Top five for fishcakes

They were once a British nursery staple but with exotic flavours such as Thai with kaffir lime leaf or chunky lobster with a carrot and cardamom infusion, no-one can accuse fishcakes of being boring these days. Fay Maschler seeks out her favourite catch of the day...

Le Caprice ***
Arlington House, Arlington Street, SW1 (020-7629 2239). Mon-Sun £100

When Charles Fontaine was chef here many moons ago, he claimed to have invented the fishcake. Only a French chap could say that about a British nursery staple. However, the inclusion of fine, fresh salmon and the covering with sorrel sauce did lift the patty into a different class. Typical customers take their cue from Caprice fan Jeffrey Archer's approach to ideal eating and drinking, ie shepherd's pie with Krug, and thus items like fishcakes, kedgeree, hash, eggs Benedict and sausages with bubble and squeak stay fixtures on the menu. To eat seasonally or more inventively look to the dishes scribbled in the margins. Despite change of ownership, Le Caprice still heads many people's list of favourite restaurants. The celebrity count may sometimes be higher nowadays at The Wolseley nearby, where Corbin and King, who sold Le Caprice to Luke Johnson, have set out their new stall.

Patara ***
3 & 7 Maddox Street, W1 (020-7499 6008). Mon-Sun £80

In an area where airlines situate head offices you might think you have stumbled on the Thai one, but don't be discouraged, the cooking at this latest outlet of the global group S&P Syndicate - London branches in Fulham Road and Beauchamp Place - is serious and superior. Much on the menu is familiar, eg Thai fishcakes (tod man pla), those bouncy discs scented with galangal and kaffir lime leaf and sharpened with chillies that benefit from a dip in a vinegar syrup-based cucumber sauce, but dishes also feature which push the boat a bit further down the Chao Phraya river. Two I have enjoyed are grilled herbmarinated rack of lamb with sweet rice rolls encased in crisp pastry served with spicy salad, and monkfish in a green curry sauce dotted with those adorable pea-sized aubergines. The Silk Bar serves cocktails devised by the barman of The Sanderson.

Fin **
14 Charlotte Street, W1 (020-7436 7460). Mon-Sat £70

In the same ownership as Thai Metro nearby, this fish restaurant and oyster bar offers gratifyingly well-stocked menus - a la carte, weekly specials and The Xpress Lunch at £9.50/£12.50 for two/three courses. Cod and salmon fishcakes served with sautéed spinach were part of this good value lunch deal which I kicked off with nicely chunky lobster and ginger ravioli in a carrot and cardamom infusion. Just about scraping into the definition fishcake are tuna spring rolls served with ponzu sauce and baked herb-crusted fillet of plaice, both on the a la carte. The cooking style is a mix of English and Oriental with some Italian pasta thrown in, but national identities are respected, not muddled together. The current lure in Charlotte Street is Japanese Roka (sibling of Zuma) but should that be full, cross the road for smoked marlin with a light wasabi coulis and salad of mooli.

The Wells Tavern ****
30 Well Walk, NW3 (020-7794 3785). Mon-Sun £85

My sister Beth Coventry, who owns this Hampstead gastropub, contests Charles Fontaine's fishcake claim (see Le Caprice). At much the same time, Beth was chef at Green's in St James's. So good and popular was her fish and potato mix that a loyal customer pronounced her 'Miss Fishcake'. Andy Gale, chef at The Wells, has picked up the baton with his salmon fishcakes, which have an especially light, sharp, crunchy coating thanks to the use of Japanese panko crumbs. The insides have the important stress on fish over filler. Fishcakes appear on the bar and restaurant menu. Currently there is also a fantastic summer truffle salad with a wealth and health of leaves and vegetables and a beautiful main course of Gilthead bream on quinoa tabbouleh. Quinoa, pronounced kinwa, is a delicious South-American grain which has the very important attribute of coming low on the glycaemic index.

The Fish Shop At Kensington Place ****
201-205 Kensington Church Street, W8 (020-7243 6626). Tue-Sat £40 (BYO)

Sometimes dishes to take away for a picnic or delivered for a private meal at home are more appealing than the strain of getting to a restaurant. Just pick up the phone to The Fish Shop attached to Kensington Place a while in advance and chef/fishmonger Colin Westal will prepare items from a list that encompasses fennel soup with bottarga and orange as well as fishcakes and sardine pissaladiere alongside lobster salad. Recipes are overseen by KP's chef Rowley Leigh and the freshness of the product is second to none. Visiting the shop where the catch is displayed as elegantly as jewellery is inspiring in itself. Even the dry and tinned goods are the best of their kind. Fishcakes on the net are available from devonfishcakes.com. David Meadows makes them from smoked haddock and horseradish, crab and coriander, seabass and ginger and more.