FOOD + DRINK
© Ashleigh Britten Photography
ELEVATING THE CANTERBURY DINING SCENE WITH SMALL PLATE WONDERS , INGENIOUS PLATTERS AND A NEW TEAM AT THE HELM …
CHAPMAN ' S OF CANTERBURY
LOCATED JUST A STONE ’ S THROW FROM THE WESTGATE TOWERS , MERE MINUTES FROM THE STATION AND TOWN CENTRE OF CANTERBURY , CHAPMAN ’ S HAS BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH QUALITY SEAFOOD FOR OVER THREE DECADES . A REPUTATION AND COMMITMENT SET TO CONTINUE - AND THEN SOME - AS REVERED HEAD CHEF BYRON HAYTER AND PARTNER OLGA TAKE THE HELM AT THIS ST DUNSTAN ’ S STALWART . BY SAMANTHA READY
Heralding a new era for the restaurant , which was originally opened by Chapman ’ s of Sevenoaks – one of the largest independently-owned fish wholesalers in the South East - Hayter will continue to offer the freshest , locally-sourced and superior quality fish each day , but from a revived and inspired menu that is frankly not to be missed …
It had been far too long since my guest and I had had the pleasure of feasting in a Hayter-run dining room , and it is certainly a welcome return to have his kitchen flair back gracing the Kentish food scene . Taking our seats , Haytor himself greeted us on his way back from delivering some mouth watering small plates to a neighbouring table , his enthusiasm for his new menu and new abode was palpable , and we were soon caught up in a whirlwind of wanting to try everything the regularly changing menu had to offer - all whilst devouring freshly baked bread with mackerel pate , potted trout and smoked butter , oh and some moorish crayfish popcorn too .
The menu concept is refreshly simple yet abundantly appetising .
To start , guests can choose from a selection of small plates to share , as well as being lured by daily specials chalked on the wall-hung boards . We opted for the panko squid , beautifully crisp rings with an incredible black garlic and squid ink aioli ; the scallops , delicately seared and sat atop cauliflower puree , with hints of sweet and salt from pomegranate and caviar ; and the sticky chicken wings , deliciously smothered with chilli , coriander , spring onion , sesame , and nigella seeds for powerful flavoursome hit .
For mains , the dining room was a flurry of sighs of ‘ mmm ’ from tables sharing mussels , half and whole lobsters or one of the signature sharing platters - all washed down with a bottle of fizz of course !
Whilst the CB platter of whole lobster , 6 oysters , 2 scallops , 12 prawns , 12 mussels , and a dressed crab for good measure , appealed to my guest ; the sight , aroma and allure of the 35 day aged ribeye on the bone and 1 / 2 lobster platter , served with beef fat chips , truffle cauliflower cheese and a cheeky addition of the special loaded fries won out .
And it was immense !
Beautifully marbled and perfectly seared steak , the delicate , juicy lobster , and every naughty side dish known to woman all on one plate - simply heaven - especially when washed down with a delightful Lebanese rose !
To be fair I probably wouldn ’ t need to eat for a week , however , when there was the offer of a chocolate dessert , I of course carried on , purely for research purposes …
The carefully constructed and beautifully presented dish was delightful . An homage to the garden , with a delicate pastry shell filled with chocolate mousse , perched on top of vanilla ice cream , dotted with slices of orange and slivers of fresh honeycomb , and scattered with pebbles . Not real of course , it transpired they were filled with chocolate - what a final hurrah !
With a full refurbishment programme and exciting menu developments planned for the not too distant future , the tide is turning favourably for this exciting new era at Chapman ’ s , and I for one can ’ t wait to return !
Chapman ' s of Canterbury 89-90 St Dunstan ’ s Street Canterbury CT2 8AD www . chapmansofcanterbury . co . uk
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