.:kentandkentish:.
Which? Good Food Guide 2009Here’s a place to test the mettle of your Sat Nav. Found down narrow Kentish lanes, just seven miles from Dover, this pretty country pub now puts food and wine top of the agenda. A table-filled terrace leads into an intimate bar – serving local real ales – while an up-to-date style of wooden floorboards and undressed tables typifies the look in the light dining room. Ben Williams used to be head pastry chef at The Square in London (see entry) and while his cooking here is less intricate (and prices commensurately lower), a certain level of high-gloss proficiency is not lacking.
His menus keep things within sensible bounds, however, and are built around carefully considered combinations such as a textbook onion tarte Tatin or a soft-boiled duck egg with smoked eel ‘soldiers’. Asparagus, broad beans and peas make congenial partners for a main course of new season’s Kentish lamb, sauced with red wine, or there may be roasted sea bream with crushed new potatoes, Thai-spiced shellfish and vegetable spaghetti. Finish with vanilla rice pudding and poached rhubarb. Service is friendly and efficient. The wide-ranging wine list, compiled by business partner and wine merchant Ben Bevan, concentrates on quality without showiness or fanfares. Bottles are picked with total assurance and an eye for value at every level. Prices start at £12.50.
.:kentandkentish:.
.:.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment