If I had a restaurant I’ve no idea what I’d call it. I’d spend weeks pondering puns, metaphors and alliteration to eventually end up naming it The Restaurant. I think this must be what these guys did, hopefully saving their creativity for the kitchen instead. So last week i decided to go along and try out one of Broadstairs latest openings. Restaurant 54 promises a great deal from the outset. It’s website quotes Shaw and professes to offer up “the freshest of local ingredients, brought together with a creative twist”. I’d certainly agree with the latter but i sadly found few examples of local produce being used in the two courses i undertook. This is a real shame as provenance and food miles are the current food buzz words and to not make the most of this seems somewhat short-sighted. Surely we could consume Kent crab and pork rather than that of Cornwall and Devon and remain happy patrons? The dishes i ate were of a very good standard and I particularly enjoyed the homemade spiced piccalilli that accompanied my potted Devon pork. The batter on my rather posh fish and chips was worthy of high praise and clung to the prawn, scallop, haddock and monkfish admirably. My dining companions, on the whole, had an enjoyable meal but there were a few niggles that I’d like to see ironed out. Firstly the music. I find music in restaurants annoying at the best of times. I was also under the belief that all traces of Level 42 had been burnt by one of the previous Labour governments. It would appear, however, that a solitary CD survived and is alive, well and tormenting diners in Broadstairs. i think you know what to do with it. Next up is the front of house that I found a bit cold, slow and at times jobsworthy (although they did manage to deal with all of our off-piste requests). I was also a little let down by the crab which was presented badly but tasted excellent, a side salad that was no more than a few leaves and the rather paltry portion of sea bass. My biggest issue though, is the price. I don’t think that the food is over priced as what I ate was worth the money i paid for it, but i do worry about the future of their business, £15-20 for a main is a little on the lumpy side for Broadstairs and maybe the lack of customers on a Saturday lunchtime in a summer of recession helped to prove my point. They do, to be fair, offer a very good value set lunch menu and i do genuinely hope they decide to address these issues as they have the makings of a decent restaurant, and as Shaw himself said ” If there was nothing wrong in the world there wouldn’t be anything for us to do.” So, sadly it’s 54 out of 100. For now.
54 Albion St, Broadstairs, Kent, 01843 867150.
A Gastronomic Guide to Thanet 