, the first fish and chips were sold by an Italian immigrant,
Giuseppe Cervi. It was a lucky twist of a pure mistake, a bit like Cristofaro
Colombo landing in America and not in India. He mistakenly stepped
off an America-bound ship at Cobh or Qeenstown, in County Cork.
“After watching is American dream set sail, Giuseppe turned and set
out on foot to find his fortune in Ireland”. (5)
F From Cobh he walked all the way to Dublin and started working as a
labourer hoping to earn enough to buy a coal fired cooker and
handcart to go into business selling roasted chestnuts.
“ “While fish and chestnuts would have been unlikely to catch on, we
were spared having to find out thanks to a small but highly significant
mistake young Giuseppe made while selling his fare outside the pubs
of Dublin. Legend has it that one day instead of a chestnut he
mistakenly roasted a potato and quickly realised the Irish knew a good
spud when they tasted one. The course of history had thankfully
changed and Giuseppe soon opened Ireland's first fish and chips
shhop on Great Brunswick Street (now Pearse Street) beside Trinity
s
College. Giuseppe ran the chipper with his wife, Palma, whose lack of
English gave Dubliners a phrase still in use today. When customers
arrived at the cash register to pay Signora Cervi would point to the
menu and ask, "Uno di questo, uno di quello?" or "One of these, one of
those?" (6)
Giuseppe cervi picture on
Picture 2. Coal fire pan picture pearse street
“Mick Fish&Chip shop, Ruddington
Village Museum. Nottingham, UK”
03The Amber Grill (5, 6) (On National Fish&Chips day by John Costello, www.indipendent.ie)
04The Amber Grill
Here stands the
Amber Grill
It was really after Second World War that the chippers spread in
Ireland. Amber Grill, on the South Circular Road, 451, Rialto, dates back
to 1956.
Riaialto is an old area of Dublin, it took its name from Venice and it has
R
long connections to industry. In fact the “original canal was constructed
to serve the Guinness brewery, and much of Rialto Street and Rialto
Cottages were built to house Guinness employees at the tail end of the
19th century. These developments gave the area a redbrick character
which it keeps to this day. In the middle of the 20th century, it became
home to two of Dublin Corporation’s large-scale housing projects,
D
Dolphinolphin House and Fatima Mansions. The latter became a byword for
failed inner-city development and was eventually demolished in the
early 2000s; Dolphin House is currently undergoing extensive
regeneration works. In common with the rest of Dublin 8, recent years
have seen an influx of younger renters and buyers who mix with
residents of several generations standing. House prices are also rising
rapidly – jumping by almost 20 per cent each year since 2016.
Amber Grill is a local institution if you are looking for something
substantial to eat”. (7) It is conveniently located at walking distance
from the Luas stops and important city hospitals such as James
Hospital, Coombe Hospital and its Neonatal centre and the main
Dublin tourist attraction: Guinness Storehouse.
PICTURE OF THE SHOP
PICTURE OF THE COOMBE HOSPITAL
PICTURE OF THE GUINNESS STORE HOUSE
05The Amber Grill (7) http://www.thejournal.ie/rialto-neighbourhood-guide-3965096-Apr2018/
What is
Amber Taste?
Amber Taste is a food concept we have developed over the years of a
real traditional Irish experience. It originates by two important factors,
the first one been an honest necessity to differentiate ourself from all
the large multinationals we compete with, proving that small, and local
can be a better choice. Secondly we aim to give credit and value to our
jobs and identity within the nation and perhaps abroad emphasising
on our cultural and historical background, but also on the ARTisanal in
o our ur kitchens and the quality of it.
We want to offer a fresh and appealing look with a contemporary
approach to the variety of our menu by balancing the “new ways” with
the old ones! We are street food, we are inspired by tradition, but we
don’t want to walk blind, rather keep an eye on new trends and life
styles.
With a modern makeover, with plenty of cultural references, food facts
and recalls to the past, we have no doubts we can appeal to a younger
generation as a valid old time classic with plenty of other choices also.
06The Amber Grill
Our menu in a nutshell:
The core
IRISH & PROUD
food experience
Fresh Cod & Smoked Cod - Traditionally fried but consider the
alternatives!
Salmon - Ideally baked or grilled. Also perfect in your bagel with rocket
salad and avocado or as a topping with some black pepper on your
Neapolitan Pizza.
Fish in a bun (a succulent battered piece of cod in our brioche bun)
Chipships - From the old style single to the taco fries and everything in
C
between.
Side orders are Best sellers! Covering all the needs as
accompaniments, starters or snacks. Batter sausages, batter burgers,
onion rings, potato cakes, sausages, curry rolls, chicken nuggets,
chicken tenders and all time favourite chicken wings.
07The Amber Grill
Traditional Irish Breakfast “Go Lite” also available.
08The Amber Grill
American
STYLE GRILL
- Paddy’s burger (60% angus plus 40% pork);
- American Grilled Bacon Half Pounder;
- Amber Quarter Pounder with melted cheese and
fried onion ring.
Slow cook beef roll and pork roll.
Turkish Corner:
- Gourmet Doner Kebabs;
- Gourmet Chicken Kebabs.
New Trends:
- Protein burgers;
- Vegan options;
- Glu Gluten free.
-
09The Amber Grill
10 The Amber Grill
05The Amber Grill
experience the joy of the
italian corner
If you can’t travel to Italy, Italy comes to you
451F Neapolitan Pizza recipe (only 3 main ingredients)
Home made Gnocchi or egg pasta pots. (taste the
difference).
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06The Amber Grill
The passion of making
pizza
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07The Amber Grill
napolitan pizza
“It was a pleasure to burn.”
Ray Bradbury
08The Amber Grill
To Round it of
nicelly!
The Amber Taste is a 360º Irish street food
experience, not only because of its main core items but
because it embraces all the other influences also. That
reflects the Irish taste and habits, always keen to the
new food trends. We perhaps have lacked of initiatives
when it came to new food introductions but have
showed a good sense of adaptation. For example, the
cuurry sauce is a best seller since it’s first introduction to
c
the chippers back in the late 70s, early 80s and so are
the burgers and also the pizzas.
Curry sauce picture
09The Amber Grill
Innovation in the
food cooking
Same thing, different ways
As we are moving towards a healthier life style, food
options must reflect this tendency. We would like to
offer the same as an important step towards the future
as we think that in business, what is dangerous is not to
evolve. We want to offer more cooking options than
simply a deep fried.
F First of all when deep fried is the case by tradition, we
still differentiate by other in using vegetable oil and
not lard and we reduce the saturated fat by changing it
often. However we feel a need to make a step forward
and invest in professional American style air fry for
chips and more, and slow cook ovens for outstanding in
store cooked beef and pork rolls.
T The premises itself will need a complete make over as it
will be our flagship store, offering a contemporary
style and a fresh look. A couple of booster seats and off
the window stools. Wi-Fi with recharge sockets, a TV
display playing and showing the work we do in the
shop and old historical documentaries of Dublin.
T The shopfront will be a traditional wood shop front
with a few seats and some green. The upper front will
be characterised by an old style clock and flags. We aim
to be a landmark in our community.
10 The Amber Grill
New ideas with the local
community in mind
We want to stand out from the crowd when it comes to
business, but when it comes to community, we want to
blend in and be local, convenient and to be seen as a
meeting place for many.
Our first initiative has been the introduction of the
“Chip-On-Hold”.
T The idea comes from the “Neapolitan coffee on hold”
that dates back to the Second World War when it was
considered a nice social gesture to pay for two coffees
one for your self and one for someone else that can not
afford it. It was like offering a coffee to the world. With
our “Chip-on-Hold” you can leave some spare change
for the more unfortunate to come.
W We aim to support local events and to support a
dream of a boy very dear to us, who trains to be a
Formula1 champion.
C Considering that advertisement is the soul of
commerce, this particular sponsorship will give us
visibility and would represent our concept very well.
How passion, commitment and hard work can lead to
something big.
09The Amber Grill
Amber Taste aim
and Catering Structure
Our ambitions and dreams for the Amber Taste is of
substantial growth well beyond the doors of a local
shop. There has always been a connection between
chippers and pubs as very rarely you would see one
without the other on a good night out.
P Perhaps more than the chippers, pubs have seen a
deep crisis and change in customers’ customs in a very
competitive market. The tendency is to drink more
home and less when out. However in this difficulty we
see potential for growth with a fusion of the two
businesses together offering a cosy, family friendly
environment that would suit a more casual weekly
c
caatch up as much as a week-end night out. In fact we
think that our menu, from the One&One to the burgers,
the side orders, pizzas and everything in between,
would work very well with the best beers and wines.
Also we think there’s plenty of possibilities with a
vintage style van available to hire for private parties and
for summer city events.
10 The Amber Grill
The Amber
Kitchen School
W hen you share your knowledge it becomes culture
Whathat we do has been past on to us by our
W
great-grandparents. To share what they have thought
us is the only way to keep them alive. “In the
homogenisation brought by the globalization, the
mastery expressed by the old professions is to be
defended as artworks”. (Carla Fendi)
Ourur school will have this intent, to defend, give credit
O
and recognition to our professions and will work as
promotional channel.
It will be structured in 3 main modules:
1. Fish&Chips (From theory to practicality: fish cutting,
choice of flours, battering and ultimately the frying)
2 2. Neapolitan Pizza from the dough making to the
pizza making.
3. Home-made egg pasta making.
W We believe that we have all the “ingredients”
necessary to build a strong, successful and rewarding
business of which we personally can be very proud of
and also those who have believed and supported it. It is
a team work with different tasks and inputs, but
together it multiplicate success for all parts involved.
09The Amber Grill
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10 The Amber Grill
/AmberGrillRialto /amber.grill