Gastronomic Guide to Thanet

  • Crisp Sea Bacon

    Oh! I do like to eat beside the seaside, and with the summer months now upon us I can do it regularly. How better to start the weekend than with a relaxing morning alongside some calming water? The stresses of the past week just float away. With a brisk walk under my creaking belt it’s exactly the right time to order a bacon sarnie, sit down with a paper and (admire) the world going about its business. The only work I have to do is decide where I’m going to tuck in. With so much excellent coastline and an abundance of cafes and kiosks this is always a pleasant dilemma. For the purpose of this article I decided to visit four untried bacon peddlers. The first stop for me and my guinea pigs was Derek’s at Louisa Bay. Being closest to Chez Gannet I’d made a few coffee stops in the past but hadn’t chosen to order any food until now. Two bacon sandwiches later and Mrs. G, the Monkey and I were feeling rather content. This would be tough to beat. Thick white bread, good butter coverage, decent quality bacon, proper ketchup and a nice location. Next week it was the Jet ski Café in Margate. It’s the biggest, newest and liveliest of them all, offering the most varied menu. No use to me though, as I’m only here for the bacon, which, I’m sorry to say, tasted of onions and was a tad too greasy. Mrs. G’s was onion-free so I guess it was just a bit of bad luck. It also felt a little odd sitting in a car park eating my breakfast. The third week involved a trip to Saddle Sore at Pegwell. I’ve always wanted to stop here, so expectations were high. It was ok but didn’t quite stack up to its forerunners. I did, however, notice some great looking chips that will be enjoyed at a later date. Monkey loved driving the toy vehicles dotted around and was rather tearful when our departure curtailed her joyriding. The month of bacon was brought to a close by a trip to Westgate. We intended to visit Pav’s but it was so ridiculously busy that we jumped ship and went next door to St Mildred’s Cafe The bacon was plentiful and well cooked. The bread was okay but certainly not up to the high standard of Derek’s. There are still many places I need to try out but based on these excursions Louisa Bay will be the place you’re most likely to find me pawing through ketchup-covered supplements with a satisfied smile on my face. Oh! I do like to eat beside the sea.

  • The Goods Shed-Canterbury

    “The next station is Canterbury West.” I hear that seductive line 10 times a week and for once I decided to give in. It was a balmy Friday evening when I stepped down onto the platform to meet my wife. The sunshine worked its magic and made everything seem that much better.  It was our own Brief Encounter. I, a rotund, bearded and chipper Trevor Howard. Mrs. G a pregnant, radiant and rather peckish Celia Johnson. Once the steam had cleared we walked the short distance to the Goods Shed hand in hand. It’s an impressive building that comes alive with diners once the farmer’s market punters have carted their rations home. We were seated by one of the immense windows overlooking the track and watched the night quickly descend whilst we happily chatted about our day. A visit to the communal blackboard announced that there were five starters and a six mains on offer, any of which I’d have been happy to receive. I eventually favoured the smoked trout on toast with duck egg and asparagus (£7.50) proceeded by the slow cooked belly pork with spiced apple sauce, garlic roast potatoes and more asparagus (£15.00).  Mrs G had scallops with black pudding and a bean salad (£9.00) and then the Cod fillet with smoked mussel butter, roast potatoes and asparagus (£15.00). All the dishes are well presented, contain local produce and are large enough that you may well struggle to get through three courses. Mrs G just about managed it, but she is, as she so often points out, eating for two. The food was of a very good standard although some elements were tepid rather than hot and I would have greatly appreciated knowing that my choice of dishes would mean my eating asparagus twice that evening. Neither of us were drinking but a nose through the wine list offered up acceptable bottles from £13.50, some gems around the £20 mark or if you fancy bringing your own then they will charge a corkage of £7.50, a very tempting offer. The golden age of steam may be long dead but the golden age of cooking is alive and waiting for you to get on board at Canterbury West.

    Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8AN, 01227 459153.

  • Zetland Arms-Kingsdown

    On leaving Deal’s rather swanky swimming pool, complete with wave machine, we opted to make the most of the rare English sunshine and drove a few miles out of our way to lunch by the sea at the Zetland Arms.  It proved, thankfully, to be one of my better ideas. This hidden away Kingsdown pub takes a bit of hunting down and maybe even an embarrassing phone call, but once there you’ll be chuffed you went. We dropped in on a Friday and stumbled upon a mix of friendly locals, walkers and cyclists. The menu is quite short, well priced and contains the sort of thing you’d expect in a pub. We ordered some drinks, plonked ourselves on one of the picnic tables next the sea and considered the menu in the windy heat. To start we chose the whitebait (£4.95), which arrived stacked high against a pot of magnificent tartare sauce and the Perard recipe fish soup (£4.95) that tasted better than many I’d encountered across the water. We both went for fish, chips and mushy peas (£9.95) thereby removing the possibility of lunch envy creeping in – a frequent problem in the Gannet household. Everything on the plate was of a gratifying quality. The only minor irritant was the slightly too weighty batter but this was more than countered by the ‘holiday’ chips that arrived with it. Superb. The four young chaps that appeared to be running the place were doing a grand job and nothing was too much trouble. I’ll be tackling one of the doorstep sandwiches (£3.25) when we return, which proved so popular with our beach companions, and may even try out the natural wave machine beside our table so I can I work up an appetite for a dessert too.

    Wellington Parade, Kingsdown, Kent, CT14 8AF, 01304 364888.

  • The Ambrette-Margate

    Some things are sacred in the Gannet household, like Chinese takeaway on a Friday evening and Branston pickle on our cheese sarnies. One fundamental food law is that an Indian meal begins with poppadums and chutneys: it whets the appetite and it carries with it the delicious anticipation of the meal to come. At Margate’s Ambrette we had no poppodums. It bears repeating: NO POPPODUMS! This startling omission marred what was otherwise a positive experience. Having had a mention in the Michelin Guide it was our opinion that this establishment is unlikely to progress to a coveted star in the near future, particularly not in the current premises, which are a little shabby. Service was fine, we were served a complimentary glass of sparkling lychee cocktail on arrival and the meal was punctuated (perhaps too frequently) by small ‘taster’ plates (for example, a sweetcorn pattie and a cup of tomato and lentil soup). The menu itself focuses on excellent quality, locally-sourced meat and fish, cooked South Indian-style. We saw very little on the menu for vegetarians, unless perhaps they were catered for on request. Our starters of pork ribs and grilled tiger prawns were tasty, although we expected the spicing to offer slightly more of a punch. Mrs Gannet’s chicken breast was a generous portion in a delicious massala-style sauce, served with raita, a chickpea dhal, rice and nan bread. I enjoyed a beautiful lamb shank, again with accompaniments and a freshly cooked roti. We had no room for desserts, tempting though they looked. You do pay a little extra for your meal here, but if you can cope with an Indian meal without poppodums, this Jewel in Margate’s Crown is well worth a visit.

    44 King Street, Margate, Kent, CT9 1QE, 01843 231504.

  • Pot Kicks

    It seemed wholly appropriate, with the World Cup only weeks away, to stage a potato penalty shoot-out in our very own Stadium of Cookery. Admittedly it was somewhat different than the usual English pratfall and I doubt FIFA will be adopting it anytime soon but it suits the purpose of this article and thus it will be so. Each player, of which there are five, will have two perfectly cooked new potatoes placed in front of them. One Jersey Royal and one of Thanet’s finest (courtesy of Farmer Richard Ash). Now, as great as these little orbs are they need some help so we’ve added a slice of quiche and a lightly dressed salad to complete an enticing summertime tea. First up to the table is Father-in-law. He’s somewhat picky so a good lead off man to set the tone. He much prefers Thanet. 1-0. Our next player is Mrs Gannet. She’s a new potato aficionado and probably the most experienced player on the team. On balance she opts for Jersey. 1-1. Third to tuck in is Mother-in-law (no jokes please, she’s lovely). She likes the nutty taste and goes for Jersey too. 1-2. I’m next up with the cutlery. Mrs G serves so I don’t know which is which. I’m surprised by how much I like them, as I’m not normally a fan. I pick Thanet for its satisfying finish, which ties it all up. As in all good penalty shoot-outs there needs to be a fifth and that honour falls to new potato newbie Tilly – my two year old. Diners don’t get more fickle than this. She pushes them both round the plate for a few minutes and then leaves. Hmm. So for the first time ever we’ve got a penalty shoot out draw. Guess you’ll have to make up your own minds but please do your best to get behind our team this summer.