A Salt & Battery In The West Village

In a city where the only constant is change–especially in restaurants–it's comforting to know that some old favorites withstand the test of time.

Case in point: A Salt & Battery, the West Village's beacon of British-style fish and chips.

Head chef Mat Arnfield, who started frying at his family's chip shop when he was nine years old, says, "The first dish we did ten years ago and last dish I do tonight are exactly the same."

Of course, he's referring to the basket of fish ($6 to $7) with a shatteringly crisp crust and a side of resplendently golden, chunky chips ($5).

What has changed over the years is the restaurant's emphasis on sustainability. Gone are the days of Styrofoam, and Arnfield uses Pollock instead of cod, due to the overfishing of the ocean's stocks. These days, the shop sells as much Pollock as everything else (sole, haddock and whiting) put together.

Repeated visits also revealed a whimsical cast of specials, such as red snapper, soft-shell crabs and a deep fried jam roll with custard, whipped up to celebrate the birth of Prince George.

And then, there are those notorious deep-fried candy bars ($4) that Arnfield aptly points out "kind of make your teeth want to tingle and jump out of your head."

Here's to the same old, same old.

Cod Save The Queen