Latest Reviews
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This was the reason for our short break, our intention was to take the coastal walk from whitstable to the restaurant but the typical bloody British w…
Sam Harding
Sportsman
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A delight. We have eaten here twice now. The service is relaxed and friendly and the food excellent. For a started I had smoked mackerel which was del…
Dez
Sportsman
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If you want swanky or flash decor don't bother! If you want memorable flavours textures then make the effort to pop down. I took photos of the menu to…
Jason Brewer
Sportsman
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Sportsman serves British. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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6 Reviews on “Sportsman”
This was the reason for our short break, our intention was to take the coastal walk from whitstable to the restaurant but the typical bloody British weather ruined this plan as it poured with rain! So we arrived by taxi.Anyway great local produce served in such a relaxed casual atmosphere. A Michelin star pub that is a restaurant but still actually feels like a pub. The food was great, loved the presentation of the oysters, the lamb main and greengage souffl were perfection! foodobsessedsam.wordpress.com
A delight. We have eaten here twice now. The service is relaxed and friendly and the food excellent. For a started I had smoked mackerel which was delicate and not overpowering in smokiness or oiliness. For a main course I had brill which was meaty and very well cooked. And the desserts were great.On top of this they have a great wine list with unusual new world wines at extremely reasonable prices.On top of this you get to walk along the shore at Seasalter before or afterwards.Highly recommended.
If you want swanky or flash decor don’t bother! If you want memorable flavours textures then make the effort to pop down. I took photos of the menu to help make our mind up. Home made butter and breads set the tone. Isabel (the Birthday Girl age withheld for legal reasons but well over 30) had the Mackerel for starter I had the Slip Sole both fresh as you like and packed with flavour the Sole was firm and subtle. The mackerel ballanced flavours amazingly We both had the cod with fennel pure and crab bisque which was stunning I closed my eyes and tried to savour every moment on the toungue, it took me to heaven Izzy was there too! Puddings again hit the spot I had the cream cheese ice cream with pear pure and meringue with ginger bread crumbs and loved every spoonful well balanced subtle fresh and clean offering so much more than I thought it would. Izzy had the lemon tart which was the best tart either of us had ever tasted light super fine pastry with a lemon filling the was set to perfection. Waiting staff were warm and friendly too. What a lovely meal for Izzys birthday. One of the best meals we’ve eaten in the UK. If your used to michelin star places this make shock you at first when you walk in as it’s an old pub but see past that and you’ll see the diamond that is The Sportsman well be back for the tasting menu next time!
The Sportsman was very nice, their best food delicious (shepherd’s pie, poached salmon, home made foccacia etc). The interior was unpretentious and entirely pub-like but the service was lovely. The wine was impressive too. Whole thing only came to 100 for two so was great value. We intend to return.
Best meal I’ve had in the UK. Well, lumminy, I seriously loved the Sportsman, is vying with Noma now for top spot (and at 55 for the tasting menu, and being an hour away, well…)The setting is evocative. A whitewashed, fairly normal looking pub out on the marshes. Inside, all floorboards and bare tables (and I loved the fact that as a couple we were sat on a table for 4, with plenty of room for the food, and plenty of room between the tables – they could easily squeeze in more covers and it’s all credit to them that they don’t) and then hilariously normal pub style toilets…There were fireworks from the start. Amuses of squares of herring with apple jelly on rye, THE BEST PORK SCRATCHINGS IN THE WORLD which just melted in the mouth, with a dipping sauce of mustardy apple, a generous selection of breads (rosemary and red onion foccaccia, sourdough and treacly soda) withhomemade butter with Seasalter salt, salmon tartare and GORGEOUS pork rillettes.Starters included oysters done three ways: raw, with apple foam and a square of their own ham (the Sportsman’s philosophy seems to be nothing can’t be improved with the addition of pork, I concur, heartily); baked, with a sea buckthorn granita (someone’s been to Noma); poached with caviar and pickled cucumber. My boyfriend doesn’t really ‘do’ oysters but loved them all.Then the legendary crab risotto. Perfectly cooked so retaining a bite but in the most velvety of sauces. Essence of crab.Last of the starters was smoked widgeon with quince, mustard and puy lentils. Three perfectly cooked slices with such an intense flavour – gamier than normal duck. The attention to detail was evident too – for me, the most expertly cooked thing on the plate was the lentils. As with the risotto, they’d nailed the texture.Then the two mains. A generous hunk of turbot with vin jaune and smoked pork belly (ah, the pig returns!) Faultless. Deep fried lamb belly (lamby crackling, woo!) with mint dipping sauce, braised shoulder and loin in its jus. The loin was seriously the only meh of the meal – just too red and chewy for both of us.Apple sorbet with popping candy (wowzers), frozen cream cheese with pear, crumble and little bits of meringue, and then the petits fours…by this time I had actually eaten myself asleep and despite being relatively abstemious had to have a triple expresso! But I forced myself to try all the sweeties – chocolate mousse shots (oh yes), tiny custard tarts, apple turnover, chocolate truffles, and shortbread.OMG. Just. Loved. It. Brilliant staff. So attentive and knowledgeable and had the grace, when they didn’t know something, to head off to the kitchen and ask. We had some lovely wines – which are all very reasonably priced, with the majority of bottles in the 20s.I have already booked my birthday 🙂
An unpretentious delight.. Made the foodie pilgrimage to Seasalter yesterday for lunch. The tasting menu is not cheap at 55 but it was worth every penny. We spent nearly four hours meandering our way through some of the best food we had ever tasted. The afternoon was filled with highlights too numerous to mention here; pork scratchings arrived at the table deliciously warm and served alongside pickled herring on soda bread and what tasted like apple infused mustard. Steamed seabass served with crab on a crab sauce was exquisite, milk fed lamb was some of the most tender meat I have ever eaten and the desserts – particularly the posset – were delightful. Before it arrived at our table, the thought of the now infamous baked oyster with rhubarb and custard bemused both my girlfriend and I but once we had tasted it, we were swift converts.My personal highlights were the asparagus tart served with chilled asparagus soup topped with whey. It was absolutely wonderful offering an explosion of flavors. The pastry of the tart was delightfully light and combined well with what tasted like ricotta and maybe onion puree at the bottom. The soup was served with a wooden spoon which was a lovely touch ensuring the taste was unsullied by any cold metallic touches.It wasn’t until about half way through the meal that we noticed there was no salt or pepper on the table. There was no need; everything was seasoned perfectly. Believe the hype. This is unpretentious, flavour packed food at it’s finest. Do yourself a favour and go.