A fish and chip shop boss inspired by Salt Bae reckons he's created a world first - cod wrapped in 24-carat gold.<br /><br />Ozan Bakici, 27, came up with the golden idea to celebrate the first anniversary of his shop opening in Bexley, south-east London.<br /><br />He battered the cod traditionally before covering it in gold leaf he bought for £90.<br /><br />Ozan then gave the cod away to a customer to celebrate one year of business at the Anchor in Albany Park on Monday (20/11).<br /><br />The dad-of-one said: "I was initially inspired by social media star chef Salt Bae, who created 24-carat steaks with gold leaf.<br /><br />"I wanted to create something like that would draw customers in and give them a bit of a 'wow factor'.<br /><br />“So I came up with the idea of creating a 24-carat cod.<br /><br />"I wanted to put my own twist on Salt Bae's creations by creating a golden cod - and calling myself the Salt and Vinegar Bae.<br /><br />"My business is my passion and I take it seriously. So something like this is fantastic to drive more customers to my shop."<br /><br />Salt Bae - real name Nusret Gökçe - has become world-famous for his extravagant displays on social media.<br /><br />His food sells for high prices - including a steak covered in gold for around £1,500.<br /><br />Ozan created his own version by battering a cod in oil before carefully applying 24-carat gold leaf.<br /><br />He bought the sheet for £90 and placed in on piece by piece, layer by layer, until the whole fish was covered.<br /><br />He also sprayed the chips with a 24-carat golden spray to give them a sparkling ‘gold dust’ effect.<br /><br />Ozan said: “It was all completely edible. Gold leaf is very tricky to work with though.<br /><br />"You have to be extremely careful when you are using it, because it is thinner than paper and stored between sheets of tissue paper.<br /><br />“If you move to quickly or aren’t very careful with, it can break and you will lose all that money you spent on it. You have to be very precise."<br /><br />Ex-electrician Ozan, dad to Isa, one, and partner to beautician Ayla Karadal, 25, opened the Anchor in 2022.<br /><br />It has since become a local success story - and has become a favourite of influencers and Premier League footballers.<br /><br />Ozan held a competition on the day of the anniversary to give regular customers the chance to win the golden fish and chips.<br /><br />Bexley's mayor Ahmet Dourmoush even attended the special event.<br /><br />The winner ate the fish on the day.<br /><br />Ozan said: “It was such a good day - it was really fun.<br /><br />"We had some many people coming to take photos and we did our fish and chips half price for the whole day.<br /><br />"It was a fantastic way to give back to the community.”<br /><br />Ozan is also an active member in his community and is regularly in touch with local authorities to arrange giving free food to those who need it.<br /><br />The chippy has become a hit online, including receiving a review from a TikTok creator with 1.5 million followers.<br /><br />And the Anchor also received an award on a food community app.<br /><br />This means it has great food, a five-star rated hygiene score and community involvement, Ozan said.<br /><br />And he added: "I am a self-taught chef and very proud of the business I have grown myself.<br /><br />"Some of my customers have lived in the area for 30 or 40 years and visit my chippy. It makes me very proud.<br /><br />"All the hard work I have put in has really put the Anchor on the map.<br /><br />"I have also had people from Birmingham and as far as America and New Zealand visit my shop.<br /><br />"I think we have expanded beyond being a local chippy.”<br /><br />A Glasgow chippy sold fish and chips topped with gold for £80 last year.<br /><br />But Ozan thinks his dish is different - as his cod is completely covered.<br /><br />He has even contacted Guinness World Records - but a spokesperson said: "We don’t monitor a record title for the first golden fish and chips."
