Two new restaurants at opposite ends of the county

I want to draw your attention to two new restaurants in the county. It’s great to report these given all the trials and tribulations endured by the restaurant sector during the worst of the pandemic.

One is open already – Barletta, which is sited within the Turner Contemporary Museum in Margate.

Natalia Ribbe (Ladies of Restaurants) and chef Jackson Berg (Kettner’s, Xiringuito), seen in the main picture, have lovingly created Barletta, named after a small seaside town in Puglia, as a true celebration of the couple’s favourite places to eat.

With harbour views, Barletta brings the touch of the Mediterranean to Margate with a seasonally-inspired menu featuring dishes such as steak tartare complete with bone marrow & parsley butter toast; spiced carrots (pictured), a signature dish, topped with yoghurt, a generous sprinkling of hazelnuts, parsley oil and confit cod cheeks with sweetcorn, brown butter and chives.

To the west of the county Number Eight is due to open in January in London Road, Sevenoaks.

Chef Stuart Gillies (left), will launch his new restaurant and bar with his wife Cecilia. It will be a family-run business with local charm, occupying an impressive 16th century corner site opening up onto a charming courtyard terrace that captures the afternoon sun.

Dishes on the menu capture Gillies’ culinary journey as a chef, working with some of the biggest names in the industry from Stockholm to Rome, New York to London including whipped cod’s roe with a sprinkling of hazelnuts, confit leg of Goosnargh duck, roasted ceps and fettucine of Dorset crab (pictured), chilli, spring onions, garlic.