BRITISH PUB FARE AT PRICES THAT ARE MORE THAN FAIR.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

PUB GRUB can be tasty, fun and seriously inexpensive.

At the new White Harte Pub in Woodland Hills, it's all that and more.

But don't confuse this type of food with the higher forms of artistry in cooking.

Yes, we know there are some that still sneer that anything cooked in Britain can never be good. But we also realize that many of Europe's top chefs and best restaurants can now be found in and around London and other areas of Britain.

But that's at more expensive restaurants. And are they cooking French, Italian or a mixture thereof?

Doubtful if it's anything called British grub.

Here we're speaking about old-fashioned fish and chips, sausage rolls, pasties, Scotch eggs, shepherd's pie, meat pies and the like.

Things the White Harte kitchen dishes up in generous portions at moderate to ridiculously low prices.

Where else will you find full-service dining areas (the back and front patios here) serving substantial evening meals with a salad for $8 or $9 per person?

And it's nicely furnished. The back dining room/patio even sports a pretty fountain.

Of course, beer is the favored beverage, although there is a small, workable wine list.

I like Fuller's ESB on draft (pint $4.50) best, a beer with character.

It goes well with the full-flavored items produced by the White Harte kitchen, some of which are enhanced in the cooking process by robust brews.

The bounteous, savory and satisfying steak and kidney pie ($9) offers sirloin soaked in Newcastle Brown Ale. And the steak and ale pie ($9) utilizes Boddington Pub Ale in the same manner.

Atlantic cod coated in Fuller's beer batter translates into fish and chips (one piece $9, two pieces $11) that's as good as it gets.

Even the bangers entree here (two of England's favorite sausages paired with well-executed mashed potatoes, $9) arrives boosted with a Guinness-flavored sauce.

But the bonus worth noting at the White Harte is that in addition to the pies being served up with a large, flaky pastry shell, each entree order includes the addition of two side items, one option being a fair-size house salad.

Other side options are mashed potatoes, hefty thick-cut fries (chips), baked beans right out of a Heinz can, green peas, mushy peas and fresh mixed vegetables.

Obviously, if you order the gratifying house version of shepherd's pie ($8) made with a ground lamb and beef casserole-style mixture with vegetables that has been topped with mashed potatoes and briefly baked, you wouldn't want the mashed potato side option. But the salad and peas (mushy or regular) make sense for a very satisfying meal.

On the other hand, mashed potatoes are a natural with the hearty plate of liver and onions with bacon ($8), definitely a steal at this price.

The traditional Cornish pastie or pastry filled with ground beef, carrots, potatoes and peas, provides one more comforting $8 entree bargain here.

If you need a starter other than the house salad, the puffy breaded mushrooms ($4) are delightful. Forget the cold pork pie ($5).

And you can always nibble on a sausage roll ($4) or bangers ($2 each) with mustard and a pickled onion with your beer.

And say, ``Blimey, this is ruddy good.''

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

WHITE HARTE PUB

Food: Three stars - Service: Three stars - Value: Three and one half stars

Where: 22456 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Phone: [phone].

Meals/hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Open from 11 a.m. to midnight daily, Friday and Saturday to 1 a.m. Serving earlier, from 10 a.m., on Saturday and Sunday.

Food type: British.

Cost: $.

Credit cards: All major.

Patio dining: Yes, front and rear.

Parking/valet: Yes, valet at night.

Full bar: Yes.

Wine/corkage: Small, decent list. Plenty of beer choices. Corkage: $5.

Music/entertainment: No.

Takeout/delivery: Yes. No delivery.

Reservations: Not taken. First come, first served.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

There's plenty of patio seating available at the White Harte Pub, where the entrees come with a choice of two side dishes.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News