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This blog is to keep up with all my foody ponderings and hopefully make your tummy rumble.

Monday 15 July 2013

Golden Hind - Marylebone. The Best Fish 'n' Chips in London?

Having not had a decent portion of fish and chips since I moved to London nearly five years ago,  when my friend suggested we visit the Golden Hind in Marylebone after a couple of after-work drinks, I wasn't immediately sold on the idea. That was until she told me of the place's reputation and I'd done a bit of Googling (I'm such an irritating dinner companion), and was reassured by the mountain of positive reviews and "it's the best fish and chips in London!" proclamations.

The Golden Hind is a buzzy place with a warm atmosphere. It's very simple inside, as you would expect from a chippy, but is full of people in suits. It seems to be an incredibly popular place with business people, either showing visitors from overseas typical British fare, or with the after-work crowd who enjoy being able to guzzle booze while eating their cod and mushy peas. And who can blame them?

The three of us each ordered a small haddock, with shared sides of chips, mushy peas and pickled onions. The food arrived promptly, still bubbling from the fryer and the white wine was chilled to perfection. Now THIS is how to eat fish and chips, we thought.



The batter on the haddock was thin and crisp, with the shape of the fish itself still fully visible through the light brown coating. I was relieved to find that the mushy peas were proper mushy peas – as in marrowfat, not 'crushed' petit pois – and the pickled onions were served as lovely delicate layers of larger onions, which was a rather elegant and welcome change, particularly to the dreaded silverskins, which too-often pass for picked Os these days.

We ate in near silence (always a good sign) and cleared our plates. Yum.

It isn't the cheapest fish and chips around, but it's still one of the cheapest eat-in dinners you can get in London and there are a range of starters and desserts to allow you to make more of a night of it if you so wish. Although, how anyone could have room for a three-course fish supper is beyond me –and that's coming from someone with what you could call a 'robust' appetite.