By Liam McInerney

Copyright irishmirror

A bloke who brands himself “Ireland’s most honest food reviewer” paid a visit to Dublin’s oldest and arguably most renowned fish and chip shop – but declared it was a “disaster”. Leo Burdock’s has been serving up grub since 1913 and the original chippy in Christchurch has welcomed not just Ireland’s biggest stars, but global celebrities too. Notable guests have included Bruce Springsteen, Daniel Day Lewis, Snoop Dogg, Serena and Venus Williams, Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock. The establishment now boasts a “wall of fame” at the front of the premises, showcasing the dozens of A-listers they have proudly welcomed. And this was the first thing that caught content creator Paul-IsItWorthIt’s attention during his visit. He remarked: “Look at the list of people who have been here.” He then highlighted names like Rod Stewart and Bono before questioning: “You will see here, this is Dublin’s oldest chipper, but is it the best?” Not wanting to be spotted and therefore potentially receive special treatment with his order, Paul, as he consistently does, had someone else venture inside to collect the food. Moments later, Paul, who posts reviews to his 84,800 followers on TikTok, collected his fresh cod, chips and curry sauce, but he was stunned by the cost. Speaking to the camera, he exclaimed: “How much was it? €18.95… €18.95 for fresh cod, chips and curry sauce? That’s it. Oh my God.” Regarding his initial thoughts on the meal, he remarked: “Ohh, that does look good to me. It’s a big bit of fish isn’t it? Scalding hot man. Scalding hot. It’s that sort of colour that looks like it was cooked in beef tallow rather than beef drippings rather than oil… it could be oil.” Sampling a chip, he branded it as “slightly undercooked” before giving it another go, this time accompanied by a dollop of curry sauce. Upon tasting the sauce, he commented: “What I compare it to right, it’s McDonald’s. But it has some sort of sweetness, citrusy sort of taste to it, as if there’s some sort of apple or something. I don’t know what they are doing with it, maybe it is MiWadi or something like that. It is nice, not bad at all. Not fantastic, but not bad at all.” Next came the “main event”, and after slicing the cod in two, he maintained it was missing the “big lovely thick chunks” you occasionally encounter. He subsequently declared it tasted “mushy” and continued: “That is not great at all. The batter is not bad but eh… I was expecting it to be great, it ain’t even average.” Delivering his rating out of ten, he settled on a “below average” 4.3 before uploading the clip, which you can view in its entirety here , to his 13,800 followers with the headline I Tried Dublin’s OLDEST Fish and Chip Shop and It Was A DISASTER. Regardless of his harsh critique, countless patrons have relished Burdock’s throughout the years, with celebrity chef Rick Stein dubbing it the “best fish and chips I’ve ever had”. Anthony Bourdain once expressed that he was “truly honoured” to have dined there, and Marco Pierre White has also given his compliments. Leo Burdock, due to its success over the years, has expanded and now operates several branches across Ireland. A message on their website states: “Burdocks” has witnessed a great deal of change, from serving piping hot food during the 1916 rising, which saw Ireland gain independence from Britain, and throughout the two World Wars when the shops had to temporarily close during WW2 due to shortages. “Alas, by 1939 the effects of the last war had a severe impact on the family business with the supply of ingredients and fuel being scarce. Eventually, only one shop survived – the original Leo Burdocks in Christchurch.” In a chat with DublinLive in 2023 about one of their most famous patrons, Bruce Springsteen, owner Charlie McGrachan said: “When he comes to town, over the last 10 or 12 times, we’ve managed to get him in. He’s become a regular. “He’s such a nice guy. He’s great with any of the regular staff. He has no problem letting people take photos of him. Just genuine. Real nice person. “.