Ye Old King’s Head
Monday, October 30, 2006 21:03Having been to England, I have often marveled at how much different their cuisine is from anything I’ve had. Perhaps it due to the lack of spices used, which generates a much more natural flavor. Additionally, the ingredients don’t have much variation. Being someone who loves different styles of food as well as the many different offerings I can have, English food is fairly low on my list of desirable cuisines.
Nevertheless, when I do have a craving, I find myself heading to Ye Old King’s Head in Santa Monica. With many British ex-pats frequenting the pub/restaurant, I know that the food has to stand up to high standards.
As with any British pub, the dish by which they are all judged is the fish and chips. Here, they do it very well. They use fresh cod and their preparation leaves the fish juicy and full of flavor. While my girlfriend wasn’t a fan of the batter, I found it complemented the fish very nicely. The key with good fish and chips is to find the right ratio of batter and fish because it can be easy for one to overpower the other.
I ordered the special of the day, which was a lamb pie. This dish blew me away. The lamb chunks were succulent and soft. Too often, I find that restaurants overcook lamb, which turns it into some hard, stringy substance. The gravy was extremely flavorful, imbued with the taste of lamb, carrots, and peas.
I loved the pastry that came on top. It was light and crispy and delicious once it had soaked up the gravy. Given a choice, I would always order the mashed potatoes. Mixed with the stew, the combination was scrumptious. Heck, they even gave me some extra stew, knowing full well how good it and the potatoes were together.
Perhaps the best part about the King’s Head is that it doubles as bar, so after dinner you can hang out with your friends. Or, if you want to head somewhere else, the 3rd Street Promenade is right around the corner, so you can walk off all those calories.
Ye Old King’s Head
116 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
By Jeff (see more of his posts).
Jonah says:
October 31st, 2006 at 8:12 am
This place does have good food, I like the mushy peas. Also, great service.
Pauline says:
October 31st, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Always liked this place. Arguably the best fish & chips on the westside. Shepherd’s pie also an excellent choice.
H.C. says:
November 1st, 2006 at 3:58 pm
I think it’s quite interesting that english pub food is getting a more prominent presence as of late (notably by LA Time’s recent feature on best pub foods, recipes, etc.) — it’s definitely nothing fancy, but I guess it’s a nice spin on the comfort food feel (sheperd’s pie, fish ‘n chips, pasties, etc.)
Jeff says:
November 4th, 2006 at 4:04 am
Ye Olde King’s Head is appalling! The food is terrible and overpriced, the service is sullen and/or clueless and just to top it all off, the place permanently smells of urine. Seriously, it’s not at all like any pub back home - it’s more like what a British ex-pat who hasn’t been back in 20 years vaguely remembers what a pub, and pub food, might be like. Avoid. For fish and chips when I’m in LA, I go to H.Salt, although I haven’t tried the British pubs in Pasadena yet.
foodie Q says:
February 10th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Hi, I did like the ambient and the beer, but I went there expecting good fish and chips, but it made me quite sad after the first bite.
I’m not from the old world, but coming from Boston, I at least know what a basic fish and chips should be - juicy cod with a crisp crust. Instead my crust which was at least twice as thick as the cod slightly under cooked was mushy inside…. I think we could be a bit more critical!!