fish and chips at ye olde king's head.

i have to admit that during my college days, i was more of a king george habitué, but if my roommate and i were going to do a pub crawl, we'd technically have to go to another one; the only other pub in santa monica was king's head. king george is long gone, but the king's head seems to be going strong.

as far as pubs go, this has probably got to be one of the best located ones in the world, one block away from the pacific ocean and the santa monica pier. however, once you walk in you can almost forget that you are in sunny california, and are back in ole blighty, with its lack of light, dark floral carpet, and dark heavy furniture that give it a batty aunt milly's parlour feel, but in a familiar and comfy sort of way.

...'ole blighty'? i have never used that phrase before in my life.

anyway, after a brisk walk down the pier and a lot of dawdling, we were hungry, and thought that fish and chips would be a great way to warm up from the chill in the air; we headed to the adjacent restaurant, which for some reason reminds me of a ex-pat sort of place (which is exactly was it is)--lots of anglocentric photos and memorabilia against beige stucco walls, hiding the mexican/spanish bones of the space. i can imagine king's head or king's head clones in lanzarote, marbella, costa verde--a hangout for homesick brits the world over.

to be honest, i don't think i've ever ordered anything else on the menu; there is typical brit stodge--shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, scotch eggs, steak and kidney pie--but because it really is in california, there's a decent selection of salads, sandwiches, and a couple of half-hearted vegetarian entrées as well. the f&c comes in two sizes--king and queen--but i find the smaller size to be more than adequate. the fish is icelandic cod, and for me, an island girl, it's just bland, bland, bland. however, the fried outer crust is pretty outstanding--light, crisp, and almost 'spun' around the fishplank. the chips are thick cut--not steak cut, and probably frozen--and perfect for sopping up lashings of malt vinegar.

the next time i come here, i'll probably end up ordering the fish and chips again, despite the bland taste. maybe i'll add a side of mushy peas to liven things up.



ye olde king's head
116 santa monica blvd
santa harmonica 90401.
tel. 310.451.1402