The Ashvale: Great Western Road, Aberdeen

HOUSE-HUNTING can be a hungry business. So what better way to research my prospective new neighbourhood, than to head to the local chipper and see if it’s any crack?

With 45 minutes to spare between viewings, my housemate and I headed to The Ashvale on Great Western Road. (All in the name of research you understand).

As someone more used to eating my fish supper out of the paper it’s wrapped in, it was a novelty for me to be sitting down restaurant-style.

At 6pm on a week night, the place was absolutely buzzing and packed with people of all ages – from toddlers to pensioners.

Our two haddock suppers were with us in a matter of minutes – this was fast food indeed, but served to restaurant standards.

The golden batter was just the right combination of melt-in-the mouth and crispy.

And you could easily tell this fish was about as fresh as you can get – big tender chunks of white meat falling into delicious big pieces.

Of course we went the whole hog, with two rounds of bread and butter, pickled onions and mushy peas.

The bill came to £20.80 and we rolled out of the door a sharp 40 minutes later, stuffed and satisfied.

Now if only I could find somewhere to live that’s as much of a bargain.