Review The Sportsman - Seasalter

I could not fault the food. This was a truly special meal. Superbly cooked food and a delicately crafted menu. Relaxed atmosphere, in fact I went suited and booted but really smart casual was the way to go. The staff were efficient, friendly and appreciative. The only thing missing is a cocktail waiter; I really think this is a must have to push this restaurant to the next level, the food is already top drawer but it was a shame not to be able to get an old fashioned or a Martini before dinner.

Tonight we finally made it to The Sportsman in Seasalter for what has to be the best mid week meal in a long time. The place was packed and we now know why we had to book months in advance to secure a table for the evening meal. The only offer a 5 course tasting menu , but a choice from 4 on each course, and at £80, that’s good value for money for a one star. The highlight for me was their used trout, crab and carrot, and the lemon tart with meringue ice cream. Our visit was well worth the wait.

This was a special birthday gift from our Grandsons. The food was amazing and portion sizes brilliant for a tasting menu. Staff were attentive but discreet. 👏 The pictures were my selection of oysters, slip sole, duck & almond tart.

We came for Saturday lunch and really enjoyed the food experience at this Michelin star pub. It's 5 courses for £80 and includes snacks and bread, another palate cleanser dessert and some mini macarons at the end. Between the three of us, we all got something different so we could taste more of the dishes. Everything was delicious but the highlights includes the three poached rock oysters, native lobster with potato, tomato and hollandaise, maple cured pork loin and the blackcurrant souffle. Service was relaxed and friendly.

a small and rustic restaurant! the tasting menu is the one to go for, you get a bit of everything and you can’t go wrong with it! of course the menu changes daily as it depends on harvest! you can see the gardens where they grow their own vegetables through the window, which just makes the food taste of much better! would recommend coming for a sunny brunch, as the lighting makes everything better!

Amazing food, the staff was lovely, we really enjoyed the experience, and it was well worth the money. A bit more time between courses would have suited us a bit better, but would love to go again someday.

Best lunch I’ve had in Years!!! Staff are great. Food was amazing.

The food is exceptional, as is the service. You don't need me to tell you that (the Michelin star does that). What it doesn't convey is just how friendly everyone is, and how relaxed the overall vibe is. It makes a real difference. Pretension and stuffiness have no place here. Some of the best food, with understated but diligent service. It put us at ease and enhanced the experience. 10/10 - would recommend, and will be back. Thank you.

Amazing! From the moment we walked in the hospitality was perfect and the attention to detail was second to none. The food was impeccable and delicious. Overall, a fantastic experience and without an ounce of pretentiousness.

Been here a few times. The food never disappoints. One Michelin star and great location. Always give yourself some time to walk along the water front.

The seafood courses were my favourites, but vegetable-only and meat-based dishes held their own. There was very little to fault in the meal and with the relaxed and friendly service, I'd even brave SouthEastern to get another taste of the terrific brill braised in vin jaune sauce.

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.<br/><br/>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 soufflé were perfection!

I don’t even think it would be rude to describe The Sportsman as a run down old boozer – if anything it might even be a compliment. But that is most certainly its charm. Along with it being by the sea, if the weather is good, it’s all rather beautiful. It’s even got a Michelin star.

The breads were magnificent. “This focaccia as good as anything you’d eat in Genova,” said Leonard, proving that The Sportsman is the perfect swap for a weekend away in Italy.

On a bed of shells, then came the Oysters – a rock oyster with beurre blanc, pickled cucumber & herring roe / a rock oyster with rhubarb granita & crystalised seaweed and, my favourite, a Whitstable native with home made chorizo.

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.<br/><br/>On top of this they have a great wine list with unusual new world wines at extremely reasonable prices.<br/><br/>On top of this you get to walk along the shore at Seasalter before or afterwards.<br/><br/>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 purée 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...)<br/><br/>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...<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>Then the legendary crab risotto. Perfectly cooked so retaining a bite but in the most velvety of sauces. Essence of crab.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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. <br/>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. <br/>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.<br/>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.<br/>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. <br/>Believe the hype. This is unpretentious, flavour packed food at it's finest. Do yourself a favour and go.

The best restaurant I've eaten in. Really special, worth the trip, combine it with a day in Whitstable, but book in advance or prepare for a disappointment.<br/><br/>Think it is now the only pub restaurant to have a Michelin Star.

I was going to call this place tucked away. But it's much much more remote than that, it's literally in the middle of nowhere. It sits on its own, two miles from the nearest town and about half a mile from the nearest building. It's a lonely looking place. But driving down the long isolated road the pub seems very inviting.

one Michelin star pub in Kent with brilliant food Price: £50pp Rating: 5/5 Cuisine: modern British I would visit the Sportsman everyday if I can, it’s that loveable. One hour drive from London is not far but weekend lunch/dinner would require 6-8 weeks booking in advance so unfortunately it’s difficult to frequent this place. But do make all your effort to come, it’s more than worth it! The restaurant It’s a very down to earth pub right next to the sea. Food has two options, full tasting menu which you’ll have to give 2 day notice (just tell them when they call to confirm the booking) or the simple 3 course a la carte written on the blackboard when you walk in. Just like a pub, if a la carte, you order everything at the bar, including drinks.  The price We went with a la carte and only got two courses each without desserts, together billed £80 including two glasses of wine. The tasting menu would require 3.5 hour to finish.  The food Food was just so loveable, nothing cr

This place looks like your average sea-side pub, the dining room is casual, airy, not a tablecloth in site. We had the tasting menu, eight courses but with a lot of extras thrown in. The pork scratchings were soft, warm and chewy, they came with a whole grain mustard dipping sauce, absolutely delicious. These were served with pickle herring, herring isn't my thing so no comment here. The chilled courgette soup was creamy, sweet and salty. Served with some amazing pancetta, the sweet ham went fantastically well with the savoury courgette. The lobster ravioli in a lobster bisque was my only disappointing dish. The bisque was too strong and seemed a bit burnt. The lobster ravioli was nice but was ruined by overly strong bisque, if this came with butter alone it would have been amazing. The slip sole was so simple, the fish was flaky and came easily away from the bone, the seaweed butter it swam in was also beautiful, so simple but it looked beautiful.

In 1999 chef Stephen Harris took over a tired pub, surrounded by salt marshes, on the East Kent coast. 11 years and a Michelin Star later and it is more popular than ever. Although every newspaper critic and food blogger seems to have eaten here over the years its enduring success seems to be based on a lack of pretension and local ingredients simply prepared rather than any attempts to follow trends or introduce unnecessary flourishes. About the same time the Sportsman was being resurrected I started uni about ten miles down the road in Canterbury. Although I never ate there as a student we would often drive up the coast on Sunday afternoons to eat cockles by the sea front and have a few pints of hair of the dog at a local pub. So when we started planning a trip to revisit some old Kentish haunts, and to find a few new ones, I knew the tasting menu at the Sportsman would be high up on the things to do list. We excitedly set off from Canterbury with bright blue skies and sunshine, but

The Sportsman which is a 15 minute taxi ride or a one hour plus walk from Whitstable station, was a cosy refuge and the perfect finish to our culinary tour of the area. The tempting offer of a glass of Pol Roger Champagne on arrival was just too good to turn down – our favorite champagne beautifully chilled. It was also good to see that since our last visit they had added a shorter tasting menu, which unlike their normal tasting menu, did not have to be pre ordered. At £45 this Tasting Menu option is excellent value for the caliber of food served here.

The restaurant itself is in fact a pub, situated in Seasalter, on the outskirts of Whitstable. The large wooden tables, airy space and wicker chairs create an inviting atmosphere and the perfect near-beach venue. The co-owner, Phil Harris, with his off-the-beaten-track wine suggestions and inviting sense of humour, adds a touch of local charm.

What a wonderful idea, a pub where you can have really good food. How nice to have a place where you can have a fine meal without having to dress-up like a million dollar trooper (super duper). You just walk up to the bar, order your food and drink and repair to your table for a wonderful relaxed lunch or dinner. In the early nineties they invented a name for such a place - the Gastropub - and the first one of its kind was The Eagle in Clerkenwell, London. In the past 20 years gastropubs have become a well-established phenomenon in Britain. Michelin has also shown its appreciation for the culinary qualities of the best of them, which they have awarded a Michelin star (and in one case even two). If you're looking for confirmation that Michelin stars are not about chandeliers or waiters with white gloves, here is a place to go. The seaside pub The Sportsman in Seasalter (or actually not in Seasalter itself but 2.5 miles down the road) is one of those Michelin starred gastropubs and it is

For those not familiar with the Sportsman, this is a pub-restaurant that is the talk of all foodies for years and has also fetched one Michelin star.

Sometimes it's about the food. Sometimes it's about the people. And sometimes you're lucky enough and the best of both collide in one meal. This is the story of the best pub lunch in the world. Yes, that's right, the world. I'd heard nothing but good thin

We've held off visiting The Sportsman for a little while not least because we wanted some decent weather for the drive down. With the UK blessed this week with a blue sky and genuine warmth, we decided to make the pilgrimage. Indeed, pilgrimage would seem to be the right word because this place is so utterly revered in the blogoshpere that our journey seems like a trek to a food temple. The success story that is The Sportsman can't help but appeal. We love the story they tell on their website that when they initially took over the pub, the windows were boarded up so daylight wouldn't disturb the drinkers. The dartboard too, Keith Talent would approve. Yet the transformation of this pub to gastronomic shrine invites everyone to believe that anything's possible; the pub itself is a well of hope. And while reportedly they get upset when people talk of the place in 'run down' terms, even the owners would surely have to admit that the outside could do with a new coat of paint but to be fair

Skate wings have to be one of my favourite pieces of fish, and here they were served simply, but flawlessly. A thick piece of wing had been cooked perfectly, its flesh coming away in long juicy strands. It sat atop a mound of wilted spinach and came with the classic addition of nutty beurre noisette, whose richness was cut by a sherry vinegar dressing.

As the sun was setting on a brilliant lunch we went for a wander down the sea front, the light was fantastic and the view was beautifully desolate. And right in the middle of it all is such a delightful little pub, serving up some amazing grub for those that make the effort to come. And it really is worth the effort, if you haven’t been, you need to go.

I ate many memorable meals in 2010, but really only three of them were truly memorable. In no particular order they were at Trinity in Clapham, Aux Lyonnais in Paris and The Sportsman in Seasalter. All three of these meals were far superior to everything else I had eaten last year that they are forever embedded in my memory. It wasn't just the food at the Sportsman, or even the restaurant itself, or even the quirky manor that the menu is on a blackboard in the main bar that you are mixed with the other diners choosing your meal and then ordering it at the bar. Or even the fact that our view was looking out over the back garden of oyster shell paths. Or the surrounding area of deserted beaches and marshy fields. Or even the amazing drive through deserted roads that no restaurant should be at the end of it, or even that I had reserved it a month prior and was looking forward to it everyday. It was plain and simple everything. The minute we walked inside I fell in love with it. What's not

a place for a feel good, hearty, seasonal lunch.

When we made the booking for lunch at The Sportsman nearly 2 months ago, we had no way of knowing what a beautiful Spring day it would turn out to be. Spirits were high as we made the train journey from Victoria; the sun streaming in through the carriage

It was winter 2009. We had lived, and ate, it up in France over the Christmas period. My wife was pregnant and didn’t feel like going out to rich dinners (in both senses of the word). My ever-present culinary adventurousness was restless. I wanted somethi

Yep, I ate herring. And you know it wasn't so bad. Together with the sweet relish, crème fraiche and soda bread that it was on; I managed to eat it, which is praise alone for herring. The pork crackling was supreme, not overly salty and not overly break-your-teeth hard. Served with apple and mustard dip, perfect to get your taste buds tingling and your appetite flowing.

When we made our decision to visit Kent during out last Bank Holiday weekend, the first item on the agenda wasn’t arranging the sights and scenery, but which restaurant to eat in. In circumstances such as these, where better to turn to than the Michelin g

Despite what may have been written about the location, the whitewashed gastropub holds the secret to a charming interior. It’s light and airy, and the look is colonial. The bar dominates the centre of the restaurant, with large wooden tables dotted around

On the Kentish coast of Seasalter sits The Sportsman . This pub / restaurant has been much talked about, and was this year awarded a Michelin star. Not only does head chef, Stephen Harris cure his own ham, they churn their own butter and even make their o

Come here for fantastic food in a relatively casual environment, don't expect tablecloths and fancy decor but you'll feel most welcome and I'm certain will want to make a return visit. I saw some pretty special looking non taster dishes coming out of the kitchen and there's a large menu to pick from. Booking, or at least calling ahead is a must and it's drinks only on Mondays.

This is what you see when you arrive at The Sportsman. Also the same view from Stephen Harris' kitchen, and what a fine one at that - perhaps this is the secret to the good cooking. I'm sure you must have heard about this place by now, quite literally every blog and hack with the vaguest interest in food, in this country has written and raved about this michelin starred restaurant. It is one amongst a very rare collection of restaurants which commands near unanimous appeal across the internet, and as such, it is often synonymous with the very best this country has to offer. The original gastropub began life when Stephen sat through a revelatory meal at Chez Nico way back in '92, which then became his inspiration to bring the slickness of high cooking to a more accessible setting. In the subsequent years, Stephen uncovered the mystery of macaroon winning ways by visiting the nation's darling restauranteurs of the era including MPW and GR until one fine November day in 1999, he decided t

So why is it worth travelling all the way to the corner of the country to eat at a gastro-pub, what with the many excellent ones we have in London? The one word answer to that question is ‘Passion’. When most chefs appear on TV to talk about seasonality a

Great expectations. That is what we all had. That is also the title of Dickens’ novel of which some was set in or around where we would be lunching today. The we, well, that would be Aaron, half of A Life Worth Eating; Ulterior Epicure; an as yet, un-alia

I got the impression that we'd arrived for our meal at the Sportsman just as this remote spot was on the verge of transitioning from sun-baked and peaceful to windswept and desolate. It was a glorious late summer's day, a warm breeze blew in from the sea

When asked where we could meet outside of London for a meal, I suggested The Sportsman at Seasalter, Kent, a pub/restaurant I've been wanting to visit for ages, to my friend. The date was duly set and the restaurant booked (though not far ahead enough to order their famous tasting menu) and off we went recently for a lunch by the sea. I was very lucky that my friends had a vehicle to take us there - it's only about an hour's drive out of London. Otherwise, it would have been a train to Whitstable and then a taxi to the restaurant…or should I say pub? There's nothing on its exterior that would give any indication of the delicious food they serve inside. It really looked like any other pub along the narrow, winding road - well, perhaps apart from the number of cars parked outside. Inside it does still look like most pubs, albeit a pub with quite a bit of seating for dining. We were welcomed at the bar by the very kind Phil Harris, one of two brothers who own the place (his brother Stev