A village chip shop is making waves online with a monster piece of cod that has drawn food fans from as far afield as the United States.
The 2.2kg battered fillet has helped Archie’s Fish and Chips in Minster, Thanet, become a viral hit – with videos of customers tackling the supersized platter racking up almost 12 million views on TikTok.
But while many have tried, no one has yet finished the £65 “special meal” alone – and it’s easy to see why, with the feast also including four portions of chips, four sides, four drinks and bread and butter.
Owners Alex and Natalie Bovalyaev, who have run the High Street restaurant for 11 years, originally created the meal as a one-off for friends.
But after seeing the reaction, they decided to put it on the menu – and haven’t looked back.
“It’s bringing more customers in, as I think people enjoy something unusual,” said Alex, 52.
“Because it’s such a big piece and so chunky, I wasn’t sure if it would come out OK. But after it’s fried, it comes out very nice.
“People love it on TikTok. I don’t think they’ve seen a fish that size before, so we’re getting more orders now. It’s good fun and makes people happy.”
Their videos have helped Archie’s amass more than 115,000 followers on the platform, with millions more watching clips of customers posing with or attempting to eat the eye-catching cod.
Each fillet weighs between 1.5kg and 2.2kg once battered – compared to a typical cod portion, which usually comes in at less than 300g.
Due to the size, customers are advised to pre-order the dish, and are even given a bread knife and tongs to help carve it up.
While groups have polished it off, no solo diner has managed to finish the lot.
“We had two fellas in a competition try to eat the whole meal, but they couldn’t do it,” said Natalie, 43.
“Nobody has managed that yet, so if someone does, I’d like to see.”
The dish is proving especially popular for birthdays and special occasions, with most orders coming in on Fridays and Saturdays.
“People are coming from other places like Canterbury and London,” she said.
“We have had people come here from California and Germany who have family in the UK and came here on the way.”
Alex, who moved to England from Moscow aged 17 to study English, learned his trade at a chippy near Herne Bay Clock Tower.
Now, with help from their son and daughter, the couple run Archie’s as a family business.
But sourcing the huge fillets isn’t easy.
“Fresh fish is very expensive now, and cod is quite rare to get in this area compared to up north,” Alex said.
“The season for cod in the UK is December, January and February, so we have to get frozen fish and buy different brands to find the biggest ones.
“Sometimes we’re lucky, but sometimes we don’t get any big sizes.”
