It doesn’t get much batter! Lure’s fish and chips

WHEN fried cod and chips were introduced to Britain by Eastern European Jewish émigrés, the island natives could not get enough.

In the same way that chicken tikka – Indian-influenced but invented in Birmingham – has become a staple, fish and chips actually represents our nation’s long and proud history of being a welcome safe haven for people from around the world.

Lure, a fish restaurant in Dartmouth Park, offers a haven to those who crave the fragrance of decent, traditional fish and chips.

The restaurant has seen various incarnations down the years – a wine bar, a curry house – and is in an area of high quality independent eateries in an industry where 50 per cent of new openings shut after six months.

Lure has not just survived, but thrived, nearly a decade after it first opened. Its longevity and loyal customer base is explained by the consistent quality of their fare.

The cod – beautifully flaky inside a beer-infused batter – was perfect. For those of you who want something less calorific or have learned how to avoid the deep urge to eat something fried when that certain fragrance hits you, the Japanese-style salmon offers a healthy alternative without any reduction on taste.

They offer the same approach to the chips: chunky fat ones, cut on site, or crispy french fries if that’s your thing.

But while the mains are enough to make you return, it’s the sides where things start to get interesting.

Of course, traditional wallies and mushy peas are a must – but here the peas are not the giant, luminous green marrow-fatters: instead they are teeny fresh petit pois, to give them the fancy name they deserve. With a whiff of mint and butter, some crushed rather than mushed, it’s a fancy and enjoyable take on a classic.

Other greens include purple sprouting broccoli with chilli – al dente with fresh chilli and oil drizzled over – and for the proper vegetarian who avoids fish, the arancini balls – deep-fried rice and mozzarella globes that disgorge a gooey interior when your fork makes contact – are a clever alternative.

Lure is comfortable, super friendly and has that special air of a neighbourhood eaterie. In a city where fish and chip shops were once on every street corner but have since been consumed by a thirst for fried chicken and kebabs, it is up to bastions of the fish dinner – here, Toffs in Muswell Hill, Lisson Grove’s Seashell – remind us why this meal, when done this well, is still considered a national treasure.

Lure Fish Kitchen
56, Chetwynd Road, NW5
www.lurefishkitchen.co.uk/