Ye Olde King's Head

In Santa Barbara if you want Bangers & Mash you go to Dargan's and if you're in Los Angeles you go to Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica.  So, when Tummy & Mr. Borscht found themselves in Santa Monica one cool evening working up an appetite from the back and forth on the promenade full of street performers they stopped for dinner at Ye Olde King's Head.

Tummy and Borscht is easily charmed at the slightly dim set restaurant where the walls are covered with endless amounts of celebrity photos signed to Ye Olde King's Head and every single one of the waitresses speak with an authentic heavy British accent, or is it Scottish?  Perhaps both.  And though the material setting can easily charm, the food does more so, it charms with authenticity.  Fish and chips the popular British dish is widely ordered here, order the King size portion and get two honkin fried fish with mounds of chips, and it tastes exactly as Fish & Chips should taste too.

First thing is first, sit down and order a beer, regular or imperial pint are your choices in size, so far Tummy and Borscht always has gotten Smithwick's, dark and smooth.

Then comes the appetizer, a bowl of clam chowder to share.  Tummy and Borscht will vouch that it's the tastiest chowder in town.  Thick, chunky, full of flavor and as chowder should taste.  But beware, 'tis very filling indeed and a bowl for one can be a meal in itself.

Mr. Borscht almost always gets the Bangers & Mash, so once again Tummy and Mr. Borscht found themselves looking down at his lovely plate of Bangers & Mash.  Peas are peas, the mash is cooked twice baked as one can see by the browning of the top layer, the flavor is simple, just yummy mashed potatoes to go perfectly with the three bangers, which is apparently is just another word for sausages and a great conversation piece if you really want to go at it with company, just you ask them "why do they call it bangers?"

You can never go wrong with the Bangers & Mash, so if you find yourself being unable to make up your mind just remember two words: Bangers and Mash.  Plus, they keep very well for a meal the next day.

Tummy feeling rather bloated and heavy this evening wished for something light and was in a rather adventurous mood and wanted something new to share with her tastebuds.  Tummy ordered the Shrimp Salad with champagne vinaigrette dressing.  A mound of small fresh shrimp topped slices of avocado, tomatoes, boiled egg and red beets (Tummy loves red beets).  The portion was not too large but was not small either, it was... just right and fresh, as simple as the salad sounds the dish was delish.

1 Smithwick's Imperial pint

1 Arnold Palmer

1 Clam chowder bowl (good for 2)

1 Banger & Mash dinner

1 Shrimp salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

The Damage: $47.90

Ye Olde King's Head
116 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica CA 90401
(310) 451.1402