OH MY COD
OH MY COD OWNERS KEVIN AND RACHEL CRAMPSEY , AND JESSICA WOODWARD
LARGE COD WITH CHIPS
FISH SANDWICH WITH YAMCHIPS
LARGE COD WITH CURRY CHIPS
Catchy
Montclair
Montclair
OH MY COD
103 FOREST AVE ., 973-744-7263 FACEBOOK . COM / OHMYCODMONTCLAIR
x45 6 g r t
’ s finest – and only – fish & chips shop
WRITTEN BY BILL GELMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
Oh MyCod : Youwon ’ t forget the name , or , once you ’ ve visited , the cozy , 14-seat eatery that bills itself Montclair ’ s Finest Fish & Chips shop . This newcomer onthe local restaurant scene is aproject of Rachel Crampsey , whose Montclair Bread Company operates two locations nearby . She says she ’ sbeen cooking up the concept for years . “ My husband is from Northern Ireland , and Iused to joke about opening afish and chips shop ,” she recalls . “ I thought the town needed it .”
Yes , Crampsey ismulti-tasking , welcoming the lunch and dinner crowd at Oh My Cod while still owning and operating the highly successful “ bread bakery with a doughnut addiction .” OhMyCod operates on a Wednesday through Saturday schedule , open from 11 a . m . to 8 p . m . Wednesdays and Thursdays while remaining open an hour later Friday and Saturday evenings . How is she handling it all ? It helps that the businesses are located a block away from one another , and that her management team has mastered both the art of baking and of preparing Irish-inspired fish and chips . Jessica Woodward , the director of operations , says that the peak times at the two businesses are different .“ The bakery is busy during the early morning hours ,” says Woodward . “ We like to be busy all of the time .”
Customers who are on the go will appreciate the compact 13-item menu , of which the whiting and cod fish and chips combos ($ 6 /$ 7 small , $ 11 /$ 12.50 large , respectively ) are the stars of the venture . In addition to the sausage , fish sandwich and fish stew “ mains ”($ 6- $ 8 ), the mushy peas side ($ 4 ) has been a popular choice . Seven other sides round out the offerings ; these include baked beans , coleslaw and curry chips ($ 4 to $ 6 ). The plan is to keep the menu the same for the foreseeable future , with Sunday brunch an eventual possibility . Woodward says that she ’ s been getting “ lots of great feedback ” from customers , including expats happy to see the staple of the British diet available in their North Jersey suburb . But Oh My Cod ’ s fan base is clearly wider ; the first Saturday it was open , a sell-out crowd forced the shop to close early . ■
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE SPRING 2017
61