I met with the general manager of The Beer Seller this week, a new pub coming to Tonbridge High Street, to be situated on the site of John Angell jewellers, and due to open mid December. Jamie and the team are busy refurbishing the inside – it’s going to be unlike anywhere else we have already! – and sourcing quality libation.
Tag: WINE
What does a blogger do?
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?
Tuesday Tonbridge News and The Bakehouse events!
Last year Tonbridge eating establishments did so well at the Kent Life Food and Drink Awards and the awards just keep coming! This weekend The Black Rose Bakery received the bronze award at Cake International, Alexandra Palace, for a truly stunning cake. Eat Around Tonbridge would like to congratulate Nichola for achieving this accolade….and making and transporting this cake! Amazing – puts my Paw Patrol 4th birthday cake to shame… The Black Rose Bakery’s award winning cake – all hand made! Last Friday I was kindly invited to the cheese & wine tasting at The Bakehouse at 124 which was run in conjunction with Tunbridge Wells based Fromage & French. The Bakehouse was a great setting for cheese and wine – dimly lit, people in snug corners ready to indulge in the delicious cheeses and wines. Gaelle from Fromage & French talked you through the eight cheeses, ranging from goats’ cheese to Roquefort, whilst Chris was the wine man, explaining the origins of the wine and which might compliment each cheese. To accompany them all was delicious bread from The Bakehouse, of course. Most of the wines were new to me so I left feeling quite clued up: Vermentino ‘warmed my cockles’ whereas my friend could have drunk a whole bottle quite easily, she told me! The Roquefort and dessert wine was a revelation: the sublime combination of saltiness and sweetness, I was converted. The Brie de Mieux was the piece de resistance (really sorry Francophiles, can’t find the accents), arrogantly oozing all over the platter, its strong flavour making it one of my favourites. The night was a bit ‘up and down’ as we had to keep getting up for a new wine so it certainly felt less relaxing and more a-tasting but I would definitely return. I think it’s great that Tonbridge is enjoying these types of evenings or events and you know what I’m going to say, if you want them to continue, we must support them! This Friday The Bakehouse is hosting its famous pizza night – delicious sour dough bases with interesting toppings including Kentish Blue cheese – you don’t get that in Rome! Read about it here and support it by booking at The Bakehouse or on 01732 360382! Bon appetit!
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
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!