Ancoats doesn’t really do anything that’s not cool, and to be fair it hasn’t for quite some time now. Enter The Hip Hop Chip Shop as a prime example of how this particular district — a stone’s throw from the Northern Quarter — even brings its unique attitude and desire to be different to the most traditional of all British dishes. One can only imagine what Charles Dickens might have said, the famous author who first wrote about ‘fried fish warehouses’ in his 1839 novel, Oliver Twist.
Digressions aside, this small but perfectly formed eatery on buzzing Blossom Street has been holding it down, in one way or another, since 2014, specialising in (surprise surprise) fish and chips, and boom bap beats. And they serve both with gusto. All fish has been caught a maximum of 36 hours before hitting your plate, and brought here direct from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire. Chunky, skin-on chips are only ever double fried, with Maris Pipers soaked overnight to remove starch and prepped using vegetable oil, making them crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
More than living up to the ID, The Hip Hop Chip Shop is very much a muso haunt and regularly runs events. These include listening parties, live audio-visual performances, art shows, scratch DJ battles, beat maker meet-ups for local producers, record fairs, open deck nights, film screenings, industry talks and panels, breakdancing showcases, and relevant workshops aimed at little ones — from b-boys and girls in kindergarten to the next generation of street art heroes. Launched by three close friends with a penchant for fish and rhymes, the entire business began with borrowed kit from various restaurants in the city, setting out a stall on trestle tables and touring locations with a customised boombox catering trailer. The idea was a winner then, and by all accounts, still is today.