It feels like it’s the year of the vegan, doesn’t it? Veganism is everywhere! Or maybe it’s the decade of super food avocado?! Are we all becoming wiser about our food choices and their wider impact on us and the environment? After attending one of Debbie Stranack’s talks, I now ‘get it’ and I’m all for it … but don’t worry I still eat the likes of meat and eggs and indulge in the not so healthy stuff too.
Tag: GLUTEN FREE
Saltwaters, High Street, Tonbridge, 22 November 2016
It’s Friday which as well as the end of the week, means FISH! The tradition of eating fish on Fridays stems from religion but fish and chips is a national favourite, enjoyed day in, day out around the country. I was kindly invited to dine in Saltwaters, and so my two children & I visited for our fish supper. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found. Family owned, Saltwaters arrived in Tonbridge earlier this year with quite a pedigree – it relocated from fashionable Belgravia and has 50 years’ experience in frying and chipping. Its smart, shiny signage on the library roundabout offers a lovely welcome to the High Street. There was a table already eating when we arrived and a real mix of people trickled into the tastefully decorated restaurant creating a lovely buzz. The quality of the ingredients is impressive – fresh fish, homemade batter, quality Aberdeen Angus beef in its burgers. The menu is really varied with something for everyone – veggie burgers & peri peri chicken making an appearance. And don’t forget about their gluten free Mondays. We were there to taste the dishes that have brought Stevie Wonder into their Belgravia chippie: calamari, salt and pepper squid, fish bites and gourmet fish fingers to start which were delicious. The calamari and squid were cooked to perfection encased in a crunchy, amber batter. Each fish is cooked to order, it’s not left sitting in the batter in the fryer so despite being a ‘chippie’ you will have a ‘restaurant wait’ as your dish is prepared. But it’s worth the wait. The cod that arrived was lightly battered and so not as greasy or filling as perhaps you might have had before. The chips are hand chipped and twice fried resulting in a great crunch on the outside, fluffy potato on the inside; the side salad tasty too. My children had a mini fish and chips and a chicken nuggets and chips which they mostly devoured but had clearly not paced themselves on the starters *rolls eyes*. If you have room for pudding, the menu features classics like sticky toffee pud, crumble, and ice cream, including some interesting flavours like coconut and fruits of the forest. Saltwaters is a really versatile place – great for families or eating out with friends. They have wine and beer, it’s informal and would be a great stop-off from the nearby train station if you didn’t want to cook. It might be famed for its traditional fish and chips but, like the sea there’s a lot more beneath the surface. As we long for comfort food in this cold weather, Saltwaters will provide it alongside a very warm welcome. Saltwaters has kindly donated a generous prize to ’12 Days of Feastmas’ so don’t forget to keep liking and sharing from 1 December to be in with a chance of winning!
Shamo’s, Tonbridge, 19 May 2016
It has been a busy couple of weeks for Eat Reviewer – thanks for keeping up with the posts. Next week, it’s competition time so keep liking and sharing! Read on for a review of Shamo’s: they invited me to review them & I was accompanied by my two sons aged 6 & 3. Shamo’s on Avebury Avenue, South Tonbridge Shamo’s is the latest addition to our growing gastronomic scene & is positioned in South Tonbridge, on Avebury Avenue. Sharan & Amo (hence the name) opened Shamo’s, about 3 months’ ago. The menu is succinct which I like (quality over quantity) & there is a children’s menu too. Shamo’s markets itself as a burger & milkshake joint, but there is something for everyone: fish dishes (these are starters but Shamo’s are happy for diners to order the starters as ‘tapas’), veggie dishes and they happily accommodate coeliacs with gluten free chips & bun-less burgers. After our very warm welcome, my sons both ordered one of Shamo’s trademark milkshakes: made with ice cream, they’re decadently thick & have lots of different flavours, including alcoholic ones for grown-ups. They are served in lovely Kilner jars with lots of whipped cream on top – a real treat. My sons and I chose the calamari (from the main menu) as a sharing starter & it really was a joy to eat – it was cooked to perfection, with the right amount of bite, encased in delicious, golden batter. We pondered over the menu for some time but I finally settled on the Tonbridge Cheese Steak. This is inspired by the Philly cheese steak, a baguette filled with cheese & steak from Philadelphia, USA & I thought it was unusual for somewhere in the UK, let alone Tonbridge to be serving it! It arrived in a brioche bun (the Tonbridge twist – & it worked) with gluten free ‘fat’ chips (menu says fries but they’re definitely chips) and a pot of ‘slaw. I only intended to eat half of the cheese steak as it looked enormous….but it was so good that I polished it off. The steak was just right and the cheese was all gooey, melting all over the chunks of meat, just as I remembered it. Clean eating this is not, but, boy, it was really good. The ‘slaw on the side was a little disappointing though: too heavy on the mayonnaise for me; I like some crunch. The boys both chose the breaded chicken burger from the children’s menu, freshly breaded in Shamo’s kitchen. Our waitress was more than happy to take instruction to remove any hint of salad from the burgers at my sons’ behest and so they arrived ‘naked’ in their brioche buns accompanied by chips and corn on the cob. Sadly, my younger son had filled up on his milkshake and so he barely touched his burger, chomping only on a few chips. Luckily Shamo’s kindly provided a doggy bag, complete with fresh chips & the boys could decant their milkshakes into takeaway cups. We visited Shamo’s at about 5pm & it was quiet so a good time to take children, despite lacking a little atmosphere. The customer service was excellent, our every need met; we left, replete & content. The food was definitely a hit with my elder son who said Shamo’s was his new favourite place to eat in Tonbridge, and with me. I will certainly return and think an evening visit with a group would be fun….but I’ll make sure I have my alcoholic milkshake as a pud rather than an aperitif. Experience Ingredients In the group: 1 ad + 2 ch Consumption & cost: 2 x milkshake, 1 x sparkling water, 1 x starter; 3 x mains £32