THE MAYPOLE
Thursday evening in the somewhat eccentrically decorated Maypole restaurant was fairly busy but we were promptly served by the jolly owner, Jimmy, in his usual friendly manner. The food was exceptionally good.
Our first courses of Soft Shell Crab and Crispy Duck Rolls were both beautifully presented and delicious. The tangy accompanying sauces full flavoured without being overwhelming. For the mains we chose Pad Mixed Seafood and Thai Noodles again both were extremely tasty the side dishes of boiled rice and Pak Choi were perfectly cooked.
The Maypole is to be highly recommended and we to be hope that the current high standard of cooking is maintained.
Meal for two with beers around £55
THE QUAY
We went on a quiet lunchtime so were quickly served by friendly staff .
The bread and butter offered before the first course was particularly noteworthy. My first course of pigeon breast was well cooked and presented but my co diner’s red pepper and feta quiche was disappointingly bland. The mains we chose were guinea fowl and chicken and leek pie. Both were well cooked and appetisingly presented but the filling of the chicken and leek pie reminded me of that served in school dinners, tasteless and overcooked.
It does seem a shame that, what was otherwise a pleasant dining experience, was marred by such dull flavours. The owners and chef have clearly made a tremendous effort since taking the Quay on. We are sure that by concentrating on good cooking of high quality ingredients, they will be very successful in 2022.
Meal for two with a glass of reasonable house wine each around £60. (A lunchtime menu at £20 for two courses seemed good value.)
THE PHOENIX TAVERN
We went on a quiet Thursday evening and had a table near the welcoming fi re. We started with a draught beer each but one of our choices was somewhat beyond its sell by date. Served by friendly and helpful staff, the menu was sensibly limited but varied enough to make choosing fun.
Starters of scallops and pigeon breast were both delicious. The main choices of roasted duck breast and partridge were perfectly cooked and exceptionally tasty. Desserts of banana cake and gypsy tart rapidly disappeared despite the diners professing to really have no room for afters.
All in all, a very good dining experience with cooking of a very high standard. Our only minor gripes were the fact that starting with bread and butter would set you back a further £3:75 each and side vegetables with the main courses were also charged extra.
A meal for two (with desserts) and a reasonable bottle of wine around £110.
SADDLERS
A Mexican meal smack bang in the middle of Faversham on a cold night in December. What could be better?
California Cravings, which opened on Market Square in October, was doing a fair amount of business for a Wednesday night. We kicked off with a hibiscus and lime margarita (single £5.50, double £7.50) – currently the only cocktail on off er – which was, sadly, more reminiscent of a glass of Ribena than an alcohol drink. However, the house wine, a sauvignon blanc (£6.50 for a 175ml glass), was delicious and nicely chilled. I ordered a main of avocado and black bean tacos, but was served the pulled pork version. Luckily I’d spotted the meat before I started tucking in. Another table was given cheese quesadillas rather than the chicken they’d asked for. Despite these errors, the attitude of the waiting staff was impeccable. The vegetarian tacos (two for £7) consisted largely of black beans and wasn’t very warm. A shared bowl of vegetarian nachos (£9) went down well – fresh-tasting and moreish – but was missing those exciting, smoky Mexican flavours.
My companions devoured the burritos carnitas (£12.50), which were stuff ed full of pulled pork, and tasty rice and vegetables, and were nicely filling. They arrived wrapped in foil, which felt more takeaway than dine-in but perhaps the foil will be replaced with hot plates over time. Or are they going for more of a cantina style? Ice-cream (£4.50 for two scoops with a cinnamon/sugar crisp) and an intriguing port and chocolate pairing (£5.50 for 100ml glass of port served with giant dark chocolate buttons) were enjoyed by all.
Though the experience felt a bit half-baked, this can probably be put down to teething problems. It’s certainly got potential.
Total cost for 2 adults was £62.00)
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