Not far from Canterbury High Street, in what was formerly a sticky floored boozer, is The Ambrette. Miles of dark wood meet the eye as you enter, punctuated by colorful floor tiles and the glow of candlelight. The cavernous room has been cleverly designed to feel cozy while still allowing enough space between the tables for comfortable conversation.
My first supper club has come and gone, hopefully leaving all the guests feeling like they couldn’t eat another bite, but leaving me hungry for another and another and another wonderful event where I can cook great food for people and watch them mingling and enjoying the company of their fellow diners. The next opportunity is already booked into the calendar and the preparation is well underway.
October 7th was my first supper club event in Folkestone and, with an intimate crowd of 9 diners, it was a bit like having a great dinner party, bringing together friends who had never met each other but who each had an interesting story to tell. The wine and conversation flowed incredibly well and I couldn’t have hoped for a better crowd of people to help me christen what I hope will become a Folkestone eating institution.
Many of you will have read my first post about Salt back in November of last year. The Canterbury restaurant has built a great reputation for itself and its philosophy of small plates and local, seasonal produce. With a ‘restaurants to try’ list that could circumnavigate the earth, we only managed to visit Salt a second time a couple weeks ago. As always, the food was fresh, interesting and delicious. We also caught word that Emma and Lee were looking into a new place in Whitstable. Saltdog opened yesterday and is cranking out gourmet hotdogs and beer on the Whitstable seafront. So now the lucky people of Kent have not one, but two ways to enjoy the creativity of this pair and the beauty of local Kentish produce. So what are you waiting for? Continue reading
Hello? HE-LLO-OO? Anyone there? I know I’ve been MIA recently, but I hope the world hasn’t moved on too much and that there’s still someone out there who wants to hear about another great place to eat in Canterbury! Over the last few weeks I’ve been here, there and back again − actually just to California and back, but you get my drift − and I’ve been doing a lot of eating and cooking, so I have lots to share! It’s just a matter of getting the time to sit down and write. First on the list is Café Mauresque in Butchery Lane in Canterbury which we visited way back in December.
When we went to Deeson’s British Restaurant about a year and a half ago, I thought it was a great find. Newly opened and fresh, quaint and comfortable and with a three-course set menu for £15 before 7pm, it seemed pretty perfect.