Qype User (ricard…)
Yelp
Went here recently again after 21 years since my last visit. There is no doubting the inspired brilliance of this Kentish gem. It's almost self-consciously quirky and bohemian, with its salmon-pink façade and loopy hand-painted sign saying "ALL SEA FOODS". But it's been here for 150 years, which is no mean feat. How can I possibly find words to do justice to this place of genius, this haven of of the hungry, this glorious gift to the fish fanatic? It's a tiny little place on the High Street, with a counter in the front, bursting with crab meat (red and white), cockles, prawns, lobsters and mussels, seating about four squashed people or three with comfort. In the back there are four tables, and Delia will look after you. You can get 10 or 12 people in there. Being unlicensed, the drinks policy is strictly Fentiman's (the entire range) or BYO, and no corkage! So you can pair the fish with the best wine you've got, or you can go over the road to the offie and get yourself a bottle or four. And what to say of the food? The Whitstable natives are huge, plump, luscious, pure hedonism - half a dozen is an obligation. You'll probably wait a while for your starter, but it's worth it. There'll be mackerel, scallops or crab cake, nicely garnished with something light and green, maybe a small deep-fried squid ring or two, and something sharper like beetroot or horseradish to cut through the oil or fattiness. The mains are monkfish, john dory, bass, bream - whatever's going - with spinach, salsify, or potatoes, and other carefully calibrated accompaniments like artichokes or mushrooms. Wheeler's is a little slow, a little eccentric, a little unusual, but it's like nothing else - it makes you feel like you've arrived somewhere, and for an hour or two, or more, that there is nowhere else on earth worth being in. I am certainly not waiting another twenty years to go again.
