Little Britain

Back in 2003, a guy came into my work wearing a t shirt that read "Brits: Warm Beer, Lousy Food." I laughed and asked about it; he said it was a new English pub-style restaurant on Colorado Blvd and that the beer was cold and the food was great. Not long after I stopped by and had a good laugh: there wasn't actually a bar. It was just a restaurant. But I had the fish & chips and they were very tasty.

A few months later I stopped in again because I'd heard they'd built a bar. And indeed they had. But there was no Guinness. I considered having food again but back in those days I was quite loyal to Guinness and couldn't imagine having fish & chips without. (Nor, I suppose, could I imagine having fish & chips without beer.) So I went elsewhere. And I don't think I ever went back.

Last year, Brits closed. But in August they opened up again as Little Britain on the corner of Allen and Villa. (For years I remember lettering on the flesh-clored building that read "Armenian Palace," though I never once stopped by, having always been satisfied with the basturma just up the street at Garo's.) Tim - who was a loyal patron of Brits - and I stopped by the other day for lunch. There was no one else in the place. They again do not have a bar - or even a beer/wine license. The owner told us we could duck into the liquor store next door and pick up a beer to go with our lunch, but neither of us were in a mood for alcohol. (Rare, but it happens.)

I'd never heard of Sarson's malt vinegar, but there was a bottle of it on every table. Apparently it's a vinegar created in the 18th century in London. You learn something new every day.

The menu at Little Britain is larger than I remembered the Brits menu being. (But I could be wrong - it had been many years.) The "cajun fish spread" appetizer caught both of our attentions: blackened cod in a cream and goat cheese spread. We decided to start with that.

It was a really interesting dish. Around the edges of the fish spread, it was a little bland, resembling tuna salad. But once you got into the center of the spread, the cajun flavors really kicked in. There was a wonderful spice to it and we both loved it. The crusty bread pieces were the perfect vehicle for delivering the spread.

Tim decided he felt like a curry, so he got the chicken curry and he said it hit the spot.

But there was no question I was going to be having the fish & chips. I'd been craving fish & chips for a couple of weeks but hadn't gotten around to having any. The chips were very good: hot, crispy wedges of potato.

The peas were... well, peas. I like peas, but I certainly understand people who don't. In a setting like this, I douse them with malt vinegar, and sometimes a drop or two of HP Sauce.

But the real star here is the fish. I don't order fish & chips much anymore, because far too often I am served a disappointing, soggy, greasy hunk of fish. This fish was beautiful: moist and flaky cod enveloped by a light, crispy batter. I'm not sure how they make the batter but it binds to the fish as gently as any batter I have ever had. It doesn't interfere with the taste of the cod but provides a light crunch in every bite.

It was a very nice lunch. There are a few items on the menu I look forward to trying in the future, although it will be hard not to order the fish & chips every time I return.