Restaurants

Bet you’ve never seen a contraption like the pastel-hued art deco fryer at this marvellous chip shop. Sadly, it’s only used to store menus these days (the cooking’s done in a kitchen at the back), but the Golden Hind still oozes local character, entirely in keeping with its mazy Marylebone Lane location. On a busy late-Thursday lunchtime, we tucked into firm fillets of haddock in a light batter, fluffy fish cakes spiked with black pepper and parsley, reliably gnarly chips, an elaborately fanned pickled onion, and the mandatory thin white sliced bread and butter – all accompanied by ginger beer. The Greek owners and staff really make a fuss over you, especially if you’re with children (they earned their tips by kindly stashing and retrieving our pushchair). You can tell they’ve seen years of repeat business. Posher nosh like prawns and whitebait is available, and you can also bring your own wine. But on a lunch hour, or taking time out from a shopping trip to nearby Oxford Street, proper fish and chips like this really hits the spot.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009