Fish and Chips of the Gods

One of my challenges while travelling is trying to figure where to go for some authentic local food I crave to try.   I mean, let’s face it, if you are in London, you want to get yourself some good FISH & CHIPS baby!  The hardest part is finding a really great place.  If you don’t know a local foodie, how can you decide which of the 1,000 chippies you should try?  I heard the horror stories of the bad ones.  You can check some websites online, but often many of the reviews folks are posting have problems, such as:  (1) many posters are not locals to the area, so (2) haven’t tried any restaurant other than the one place they are recommending, or (3) have mediocre taste in food and if you knew them personally you would never go anywhere they like. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of people out there who love the “TGIMcFunsters” joint, right?

I think a really great bonus to travel is the opportunity to try different food with local ingredients.  For me, the most special finds are of little places serving up awesome meals by regular folk who take great pride in their establishment and food.  These are some of my favorite memories from any trip. The real truth is if you are going out to a 3 or 4 star restaurant, the food is going to be good. It’s hard to go wrong, but how about finding a great lip-smacking hole-in-the-wall or neighborhood place to go with your limited time and knowledge while travelling?  Its pretty tough, if near impossible.

Chowhound to the Rescue

That is when, dear readers, I turn to Chowhound Forums.  The people on this board have always been hard core lovers of excellent food and I haven’t been steered wrong yet.  I have even used it for my local area of Seattle/Portland/Vancouver. It is an excellent repository.  Just search on a few keywords and ZAMMO you get great information.  Post a question like, “I’m going to be in London for 3 days – I want great Fish and Chips, a curry, and a good pub, I have a moderate budget (nothing over $40/person) what do people recommend?” and you’ll get a lot of really helpful responses.  Sometimes the posters have excellent debates about the BEST place, but they are all good.  Check it out the next time you want to travel somewhere or find some new jewel in your own area.

The Golden Hind – Fish and Chips of the Gods

But what I am blabbing about?  Let’s talk about THE FISH.  MMMmmm the fish.  After searching on chowhound for a while, the restaurant called “The Golden Hind” was mentioned as having the truly awesome fish and chips again and again by many reviewers.  After leaving Westminster Abbey, we were ravenous and decided to try them for our fish and chips.  Both Brooke and I ordered Haddock and Chips.  We chose haddock rather than cod since haddock is a North Atlantic fish that is very hard to come by here in the Pacific Northwest.  When the fish arrived, it was huge (almost a foot long) and served with broad-cut chips.  We first doused our fish with malt vinegar and salt then tucked in.  Upon taking my fork to the fish, it crackled through an incredibly crispy exterior, perfectly crunchy and delicate.  The first taste was heavenly, a combination of moist flaky fish was a perfect union with the crunchy batter, tangy vinegar and piquant saltiness.  Even though this dish is deep fried, nothing was oily or greasy whatsoever.  The chips were also really good and well cooked.  Very fresh tasting and excellent potato flavor.

RESPECT THE MUSHY PEAS

Brooke ordered his fish and chips with fresh peas and I chose my order with “mushy peas”.  Mushy Peas…I’ve heard of the dish for a long time…it doesn’t sound very good…mushy peas?  Well let me tell you, I know why folks get hooked on this side dish and miss it when they are far from home.  The mushy peas at The Golden Hind are like the best pea soup in the world, but just thick enough to eat with a fork and at the Golden Hind, a significantly brighter and fresher taste.  Brooke didn’t want to take a bite because he had his own peas, but I think he missed out (fine, more mushy peas for me!)  I have had fish and chips at many places before, but this is hands down the best for traditional English style.  If you are ever in London, get to Marylebone and go to the Golden Hind.  Outstanding.

If you do get there, be sure to stop somewhere and pick up some beer, cider or wine as they do not have those beverages available.  They do allow customers to BYO (Bring Your Own) is no additional or corkage fee.  Alas, I forgot about the recommendation from the chowhound board to pick up something before arriving so I had a sprite with my fish and Brooke had tea, but a pint of beer or cider would have been a most excellent combination.

After enjoying our dinner, we walked around Marylebone village to Oxford Street.  It was hung with thousands of beautiful Christmas lights and decorations, we also found a group of folks singing Christmas carols in a market square.  It was really an extra treat.  Then we took the tube from Bond Street station back to Queensway.  Between the sights, Westminster and our great dinner we were both exhausted and extremely happy about our great day.