This week we have a guest blog by Anna Ward from Furnished by Anna . Thank you Anna! We know that what we wear, how we look, ‘our style’, says a lot about us. And the same applies to eating places. In a previous Eat Around Tonbridge blog, Jennie Kenny of Beyond the Grounds explained how, when designing her café, she wanted it to feel homely, as if you are entering someone’s sitting room. Restauranteurs and café owners know how they want customers to feel and work with designers to create that look. Eat Reviewer has invited me to write a guest blog to discuss how the interior of a restaurant or café wants to make you feel… Wood, metal and muted tones – that’s what stands out to me when I walk into Graze. The tables are wooden but look slightly worn and weathered, with sturdy, ‘functional’ metal legs; the floor is wooden; and there is wood panelling on the walls. The metal accents continue with the chairs, the bar & the vintage, grey pendant lights, the soft greys picked up in the choice of wall colours too. The exposed brickwork behind the bar provides texture and draws the eye, marking it out as different to the rest of the restaurant. The large, original windows overlooking the High Street let the natural light stream in and ‘natural’ is the theme which brings all these details together. The place feels rustic, stripped back, calm; it feels homemade. To the consumer this says, “Eat here, the food is fresh, natural, made on site, ‘just like mother used to make’”. You’re not stepping back in time in Graze at all, but in this world of ‘bling’ we live in, the nostalgic ambience with a modern twist is a winning formula: look at Cook!, Gregg’s and even KFC in Tonbridge. All of these places have recently undergone a refit and have incorporated wood and exposed brick. And they’re not alone; this style is global, making us feel safe and secure in what we can expect, even when abroad. Let’s wander up the High Street to Havet. It also uses grey but this time to create a classy, modern exterior – the double fronted large restaurant creates quite a statement. Havet’s interiors are not subtle, they’re clamouring for attention, saying fun, glamour, affluence & decadence. How do they achieve that? You walk into a cool marble restaurant which stretches a long way back – the light bounces off the marble, making the space feel even larger and creating a sense of opulence. They use rich, bold colours (teal and tan) & luxurious leather for the seating. The marble is a muted grey as at Graze but at Havet, it’s offset with matt gold detailing – understated glamour. And guess what? At Havet they also have stone tiled walls (shades of grey) and wood detailing, a nod to their ethos: ‘fresh food daily’. Two restaurants on Tonbridge High Street that have opened in the last year – contrasting styles but using similar themes to create distinctive eating experiences. Anna can be found on Facebook, Twitter @fbainteriors and Instagram furnishedbyanna.
Tag: HOME MADE
Nancy’s Tea Rooms, Lambert’s Yard, Tonbridge, 22 September 2016
Nancy’s Tea Room opened in August, after teasing us with its makeover for quite some time (previously there were some public loos there!). It’s a quaint looking bright white, timber building near the river, Tonbridge Park and the High Street. The signage is traditional and the overall effect is one of nostalgia for tea rooms of my childhood, before the arrival of the coffee chains. Katie, the owner – the tea room is named after her daughter – offers a simple menu of jacket potatoes, sandwiches, paninis and the like, and of course, home made cakes. My friends and I sat upstairs, which is larger than it looks, and ordered sandwiches and a cream tea. Cheese and pickle The service was very prompt and attentive and the sandwiches didn’t take long at all to arrive. I ordered one of my childhood faves of cheese and pickle and I was not disappointed. The sandwiches were very generously filled (my friend’s tuna mayo sandwich was too) and really tasty. I appreciate it’s hard to go wrong with a cheese and pickle sandwich but some places do, providing limp, sparsely filled offerings where the cheese is sliced and not grated…little things like that matter. The cream tea came with plenty of cream and jam; I had recently tasted a bad scone (overwhelming margarine taste) so my taste buds were piqued with anticipation but there was nothing to worry about, this one was fine. Always forget to take the pics! Red velvet, chocolate fudge, orange and lemon cakes were on offer and I plumped for a slice of lemon and a slice of orange to takeaway (to share with my children I hasten to add). The cakes were moist, although I think the orange and lemon flavours could have been a little stronger so that you really experience a citrus hit. They were perfectly decorated with just the right amount of icing, adorned with a candied orange/lemon slice. We thoroughly enjoyed them! Nancy’s has found a niche in Tonbridge I think and has differentiated itself from some of the other cafes gracing the High Street with its simplicity and nod to a bygone era – these qualities make it feel easy, welcoming and homely. I will definitely return.