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From the Kent on Saturday, 13 February, 2010. BY STEVE KNIGHT
This Dog is best in show
BELONGING to a group of restaurants known as the elegant Kent Inns of
Distinction, the Dog Inn finds itself under pressure to perform from the
off.
Last July the business was ranked as one of the top 150 in the UK by
Restaurant magazine, which heaped lavish praise on the quality of the
food and service on offer at the four eateries run by Richard and Sherry
Martin.
These also include the Ivyhouse in Tonbridge, Harveys of Ramsgate,
and the Blazing Donkey at Ham, near Sandwich.
Included in Egon Ronay's guide to the UK's best restaurants, I was
eager to find out if the Dog Inn - a 13th-century building set in the
postcard village of Wingham, near Canterbury, could live up to its
reputation.
I'm happy to report that it does.
It was immediately clear from the neat presentation of each dish
that, as far as the kitchen staff are concerned, appearance is
important.
From the starter right through to the main course and dessert, it
felt that for one night only I had stepped into Gregg Wallace's shoes
and was judging each course not only on its taste and texture, but on
how it looked on my plate too.
Needless to say, none of the dishes remained pretty for long, as my
companions and I eagerly devoured everything placed in front of us.
For starters I ordered a liver pate with toast (£6) while my guests
both opted for the salmon and plaice (£6).
As per usual there was more pate than there was toast with my dish,
which meant some of the liver had to go to waste, as Pm not one for
eating it on its own. This was a shame as it was a tasty way to start my
meal.
I was more impressed with my main course - roast belly of pork
complete with confit potato, vegetables and a caramelised apple (£16).
The crisp crackling complemented the tender pork perfectly and, though I
was sceptical at first, the apple did not seem out of place and was a
fine replacement for the traditional apple sauce.
One of my guests had the same as me while the other opted for the
steak (£22), which came complete with home-made chips, vegetables and
even a mini cottage pie. She was as pleased with her choice as I was
with mine.
Forgetting I had only just eaten an apple, I ordered an apple tarte
tatin (£6) for dessert. Despite going into apple overload, I was pleased
I did, as this was delicious and the perfect way to end my meal.
One of my guests was unfortunately less than impressed with her
"assortment of Kent cheeses" (£7), which she said tasted no different to
anything she could have purchased at the local supermarket.
The final cost of the meal for the three of us - including a bottle
of wine (£15.95) - was just over £108.
As far as negatives go, there were few to report from our visit to
the Dog Inn, but they existed nonetheless. One is that we visited on a
freezing cold night and, despite the restaurant being home to a log
fireplace (which had gone out), the premises were fairly chilly inside.
We also found it strange when our waitress left the restaurant during
our dessert, leaving the chef to sort out our bill.
These minor complaints aside, the Dog Inn lives up to its reputation
for fine food and is well worth a visit. And if its sister restaurants
are in any way similar, then so are they. The Dog Inn, Canterbury Road,
Wingham, near Canterbury CT3 1BB Telephone: 01227 720339
www.thedoginn.co.uk
Review visits and pays for meals anonymously.
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(Spotted
Dog)
Charrington & Co