Lunch at One Eighty Eight, Whitefield

Having previously fallen in love with my new local fine-dining restaurant, One 88 Kitchen & Bar, this weekend, I made a return visit, this time for lunch. Having perused the menu in its entirety during my first visit, I had already decided what I would eat if I was to ever return at lunchtime.

It’s a versatile place that works just as well for lunch with friends on a relaxing Sunday as it does for a slap up meal on a Friday night. The ground floor was packed, with every table occupied, with people enjoying everything from late breakfasts and brunches to roast dinners. The whole menu is available on a Sunday lunchtime, from the regular a la carte to the breakfast and brunch options, which are only available until midday during the week but extend to 2.00pm at the weekend.

Whilst my friends had poached eggs on toast from the brunch menu, I had a delicious fish goujon sandwich. Three generous goujons, lightly battered, were served between two door-stopper wedges of soft, fluffy, homemade bloomer loaf, with lettuce, tartar sauce and a sprinkle of cheese and onion pickle. The tartar sauce was chunky and packed with capers, laden thick on the top slice of bread, making for an incredibly tasty lunchtime bite. It was reminiscent of a fish finger sandwich, albeit a very posh one. What’s not to love about an upmarket version of one of the ultimate comfort foods?

Fish goujon sandwich served with hand cut chips and coleslaw

The sandwich was served with a bucket of perfectly cooked hand-cut chips and gorgeously-coloured ‘winter’ coleslaw, made with red cabbage. It makes a change to receive some proper chips, as opposed to the wafer thin ‘fries’ which are all batter and no potato and often fried to their death. I have to confirm that these were some of the finest British chips I have ever tasted. Doused in salt and lashings of vinegar, they were beautiful.

It was incredibly good value for money, with the filling sandwich meal costing me £7.50, especially in comparison to the much smaller poached eggs on toast, which was £5.50. The fact that there two large birthday parties in when we arrived didn’t hinder the service; the staff were attentive and we received our lunch within 15 minutes of ordering. 

Having dined at One Eighty Eight for both lunch and dinner, it seems the place can do no wrong. Chef David Gale has expertly managed to fill a gap in the market for good quality, locally sourced, traditional British food at a reasonable cost.

http://one88whitefield.co.uk/