The Sportsman

Been meaning to try here for years and given the Michelin Star, I always wanted it to be foodie worthy and oh my, it really was! I had the 5 course menu, however, could be seen as 11 as had 3 “snacks” as they are called here, bread, starter, fish, meat, cleansing dish, dessert, cheese and then a closing sweet before the bill. The place is just great and food was sensational. Each ingredient prepared and cooked to perfection and the flavour of it all was superb. It’s just heaven of a local place and was very fair considering the quality. Set in a very classic coastal pub feel with not a huge pretentious or fine dining feel so very at ease and not needing to be all dressed up and fancy. Just enjoy the lovely food presented. Staff were great and explained all the courses and was not rushed at all. Just a perfect meal. I’ll be back This was a Thursday lunch at 1200

Absolutely spot on from start to finish. Nice relaxed and attentive service. Staff booked our cab for us in advance for peace of mind. Drinks were all really nice and reasonably priced. The food was outstanding, we picked the five course menu and you choose from a selection in each course. All the dishes flow well with little snacks and pallet cleansers between for good measure. You can see why it’s hard to get a table here!

We had a wonderful meal at the Sportsman this evening. There was a choice of menus and we had the five course tasting menu. There were three amuse bouche before the main menu started. These included a cheese wellington pudding and a type of lamb samosa with mint sauce. I started with oysters and my partner began with butternut squash soup. My fish course was John Dory with olive tapenade and Bouillabaisse sauce and my partner had slipsole. Our main course was beef and for dessert we had a tarte tatin for two. There was an extra pan cotta brought before the main dessert. Every course was sumptuous. It was a very high quality meal indeed. The waitresses were all pleasant, helpful, efficient and lovely. We were brought three different types of bread, all delicious. There is a good wine list and selection of other drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The restaurant is a long way from anywhere, but they offered to get us a taxi if required. There is ample parking if you come under your own stem. I can't recommend this place highly enough.

It was my fiancé’s birthday and my sister had kindly put a £200 voucher on the table so the Sportsman knew it was a special occasion. Unfortunately we were sat at the bar where they make the coffee. Dreadful table with a view of a cracked wall, plus a constant stream of waitresses walking passed. There should be no bad tables but if the restaurant is greedy enough to use this area put a glass screen up. I will not be returning or recommending this restaurant. We spent £246 on lunch.

A feast for the senses - every course from the flavour filled morsels of starters through the delights of the tasting menu was a wonderful combination of textures and flavours. Using the best of locally and home produced foods cooked well with attention to detail but no unnecessary theatrics - Thank you Chef and staff .

A lovely birthday treat from my wife. I've been wanting to try their menu for a while and was lucky enough to get in. Food was exceptional. However, we did find our mains roast dinner vibes, still delicious nonetheless. Just means we'll have to return in the new year! 😀

From booking the sportsman’s( personal and accommodating) delicious food, lovely attentive service and a taxi sorted. This place is definitely 5 star in every way. Would highly recommend

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.

The real reason for coming here is for the pristine local product. Shellfish, fish, local vegetables, and more. We arrived just as lunch was starting. The place was completely laid back, and quiet. With the remote location, every care from the outside world just left us. We were led to this huge table. The seat in the back was all pillows and comfort. The wife went straight to it. There's no sense posting what was on the tasting menu. Both because it's been a while before posting the review, and when you go it will be different. That said, the thing that this restaurant brought that is so rare when the word Michelin is brought up, is that this food is pure. It's the primary ingredient with subtle enhancements. Nothing is covered up. It was a leisurely meal. We got back to central London and just relaxed in the glow.

As promised, we returned to The Sportsman at Seasalter for a proper lunch after being so impressed with the homemade bread we tasted on our first visit. I think it speaks highly enough for the bread that we made the four hour return trip just to eat it again!! The surroundings still shock me, and you would certainly never pull over if you hadn't heard about this place beforehand. We went for a good walk around the local area to build up an appetite before lunch and the bleakness of the place is quite astounding. That said, it's very peaceful and you do get to see a lot of wildlife throughout the nature reserve. Anyway, back to lunch! When we arrived we perused the menu on the chalkboards and were asked to place our order at the bar. I'm always happy to do this, even in Michelin star establishments, but it did strike me as a little strange that we weren't even shown to our table at this point! The menu specialises in local produce and it's no surprise that it's heavily weighted with fish given the pub's proximity to the sea. I chose the slipsole to start and the lamb for main, and my boyfriend went for the pork terrine followed by the ox cheek. I had a glass of New Zealand Savignon Blanc with my starter and we shared a half bottle of red with our mains. The long awaited bread came to start. Just as good as we remembered and we gobbled it down quickly. We were offered a top up but declined as we didn't want to spoil our appetites for the main event. Starters came - my slipsole was served very simply with just a touch of seaweed butter, but it was cooked to perfection and tasted divine. M's pork terrine came with toast, mustard and gherkins, with some small pieces of pork crackling on the side. A great combination of flavours and textures. My lamb dish came in two parts - loin that was cooked quite rare and had a beautiful fresh flavour, and a slow cooked portion with deeper richer flavours. This was served with potato dauphinoise and a really interesting cabbage leaf that I have never come across before. M's ox cheek was rich and delicious, with wonderfully creamy mash. We shared puddings - a chocolate mouse with salted caramel and milk sorbet, and a gypsy tart - a dish local to this area which is made with evaporated milk and muscavado sugar and cooked on a really low heat. Both were delicious, and provided a huge sugar rush at the end of the meal. We finished with tea, coffee and truffles and left absolutely stuffed, but contented. The staff were equally friendly on this occasion, and we would definitely make the trip again. Next time the tasting menu!

Inspired~ The pinnacle of 'gastro-pub', with an ease and confidence that tells you: "You have arrived." A Michelin Star restaurant that not only glows with the amazing and impressive dishes, but also beams with joy from each of the staff~ We had a birthday dinner, with amazing oysters, lightly dressed and wonderfully seasoned. Great care was taken with the duck, amazingly perfect. This is a great find, you must make reservations (We were told in December that they are booked on Saturday nights until next August...and no surprise!)

The Sportsman in Seasalter is an ode to pig. And scallops. And lamb. And rhubarb. Etc etc. I say 'ode' because the extent of care and attention lathered over each ingredient suggests the chef has an intimate relationship with every animal he uses. Well this is the countryside after all. Whether head chef Stephen Harris wines and dines his produce or not, it doesn't half make for some pretty spectacular food. We were told to arrive at 12pm sharp for the lunchtime tasting menu, priced at £55 per head. It would be unjust to omit any of what followed, so here goes: Fresh oysters Cooked oyster in rhubarb foam Homemade pork scratchings Pickled herring and apple Homemade bread (soda/focaccia/sour dough) with home churned butter Scallops three ways (seaweed butter/curried/Spanish black pudding and apple) Crab Risotto Seasalter cured ham Braised Brill in Vin Jaune with smoked pork Deep Fried 'slow cooked' lamb with homemade mint sauce Roast rack of lamb and lamb shoulder with spring greens Rhubarb lolly with chocolate dip Custard Tart Rhubarb sorbet with popping candy, chocolate ganache, shortbread The menu is always seasonal and uses the most locally sourced produce possible. Service is exceptional, with Stephen serving some of the dishes personally. We felt truly pampered. After four hours of gastronomic delight and three bottles of Sancerre, we bid farewell to the Kent coast and made our ninety minute trek back to civilisation. The Sportsman is a bargain. Were it positioned within the M25, they could charge twice what they do for such a decadent experience. But it's hard to find and out of the way for ravenous London crowds and City suits. And I like it that way. It's one of the UK's best secrets and I hope it remains so.

This is a fabulous place to eat and, given that it's Michelin-starred, an absolute steal. My four friends and I enjoyed dinner there last night and tried a variety of courses off the daily menu. A tasting menu is also available. Booking in advance is highly, highly recommended. We enjoyed a bread board with rosemary-and-onion bread, soda bread and sourdough, with sea salt and homemade butter. For starters, two of us, including me, had the slip sole grilled in seaweed butter. Melt-in-your mouth delicious. I don't like cauliflower, but I tried a bite of the cauliflower soup with a bit of cheesy breadstick, and it was very rich and creamy (two of us had that). Finally, my last friend had the pork terrine, which came with pickles, mustard and crackling. It was incredibly rich. One friend and I had the pork belly for the main, with mash, cabbage and crackling and amazingly tart green applesauce. The crispy skin and fatty layer of the pork was divine, the mash was smooth without being too thin/whipped, the applesauce was delightfully tart and the cabbage was nicely flavored with crackling. I tried a bite of sea bass in caviar sauce, and crispy confit duck, and both were excellent. My vegetarian friend had mushroom risotto, which I was unable to try, but she said it was fantastic. We split three desserts between the five of us: apple cinnamon tart with milk sorbet and cream (made for two people), chocolate-and-salted-caramel mousse, and a trio of apple sorbet, creme brulee and a buttery shortbread biscuit. The desserts were all well flavored, rich and enjoyable, but I have to pay special attention to the apple sorbet. The texture was almost like eating Pop Rocks. Just unique and like nothing I've ever had before. We also enjoyed ending truffles and after-dinner tea and coffee. We split the bill evenly (we all ordered food that was roughly the same price) and excluding gratuity, it was only about £35 apiece, for five starters, five mains, drinks, coffee and tea, and the equivalent of four desserts. You'd pay twice that, if not more, in a London place with equivalent food. I would love to go back for different seasonal food or a tasting menu. My vegetarian friend was nicely accommodated (just remember to make a note of it when you book) and the service was friendly, informative and professional. It's not snobby or frilly at all and has the character of a nice, old-style pub. A wonderfully kept secret and a must-visit in England's southeast.

Without a doubt one of the nicest meals I've ever had. We paid the Sportsman a visit on royal wedding day to get away from London and the relentless media coverage - the best decision we could have made. The tasting menu was perfect. Every dish simple yet exquisite. With the best locally sourced ingredients, there is no need to overcomplicate things. Highlights included panfried sole with seaweed butter, pork scratchings, their lovely homemade breads and (for the fun factor) space dust rhubarb sorbet. Going back to that sole, it was transcendent. This may sound ridiculously pretentious, but I can think of no other way to describe how amazing this dish was, despite (or rather, thanks to) its simplicity. We arrived half an hour late after having underestimated the walk from Whitstable, but the staff were very nice about it (we had phoned to let them know, but still), and the service was just as helpful and friendly for the rest of our visit. Everyone we went with cannot wait to go back, and we're already planning an autumnal visit...

Tasting menu second time around was just as great as the first time. Standards improving if anything. Love the informality and non high-end Michelin prices. Hard to beat the food here anywhere else close-by. My American foodie friends and gf loved it too. Right up there!!

My wife had heard a lot about this place but had never eaten there. Finally we plucked up the courage to make a booking and managed to get a lunch table on New Year's Eve--despite only calling 2 days previously. Somehow this was an exception to the rules, and we had to clear the table by 2 PM, but anyway. It looks like a rundown farmhouse or similar, but inside is cosy and the staff immediately put you at your ease. The wine list is extensive; sadly, and this is my only negative remark, there were only two ales on tap and the Late Red (Shepherd Neame--you can't get anything else in Kent!) was far too cold. Still, the Primitivo was super. Jenny had the mackerel starter--I would never have dreamed of serving it with Bramley sauce, but the combination is inspired--and I had the pork terrine. That's essentially pork pie with none of the boring bits--no crust, no jelly. Just pig. Fantastic. We both had rib beef. It's served pink, with a mahoosive Yorkshire pud (take my advice and don't fill up on that first...) and roasties which are nearly as good as my own. The Primitivo was ideal with this. (And talking of wine, they have Pelorus brut, which is the Cloudy Bay fizz, but no Cloudy Bay itself.) No room for dessert, sadly. Next time we're trying the tasting menu! (And we'll take the train so I can work my way down the wine list...)

This is the mother of all gastropubs - it represents sheer perfection and is the benchmark for all pubs aspiring to serve great food. It understands informality and gives customers an instant sense of ease, of being at home, of having arrived. Densely scribbled in chalk on a large blackboard is the day's menu, always seasonal and relatively local, and utterly irresistible. The bread is impeccably made (olive oil and rosemary focaccia, sourdough, soda bread, for example) and dishes such as braised brill fillet with crab bisque sauce, or roast sea trout fillet with pea sauce and bacon are so perfectly plump and juicy and fresh that they can't be bettered. The desserts are staggeringly colourful and delicious, rounding off one of the most satisfying meals you'll get anywhere in the South East. One of my favourite restaurants in Britain.

Why has this never been reviewed on QYPE before? It's been like it is now for more than a few years - just wonderful if a bit pricey. It looks like one of those pubs you find at the back end of beyond: rather run down with just one or two blokes off the boats or out of the beach chalets propping up the bar. It's actually a popular proper pub with some seriously good food, especially the fish and the bread. And as for the puddings...Wow! The atmosphere is pub - bare-top, scrubbed pine tables and largeish, rather chilly rooms around a central bar. Staff are friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. The food is seriously good restaurant - a class above most of what is available within the county. My only complaint is about being (unsuccessfully) bribed to buy bottled water in return for the restaurant making a donation to charity.

If we are talking just about food then the Sportsman is first class but the dining experience is not about food alone. The wine list is mediocre , we ordered Sancerre but were brought something totally different, when questioned they said there had been no Sancerre for ages. The attention to details is lacking, wine not opened at the table, no menu's ,you have to remember from a board. The decor is poor, light fittings over the bar hanging down. In conclusion Michelin stars are awarded for what is on the plate alone and I have to agree, it was excellent

The Sportsman Captivating, Compelling, Complete [Non-photo Review] For full review, see: http://wp.me/pwXBH-Oh From two to four, to the red door 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 something special, something not London, but travelling abroad was out of the question. The resounding answer to my (granted, not earth-shattering) predicament came in two words, an article and a noun: The Sportsman. Having read and heard about many tales of exceedingly special meals at what, on the face of it, is a simple pub on the rugged seaside near Canterbury from the food bloggers I regularly follow, I decided to book a meal there in April. It would be a special occasion for the two of us. However, it became even more special when we decided it would be more fun to experience this little journey with some good friends of a similar disposition so we invited @mathildecuisine and @dewilded, who gladly accepted despite the fact that it seemed cause a significant family rift as they had to cancel a long-standing date with their parents. At least they have their priorities straight. I will not regale you with a detailed history of The Sportsman as somehow it has done the unthinkable in a very short period of time: it is well-known to most UK foodies and a surprising number of international ones, a good deal of whom have made the Seasalter sojourn to experience it for themselves. The potted history is that English brothers Stephen and Phil Harris took over The Sportsman, a local pub in Seasalter, in 1999. Since then, they have transformed it, not only in looks (scroll down for a few pictures of the lovely country pub interior) but also in terms of the food and drink being served. This was enough for them to gain a coveted Michelin star for their establishment, which they still hold. Many people I have spoken to think it is the best culinary day out one can have in the UK high praise indeed, and expectations to match. As my wife was not up for the rather long drive to the coast, we decided to all take the train, which worked out brilliantly it also meant I could drink as I pleased and we ended up arriving bang on schedule. The Sportsman occupies a rather interesting stretch of UK coastline some might call it desolate and lonely, others may call it inspiring. I think it's fair to say that you might be disappointed if you came from afar for picturesque sandy beaches, because it ain't a stereotypically beautiful beach. The restaurant is the only large structure in the area, and behind it lies a small garden plot, in which they grow some of their own fruit and vegetables when they are in season (it was fairly empty on our visit), beyond which there are a number of caravans parked in a random mish-mash of colors and sizes. As we had arrived a little early, we decided to refresh ourselves with a walk along the seaside before sitting down for our lunch. We had a great table in the corner of the front dining room, which afforded us a nice view of the whole dining space and also the bar. As you can see, there is a lovely wood-panelled floor, which is original, and the rest of the pub exudes warmth and light (though the especially sunny day we were blessed with probably did help). The tables are very large and well spaced out, and the chairs are comfortable. You can tell that they really care about giving their customers a good overall experience as they could surely pack in many more tables, which would likely sacrifice the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the place that we found to be perfect. Any place serving Pol Roger Brut Réserve by the glass is a good spot in my book, and of course I insisted we all had a glass (well, Mrs. LF had a little sip of mine). As this was a rather special occasion heck, it was @dewilded's birthday we opted for some of the nicer wines on offer: a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a bottle of 2001 Château Palmer. It is worth nothing that the mark-up (or lack thereof) of the Château Palmer. They apparently got an extremely good deal off of their wine merchants (Berry Bros. & Rudd) on this wine and were actually selling below what I believe the normal retail price would be (it cost £79.95 in the restaurant), so our wallets and taste buds were successfully tempted to the Left Bank. Tasting for England (via France, Turkey & America) As I said, I certainly had very high expectations for this meal after all @foodsnob had said it was probably the place to eat in the UK right now, pretty significant praise which is not always a good thing, as you can get easily disappointed. I have to point out that the restaurant had been exceedingly flexible and kind in letting us have the tasting menu (we did ask about this pretty far in advance), even though it was a weekend and they normally only serve it during

Dear Supreme Being - thank you for The Sportsman and the oyster with chorizo and the amazing crackling and the pickled herring on soda bread and the stunning homemade bread (especially the focaccia with the crispy crust) and the baked oysters with sorbet and the salmagundy (especially that nice egg) and the house-cured ham and the turbot with beans and the fried lamb with mint dipping sauce and the salt-marsh fed lamb rump and shoulder with whatever those unspeakably tasty beans were and the elderflower ice lolly in cake milk and the fruit salad in that gorgeously crenulated chocolate cup and the rhubarb sorbet and the junket and the strawberry tart and the brownie. Also thank you for the reasonable markups on the wine list and the friendly wait staff in their quasi-dirtbag outfits. Please encourage the barkeeper to keep on ridiculing people walking in without bookings (make sure to ask for a table near the front door so you can witness this spectacle yourself). If there is a finer restaurant anywhere in the UK please let me know via your transmissions through the ether.