Top 5 for fishcakes

10 April 2012

In the late Eighties, fishcakes were something of a cult menu item. They suddenly got a fashionability upgrade as comfort food enjoyed a moment or two in the spotlight. The legacy of this great fishcake revolution was a whole generation of light, fluffy, often subtly flavoured fishcakes made from premium fish. Here are five places where a fishcake connoisseur can still be sure of a warm welcome..

PATERNOSTER CHOP HOUSEWarwick Court, Paternoster Square, EC4 (020-7029 9400). Mon-Fri £85***Sir Terence Conran opened the Paternoster Chop House in October 2004, and it has been busy ever since. One of the reasons this restaurant has bonded so well with City Of London types is the resolutely British menu, and its almost jingoistic attitude to traditional dishes. Yes, you can have draught real ale. Yes, there is spit-roast suckling pig. Yes, you can have spotted dick with custard for afters. And there is also a pretty near faultless fishcake on the menu - made from salmon then served with spinach and a poached egg. Like all good fishcakes it succeeds by achieving a delicate balance between the potato and fish, just the right combo means it is crisp outside and fluffy within.
THE GTC CAFE2 Symons Street, SW3 (020-7730 5271). Mon-Sun lunch only, £45***The General Trading Company is the posh people's wedding list shop. Recently it moved a few hundred yards to some new premises tucked away behind Sloane Square. The new GTC Cafe - now the shop is known merely by its initials - is compact, high-ceilinged and modern. The catering is handled by the Searcy's Groupwho have form for decent fishcakes. (Try the one at the Portrait restaurant, on the top floor of the National Portrait Gallery). At the GTC Caff you can tuck into a very sound smoked haddock fishcake with rocket and chive Hollandaise sauce.
FAULKNER'S424 Kingsland Road, N8 (020-7254 6152). Mon-Sun £30**Faulkner's on the Kingsland Road is a large, busy and very good fish and chip shop so it seems rather strange to be recommending them for their fishcakes. But these are old-style fishcakes, and they are served as a starter! You'll find them listed among the house specials, and you can marvel at being offered a large, fluffy and light, ball-shaped fishcake for under £2. Then you can go on to marvel at the capacity of anyone who could follow it up with a large cod and chips - the portions here are immense and the fish is good and fresh. Check out the surprises on the wine list, all very reasonably priced.
LE CAPRICEArlington House, Arlington Street, SW1 (020-7629 2239). Mon-Sun £80****The Caprice has always had an upper-crust clientele, so it was only natural that the upper-crust, new-model fishcake should have its origins here. Posh fishcake hit this menu well over a decade ago and has been an iconic menu item at this discreetly fashionable West End watering hole ever since. Due to booking pressure getting a table may be tricky, but there is sometimes a seat at the bar for anyone who wants a fishcake made from best salmon and served with buttered spinach and a sorrel sauce. The Caesar salad is also worth investigating as it is reckoned by many to be the best in town.

THE @VENUE

7-9 St James's Street, SW1 (020-7321 2111). Mon-Sun £80

Prices estimate the cost of a meal for two with wine