Colmans Seafood Temple, South Shields - Menu Review

Having spent most of our Summer so far enjoying the sandy beaches and delicious ice creams of South Shields, it was only a matter of time before we paid Colmans Seafood Temple a visit.

Colmans Seafood Temple opened on the South Shields sea front a few months ago and has already been hugely popular with Colman's army of fish and chip loving fans. Housed in the iconic Gandhi's Temple on Sea Road it has to be one of the most beautiful places in the North East to enjoy a "chippy tea".

Colmans have been a proud resident of South Shields for 90 years, winning loads of awards for their fish and chips so you may be quite surprised to hear that when we visited the Ocean Road restaurant back in 2014 we didn't have the best experience and so haven't been back since. The food was fantastic and we both agreed that the fish and chips were worth the hype but the service was pretty bad (you can read all about our experience here).  Four years have passed and the beautiful Seafood Temple looks like a much calmer dining experience so we decided it was about time to give Colmans another go.

Turning our evening into a double date, we went with South Shields resident fish and chip expert, Katie (I think she's practically moved into Colmans Seafood Temple!) and her boyfriend in tow, excited for a sunny evening at the coast indulging in some seaside treats.

Arriving before our friends we were greeted warmly at the door and taken upstairs to the bar to wait. Already we were impressed by the high level of service and memories of our previous bad experience were beginning to disappear.

Colmans Seafood Temple is split between the restaurant on one side (offering the beautiful seaside views) and the bar on the other (with the not quite so nice views of pavements and car parks).  The bar is well stocked with cocktails and fizz, plenty of choices of wines, largers, beers and cider and mocktails if you don't fancy the usual soft drinks.

Once our dining companions had arrived we were shown to a comfortable booth in the middle of the restaurant. Although I felt a little jealous of the people with the tables right by the windows I have to say that the views were there for everyone to enjoy and there really isn't a bad table.

The menu at Colmans Seafood Temple is, as you'd expect, predominantly made up of fish dishes with traditional battered fish served with chips alongside dishes like Grilled Lobster, Scampi and Seafood Curry as well as Lindisfarne Oysters.

In absolute seafood heaven I struggled to make a decision but in the end decided to go for a classic and ordered Prime Cod cooked in Colmans famous batter and served with chips (£8.75) with a side portion of Mushy Peas (£1.50). I'll admit I really wanted to add some bread and butter to my dinner, but decided to put my sensible hat on and not be overly greedy (first time for everything!)

As we settled down to wait for our food I couldn't help but notice how busy the restaurant was. Every table was taken and those who hadn't booked were being turned away, Colmans Seafood Temple is very popular! Despite it being busy we never felt rushed, and our evening was so relaxing - the perfect place to catch up with friends.

When our food arrived I couldn't wait to get started, as it was placed in front of me my mouth was watering in anticipation. It looked perfect!

Quickly covering our dishes with the obligatory extras (a squeeze of lemon, a dash of salt and a silly amount of mayo for me!) we all fell silent as we tucked into our food.

Wow!

The fish and chips at Colmans really are something to shout about. My piece of fish was chunky with plenty of flakey cod coated in the most deliciously light batter. It felt never ending, no matter how much I put in my mouth there always seemed to be plenty left on my plate. It was an absolute battle to defeat it and I almost gave up several times but it was just too delicious to quit.

The chips were mammoth, the largest cuts I've ever seen and the perfect combination of crisp and fluff - so hard to get right but Colmans have well and truly nailed it.

Half way through my meal and I was seriously struggling to finish. The portion sizes were so generous that even a pro like me was finding it difficult to eat everything. In the end I had to leave a small bit of fish and a couple of chips - I just couldn't find the room for them!

Of course, being a dessert addict I always like to check out the sweet menu even if I am feeling full. The pudding menu at Colmans Seafood Temple isn't too exciting, not really a great surprise as I can't imagine many people can manage it.

If, like us, you can't finish a meal without a sweet treat then I'd recommend making the very short walk along the seafront to Minchellas for an ice cream - a cone and a seaside stroll is the perfect finish to a South Shields date night.

Colmans Seafood Temple is open from 11:30 am until 20:30 every day (Sundays until 19:00) - it's the perfect location for a picture perfect fish supper at the seaside.

For more coastal adventures check out our Day Trip to Amble and our Guide to the best Ice Cream Parlours in the North East.