Hippos Takeaway

«So, where is the best place to go for fish and chips in Formby now, John?» I hear you ask. Well I’ll tell you where, it’s the brilliantly named Hippo’s. Quite what hippos have to do with fish and chips I don’t know (they’re based in water? Can’t see any other connection…) but they’re damn good at making them.
The chips are deliciously fluffy whilst maintaining their crispiness and their portions, like James’s, are generously shovelled on to your paper and lashed with salt and vinegar, but the fish is where they truly excel.
The fish at Hippo’s is perfectly sized, with the batter covering the fish but not overtaking it like in James’s, giving it a perfect melt-​in-​the-​mouth texture. They also offer the usual Chinese dishes and other chip shop accompaniments like sausages and pies which I have found from past experiences, are pleasant enough, but it is the fish which usually gets my vote upon each visit.
One negative is its location away from the village, but if you’re in a car on the way home from work, I highly recommend this place.

In a Formby Fish & Chip shop fight we have the heavy hitter; the Mike Tyson, the George Best, the Optimus Prime. With a massive clientele (almost everyone gets their chippy tea from here) and a vast menu (including sirloin steak under ‘English Meals’; honestly, does anybody get this? I wonder what they would actually do if anyone ever ordered it) of perfectly adequate Chinese and fish and pie and battered and deep fried things you won’t go far wrong with Hippos.
Personally I recommend the fish cake, with lashings of salt and vinegar, and the jumbo sausages which are dripping in tasty, greasy grease goodness; yum. A tip — if you’re getting chips, even a small portion from here will feed two people. Three of my friends and I once got a large portion of chips from here to share and not only did we not finish it, I was not hungry for a day after.