It’s fish and chips, but not as you know it

Hands up. What is the most well-known British food? You probably guessed fish and chips, which can easily be found in Los Angeles, in British pubs and restaurants, as well as more home-grown venues.

But what happens when top-notch L.A. chefs play with British influences, melding tradition with California’s diverse, sustainably grown approach to create new flavors and textures?

That’s what’s happening at two L.A. restaurants, Tomat and Wilde's. And as a Brit who’s lived in L.A. for 13 years, I was intrigued to find out exactly what it was like. Can British food be easily spruced up? Would I want it to be?

Tomat

Tomat's modernist exterior in Westchester.

(

jimsimmonsphotography.com

/

Courtesy Tomat

)

I first headed to the Westside to try Tomat, a beautiful, serene haven in the center of a Westchester shopping complex. Few hints of Britishness here — more warm Scandinavian modernism. While its seasonal, ever-changing menu also includes Mexican, Japanese and Persian dishes, sprinkled throughout are offerings which reflect Chef Harry Posner’s London upbringing. (He’s half-British and half-Persian; co-owner and wife Natalie Dial is from L.A.)

Co-owners Harry Posner and Natalie Dial of Tomat.

(

Danielle G. Adams

/

Courtesy Tomat

)

Posner says he “tried to be playful,” when creating the dishes, while incorporating top-notch, fresh local produce, (much grown in their own garden a few blocks away), and the approach has apparently succeeded, with the restaurant being included in the prestigious Michelin guide just months after it opened last year.

Tomat's warm, inviting dining room.

(

ashleyrandallphoto

/

Courtesy Tomat

)

He says the restaurant has elements of London’s vibrant food scene. “I'd say the thing that is happening in London more and more is the sourcing of ingredients, really high quality ingredients,” he explains. “There's been some amazing food all over the UK… And the food has gotten way, way better. I mean, the food in London is fantastic.”

Looking at the menu’s starters, I immediately spotted a snap pea salad which included roasted parsnips, a British Sunday roast favorite. Then I saw the Welsh rarebit.

Tomat's Welsh rarebit, a British delicacy.

(

Natalie Dial

/

Courtesy Tomat

)

Welsh rarebit is a traditional British version of a grilled cheese sandwich, except the cheese is replaced with a savory cheese sauce which usually includes worcestershire sauce, mustard and beer. Tomat’s version had been cooked into a dark rich brown color, using a Porter beer from Inglewood. I took a bite and was immediately transported home — well, home if my mother had baked her own bread (which she didn't) and had been a top class chef (which she wasn’t). It was phenomenal.

Then on to the fish and chips. A quick note. Fish and chips in the U.K. usually come in the form of cod or haddock, fried in batter. Here, Posner uses rainbow trout (California steelhead) covered in tempura, which comes with a homemade tartare sauce. Audacious! Did it work? Yes, and then some. The fish was fresh and creamy and the tempura wonderfully crunchy.

“Loads of people would say, "oh no, you never fry salmon or trout, because it's too fatty or oily,” says Posner. “And I was like, ‘well, that's why it tastes so good."

Fish and chips Tomat-style: rainbow trout and sweet potatoes, fried in tempura batter.

(

Natalie Dial

/

Courtesy Tomat

)

The chips… were another experience. Instead of the usual thick fried chunks of potato, Tomat offers sweet potato, again fried in tempura batter. Delicious? Certainly. Were they the chips from my childhood? Um, no. (Pause for sad face). It was too far off the beaten track for me. But for Americans without the taste memory, they’ll likely receive rave reviews. (My American husband certainly loved them).

For dessert — British options included banoffee pie and bakewell tart (watch Great British Bake-off if you don’t know what I’m talking about). I, however, ordered the deconstructed Jaffa cake. Jaffa cakes are a popular British cookie, spongey and orangey. My family loves them — when we score a packet we parade it around the house like Simba.

The deconstructed Jaffa cake, miracle upon miracles.

(

Steve Holtzman

/

Courtesy Suzanne Levy

)

Here it came as layers of sponge, passion fruit jelly and chocolate mousse, with tempered chocolate on top and an orange cream around the base. I scooped up all the elements in one spoonful and tentatively tasted it. Perfection. If I was looking for an elevated British experience, this was it. I closed my eyes and was swept away in dreams of London — or maybe it was just my London Fog cocktail (gin, campari, sweet vermouth and earl grey tea) going to my head.

Wilde’s

The rustic interior of Wilde's in Los Feliz.

(

Kort Havens

/

Courtesy Wilde's

)

A few weeks later I headed to Wilde’s in Los Feliz, which has been packed since it opened last October. As I walked down Hillhurst, with the sun just beginning to set, I was definitely in L.A. But as I went through the door I was transported into the dining area of a cosy British country pub. Wood panelling, antique mirror, vintage sconces. Nailed it. Well done.

Natasha Price, the executive chef and co-owner with beverage director Tatiana Ettensberger, says they lucked out by finding an old building with character. But they were mindful of making the British vibe feel authentic.“You can easily fall into something that feels sort of Disneylandesque,” she said.

Wilde's co-owners Natasha Price (left) and Tatiana Ettensberger.

(

Kort Havens

/

Courtesy Wilde's

)

Price’s parents are British, and while she grew up in L.A., she spent most summers with her grandparents in the British countryside, so has a good sense of what makes for an excellent country pub. “Places that really are just using good ingredients and cooking simple rustic food. I think that’s inherently British, and it’s maybe the element of British food that’s not necessarily widely regarded, especially here in L.A.”

For the first course I plumped for Shropshire Blue cheese, home-made marmalade using California oranges and a fantastic fresh house bread, a mash-up of Irish soda bread and traditional bread that’s a unique Price creation. (The combo of cheese and marmalade, Price says, came from “snacking in the kitchen”). The mixture of the smooth cheese, the bittersweet marmalade and the bread was a revelation. I couldn’t get enough.

Wilde's salt and (malt) vinegar chips.

(

Kort Havens

/

Courtesy Wilde's

)

Wilde’s also offers fish and chips. Here the fish is skate, an unusual fish even for American palates. Price says she chose it because she loves its “sweet, buttery flavor”, but for me, encased in batter, it was somehow too rich.

The chips, however, scratched all the itches. Sumptuous, fried chunky potato pieces, which came with malt vinegar, a must for classic British fish and chips, and ketchup for dipping. (The accompanying aioli was a tad too European, I felt). The British friend I went with and I fell upon them, oohing and aahing as we ate our way through to the bottom of the dish. (You get a lot. Believe me. I shouldn’t have eaten all that bread).

Wilde's sticky toffee pudding

(

Courtesy Wilde's

)

The minimalist menu changes often, with simple but inventive dishes. Fish and chips are a staple, however, as is the lone dessert, sticky toffee pudding, something they developed with care. “We wanted it to feel very British in its texture, truly pudding-like rather than cake,” said Price. Sticky toffee pudding is a popular British dessert, a sponge mixed with dates and doused in a caramel toffee sauce. Here there were some innovations — it’s served with creme fraiche instead of custard, but as my friend said, the dish was perfectly sticky and creamy in itself, so it didn’t need a custard dunking.

In some ways I felt like Goldilocks in both places, searching for the perfect British taste sensation, which seems a little unfair given we’re a) in America and b) I’m far from home and am probably operating a little too much on nostalgia. Tomat and Wilde’s are both excellent restaurants, and for Americans who want to taste test some British dishes, you won’t be disappointed.