Last week was a busy one for Eat Around Tonbridge and it only involved a little bit of eating! We had the Food and Dink Networking Club and a charity event with foodie connections – what will you host?
Tag: pizza
Pizza!! 124 The Bakehouse – Pizza night, Tonbridge, 9th February 2017
124 High Street is a beautiful old building and since it has become our very own artisan bakery, it’s been given a new lease of life. The owner, Clare, is capitalising on her skills and building by offering bread making lessons, and also, pizza nights. Quite appropriately, the Bakehouse looked rather different to its daytime appearance when I visited with a friend at the beginning of February for one of the pizza nights – all dimly lit & hushed. We climbed the well trodden old stairs to our table where there were quite a few tables of two but also tables for larger groups. The menu is diverse with something for everyone – vegetarians, meat-lovers & vegans were certainly catered for. We were tempted by the anti-pasto starters but we decided to dive right into the pizza. Stinky Pete at The Bakehouse I learnt a few tips about food reviewing from Jay Rayner when I saw him at the EM Forster theatre in January: he advised to go for the most obscure thing on the menu unless, in his case, he saw something on the menu that involved pork. For me, substitute pork with mushrooms and you’ll guess that I didn’t go for anything unusual or new; I was predictable, and delighted, that there was a funghi pizza on the menu. My friend set a better example by choosing one of the menu’s new additions – the Stinky Pete which definitely packed a punch with its strong Kentish blue cheese. My delicious funghi pizza… The funghi was not tomato based which made a nice change for me (& is great for anyone with a tomato allergy) and I absolutely loved it. The cream gave the mushrooms the right kind of tang and the seasoning was great. But one of the USPs of the evening is that these are no ordinary pizzas – the base is made from sourdough rather than your traditional pizza dough and you could definitely tell the difference: the base was crisper and lighter than normal, yet still sturdy enough to handle the topping if you decided to pick up a slice. The sourdough may be what makes these pizzas different but with these nights, The Bakehouse is, too, differentiating itself – it’s offering a calm, relaxed, even refined way to enjoy a bite to eat & a bottle of wine with friends. Experience Ingredients In the group: 2 Consumption & cost: 2 x pizzas at £10.50 each + bottle of red wine = £40
News: New places, new nights…Tonbridge continues to change…
Recently, I’ve been catching up with some of the owners and managers of our local Tonbridge eating places and wanted to share with you what I’ve learnt about our evolving & exciting eating scene…get your diaries out, there’s lots going on! The Old Fire Station will continue to bring great chefs to Tonbridge and some are starting to come back to serve us second helpings including Tonbridge’s own Gurkha Planet & Sulston’s Kitchen (brunch weekends) as well as Brisket & Barrell (14th & 15th October – no ticket required) & Ben Spalding (7th & 8th October). Ben tells me that the menu will be revealed on the night but “expect 14 servings of delicious, playful & well-balanced cooking with maximum vibes!” They’re also doing their bit for charity by hosting pizza nights in their courtyard 7th & 8th October. All you need do is buy a drink and then the pizza is as much as you want to donate to ‘Tonbridge Calling’ – a great cause. There’s so much going on at TOFS over the coming weeks and months that I can’t write about it all! I heartily recommend following TOFS on Facebook so that you can be one of the first to hear about these fantastic events and something very exciting that they have planned towards the end of the year! Sadly my lips are sealed but it’ll be worth it… The Bakehouse at 124 is diversifying, bringing us pizza nights and chef Dan Hatton in this lovely old setting. The pizza nights are with Mission Pizza, “trying to save the planet one pizza at a time”, 7th & 8th October. Dan Hatton, a purveyor of fine foods at his store and café in the Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, as well as Michelin starred chef, generously gave his time and efforts to TOFS’ Empty Bowls event back in May. The soup that he served was amazing (read about it here), so if that one bowl of soup is anything to go by, these should be great nights! (Dates for all events are at the bottom of this page). Little tidbits of info… The Slug & Lettuce is set to change: it will become a Town Pub & Kitchen. On the group’s website the images of other TPKs, as they’re called, look promising, quite Graze-esque. Dates are still to be finalised so watch this space. Fuggles, the beer café that started in Tunbridge Wells, has planning permission to change the use of its premises and it’s now just waiting for the alcohol licence to be agreed by the council. The Chequers is ‘under new management’ but what the future holds for the oldest building in Tonbridge, we’re not quite sure. The rumour was that Sankey’s, the fish & seafood restaurant currently found in Tunbridge Wells, was going to take over but they tell me that’s not the case… If you missed my previous post on Facebook, our Thai restaurant, just across from The Chequers, Gaab Kao is now delivering. I know lots of you love it in there and love the takeaways – now you don’t have to leave the house! 01732 358730 Eat Around Tonbridge is launching a jobs board for the hospitality/food industry. There are many seasonal jobs being advertised in the town and you will now be able to find these all in one place. We’re aiming to go live with that next week so watch your feeds and share the Facebook page, tweets and website itself to spread the word and maybe earn some extra cash for Christmas. Lots going on! Surely there’s something for everyone on the High Street these days…but I’m sure it’s going to get even better! Keep liking and sharing my Eat Around Tonbridge Facebook posts, Tweets (@eat_tonbridge) and the website so that you can stay right up to date with news, openings, offers and competitions. Key dates & details 7th & 8th OctoberOld Fire Station – Chef Ben Spalding – if you’d like to book, tickets are £65 for 14 courses and can be booked by emailing Ben directly Ben@benspalding.co.ukOld Fire Station – Tonbridge Calling pizza fundraiserThe Bakehouse at 124 – Mission PizzaCall 01732 360382 14th & 15th OctoberOld Fire Station – Brisket & Barrell – no ticket requiredThe Bakehouse – chef Dan Hatton 18th, 19th November, 16th & 17th DecemberThe Bakehouse – chef Dan Hatton Eat Reviewer
*** COMPETITION TIME *** Exclusively for Eat Around Tonbridge Facebook followers!
There’s a lot happening this weekend in Tonbridge and it’s all focussed on food and drink! How lip-smackingly lovely! There is the Tonbridge Food & Drink Festival on the Castle Lawn, which starts on Friday evening 6pm -9pm with music, street food & a bar. For the rest of the weekend, there’s a wide array of stalls setting up shop to tempt our palates selling all sorts of gourmet goodies sourced locally, regionally, nationally and internationally – olives, cheese & fudge to name but a few. Tonbridge Music Station is providing many of the artists who will be performing on the live music stage. On Saturday everything starts at 9am, finishing at 9pm & on Sunday it’s 10am-6pm. *Please note that some posters around town show the wrong dates, the ones shown here are correct. *** Competition *** In addition, just passed the canon and round the corner a bit, The Old Fire Station is hosting its inaugural cider festival! They will be serving the delicious TOFS cider, of course, but also, over 30 ciders from across the country. To soak up the cider, there will be food available, including local cheeses & pizzas made in their in-house pizza oven. The guys at TOFS have kindly offered two complimentary pizzas to a person chosen at random who comments on this post on the Eat Around Tonbridge face book page with three chefs who have held or are due to hold nights at The Old Fire Station. This is an Eat Around Tonbridge Facebook followers exclusive, it won’t be posted on other Facebook sites. The deadline is 10pm today 18 May 2016. Good luck! It is sure to be a great gastronomic weekend! Enjoy!
The Old Fire Station, Tonbridge ….Dads just wanna have fun
It’s Saturday morning of the bank holiday weekend, grab yourself a cuppa & have a quick read about the Old Fire Station: I interviewed Richard & Sam earlier in the month… “Let’s have some fun with it…” – that was the culmination of a conversation between two dads at the school gate, after one of them had just bought The Old Fire Station in Tonbridge & the other suggested hosting pop-up restaurants there. Richard Collins, who owns the building (& the insurance business it accommodates upstairs), didn’t know what pop-ups were; he took a leap of faith with Sam Goode and his book of culinary contacts, to create this quirky, individual & versatile venue. Just in case you’ve never seen it – The Old Fire Station Richard & Sam were going to have fun with it for three months but six months later, Tonbridge Old Fire Station (TOFS) is going from strength to strength. So far the restraunpreneurs have brought Tonbridge a really diverse range of evenings, a beer café, celebrity chefs, poetry nights & a vegan & vegetarian night, to name a few. TOFS is a genuine destination for out-of-towners, some even venturing from London to enjoy celeb chefs’ cooking – quite an achievement. “The guys all cook out the front, they bring everything in, their own induction hobs, ovens … it’s like one big chef’s table,” Sam tells me. It must be a very interactive experience I reply and he goes on to tell me about Masterchef 2013 finalist Adam Handling’s dry ice for his desserts “going a bit over the top”. The venue is probably most recognised for the cuisine it brings to Tonbridge but they have hosted Fuggles beer café, a poetry night & temporary art galleries. And what you may not know is that The Old Fire Station is hired out for sales meetings, residents’ meetings & the like at other times – it’s a venue that never sleeps. The two dads have not only created a new drinking establishment but they’ve also created their own branded pale ale, & cider with the help of local cider producer, Phil Turner. I didn’t think I was a cider drinker after sampling a fair amount of alcoholic fizzy apple juice in my youth but after I was generously gifted some*, I felt I couldn’t refuse a try. I have to admit that the medium dry was a revelation (elderflower would be second favourite & medium third…if you’re interested!) *under no obligation to be nice about it! TOFS beer & cider….and a fireman’s helmet. TOFS is a commercial enterprise for sure, but Richard & Sam like to contribute to the community too: in May, they’re hosting ‘Empty Bowls’, a charity evening in aid of The Bridge Trust. The Bridge Trust helps the homeless and so TOFS will be hosting a soup kitchen, of sorts – diners can enjoy soup from three great chefs who are giving their skills & time for free, & come away with a handmade bowl created by a local potter – The Bridge Trust receives all the profits from the evening. This may seem like a very grand gesture but for several months now, Richard & Sam have been working alongside the local council and other local businesses to ensure Tonbridge continues on its upward trend; they have good relationships with other eating places in the town (big fans of Havet) and support local ventures including May’s Tonbridge Food & Drink Festival, organised by Tonbridge Town Team. So what does the future hold? “We don’t want something on every weekend…it’s not as fresh if we do that,” explains Richard. Fear not, however, the pop-up nature of the venue is due to continue for the rest of the year at least, & Richard & Sam hope to make the beer & pizza ‘open house’ nights a more regular occurrence; something to keep us entertained whilst our anticipation builds for the big foodie players that are booked in (Justin Brown & Ben Spalding in May & June). And for diners who like the feeling of exclusivity, or want to enjoy an intimate meal with friends, they are in the midst of creating a private dining room upstairs which will seat between ten & twelve. Not every town, in fact, not many towns have a venue that can offer such a variety of events. The Old Fire Station is helping Tonbridge to gain its own identity, give it a bit of oomph, and not be the poor relation to RTW & Sevenoaks anymore. And, from what I heard, there is definitely more fun to be had there… Upcoming events Always best to check the Old Fire Station Facebook page until the new website launches (soon): https://www.facebook.com/Old-Fire-Station-531356273682618/events?key=events&ref=page_internal&qsefr=1 There are still tickets for the Empty Bowls nights (11th & 12th May) & chef Justin Brown’s 2 night residency but book quickly as they’re selling fast. I will be attending both nights so look out for reviews on those. The Cider Festival is the weekend of 20th May – cider will be accompanied by pizza made in their very own pizza oven.