YouTube food reviewer Pete Green has paid a third visit to Rick Stein's fish and chips shop in Padstow, Cornwall, and had one word to describe the experience: 'decent'. The popular food critic, who runs the Greeno Eats channel, returned to Stein's Fish and Chips to see if standards had been maintained since his last visit two years earlier.
Background on Rick Stein's Padstow Empire
Celebrity chef Rick Stein is so closely associated with Padstow that the town has earned the nickname 'Padstein'. The 79-year-old runs an impressive six restaurants in the Cornish seaside town. He initially relocated there in the early 1970s, and together with his then-wife Jill, opened a nightclub in 1974. Following the loss of the club's licence, the upper floor was transformed into a restaurant, launching The Seafood Restaurant in 1975.
Rick's culinary establishments include a village pub, a bistro and the flagship restaurant. He also runs Stein's Fish and Chips, though one YouTube content creator was underwhelmed during his initial visit. Food critic Pete Green drew comparisons between Rick's establishment and a local chippy, finding minimal differences between the two businesses.
Third Visit Assessment
When Pete made a return visit a couple of years later, he was pleasantly surprised by the improvements that had been made. So he made a third trip to Padstow to assess whether standards had been upheld. Pete ordered a substantial spread to share with his dining companion - fish and chips, battered sausages, curry sauce, mushy peas, tartare sauce and gravy.
The final bill reached £30 and Pete confessed he had elevated expectations considering the cost. Reflecting on the experience following the meal, the YouTuber characterised the food as 'decent' while awarding it 7.5 out of 10.
Pete said: 'So overall £30 spent. Have we been well fed? I think we have. There was enough chips there to share between the two of us. We both had some fish, we both had some sausage. I think that's fine. £15 per head. It's not bad is it? Not too bad. What are we going to score it though? One or two things were a little bit punchy price wise but the fish and chips were great value. Maybe about a 7.5 pushing 8. I don't think that's a bad score. I think they'd like a higher score but there are things they can tweak to get that.'
Highlights and Criticisms
The food vlogger was particularly full of praise for the sauces, describing the mushy peas as 'delicious'. However, the undisputed highlight of the meal was the gravy, which he declared was 'spectacularly good'. While the chips were deemed 'decent', Pete admitted he has encountered superior ones elsewhere, and labelled £9 for two jumbo sausages as 'a bit strong'.
On the whole, however, he believes Stein's Fish and Chips has kept up its improved standards, apart from 'one or two little nitpicky things'. Nevertheless, he stops short of ranking it alongside some of the finest chippies in Yorkshire or Scotland.
He rounded off by saying: 'Would I come here again? Yeah I would. Does it get Greeno's green light? Yeah it does. Pretty good. That's it to me today. Rick, I hope I'm still on your Christmas card list.'
