A three-day break to Kent came at the perfect time, and was made even better by fantastic weather throughout.
This blogpost covers Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs – three places that were all new to me, but had been recommended by many friends who had taken advantage of the quick and easy train journey out of London.
This weekend though we had a set of wheels, which meant we had total freedom to fully explore the local area. One of the great things is that Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs are really close together so you can hop between all three as we did. (There’s a loop bus too if you’re without car just FYI)
Naturally I nominated myself as chief restaurant finder – a task I’m always happy to take on.
Day one
We arrived at lunchtime so headed down to the harbour to suss out the action.
A strip of buildings overlooking the water looked a potentially good spot and luckily for us our first meal of the weekend (and not the last) was a total gem.
Like in so many places empty arches are being re-purposed into gyms, bars, yoga studios and of course cafes.
The space inside this double Victorian arch was light and airy with a Scandi minimalist vibe which was still cosy and not remotely stark. Downstairs there’s lustworthy gifts and homewares on sale with communal tables and pretty pastel furniture.
Upstairs (which is also used for yoga and events unsurprisingly) is a vast bright serene space with huge windows that open onto the fantastic harbour view. A few people were tapping away on their laptops – an enviable office location which had me pondering how I could suddenly become a freelancer in something (TBC).
Brunches and lunches are what’s on offer, with most of it made on site. Everything else is sourced from local farms and dairies – bread delivered daily by the Modern Boulangerie in the town.
The service was faultless and the food lovely. Two of us opted for sizeable toasties made with huge slices of sourdough – cheese and mushroom and cheese and cherry tomato both with a lovely side salad and homemade slaw.
I went for a BBQ pulled pork brioche which was brimming with the softest and juiciest meat. It was delicious and also came with a welcomed side of the aforementioned salad and slaw. A cheeky glass of chilled white may have been consumed. After all we were on holiday.
Archive is a great space for people and boat watching – highly recommended and very reasonably priced.
By the time dinner came around we were all a bit full from our late lunch so were slightly apprehensive about going out again. We decided to go for it though, comforted by the fact that Arya specialises in small plates.
The restaurant sits above a lovely pub The Ravensgate Arms in the town centre. There is no signage outside so climbing the stairs felt like you’re going to a somewhat secret place.
Arya is run by brother and sister Jess and Luke Crittenden – Jess working front of house and Luke bringing his skills of years working in London including a stint as Head Chef at Polpetto in Soho.
Upstairs the restaurant is small but perfectly formed. Modern artwork, a mid-century dresser, great soundtrack and gigantic cheese plant make for a relaxed and cool atmosphere.
Jess who served us was delightful – chatting about our trip, and their menu and restaurant. We opted for five dishes in the end and luckily without carbs in the offing, it resulted in range of dishes that were perfectly sized and great for sharing.
Each dish was innovative, flavoursome and perfectly cooked using ingredients sourced locally such as rock samphire, sea kale and sea purslane (a new one on me.)
A cod croquette on a vivid red pepper puree was delicious, and we detected coconut perhaps (?) that gave it a little twist.
A perfectly cooked piece of hake sat on a huge pile of datterini tomatoes famously known for their sweetness.
Burrata to me is up there as one of the most gorgeous of inventions, and teamed with seasonal broad beans you had summer on a plate.
The next dish could have easily swayed me into turning vegetarian – a creamy cauliflower puree nestling under a delicately spiced chickpea curry that had so much depth to it.
Finally grilled sweet and garlicky tiger prawns on a bed of pak choi – again a hit. The only thing we weren’t 100% on was the “paella rice” in this dish. A disc of crunchy rice nestled at the bottom – crispy like you’d get at the bottom of a pan. Not un-delicious at all, perhaps just not what we were expecting.
I wish we’d had room for dessert – deep fried custard anyone?
The wine list is small but perfectly formed including more interesting wines from places like the US and some reasonably priced options. Cocktails could be ordered from downstairs – so next time….
Also their brother Ben runs the tiny 12 seater restaurant Stark in Broadstairs with his wife Sophie which is on the radar for next time.
Victoria's Sandwich 