The Wet Fish cafe is just the best!

Yep, West Hampstead is pretty hot and impressive, but in addition to being cool, great fun and an amazing place to live it also boasts the Wet Fish Cafe

http://www.thewetfishcafe.co.uk/

Yep, you guessed it - it used to be a wet fish shop and these two pictures that I took the other day show the original tiling counter height to ceiling and also the original old name plate from above the shop front.

It is also now a great restaurant and one of the places where the food actually has taste and flavour - it really is to be recommended...

There is a real pride in the catering and the service and when it was restored in 1989 and turned into a cafe (becoming the Wet Fish in June 2003) they have sought to retain the charm and atmosphere that came with the relics of the fish shop.

Amazingly the shop front board (now inside) is still legible from the last fishmonger R Rowe and Son (1957-1989).

The previous fishmongers are lovingly recounted on the menu and this all helps add to the atmosphere:
Cecil Jones Fishmongers (1917-1929)
Johnny Jones Fishmongers (1929-1935)
A Jones Fishmongers (1935-1957) before handing onto to Rowe's.

And for those not certain, the term 'wet fish' refers to fish that have not been frozen to distinguish it from the loose term 'fresh' fish!

So if you haven't been then get down there - just a Jubilee ride, Thameslink or Overground and it's sitting there on West End Lane... go go go!

And don't forget that Kilburn still boasts it's own fishmongers:
http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/05/long-live-fresh-fishmongers-shop.html

Ed Fordham