Snippets of conversation flowed : “ The reviews so far have been amazing ”... “ We have had so many fine dining connoisseurs travel here already ”... “ Lunch was priced too high , so we ’ ve amended our menu now to £ 29.50 … The dishes are exactly the same as our a la carte menu too , so it ’ s a great option !”... “ We also have some great collaboration nights coming up too , as well as Christmas menus and Sunday lunch which is proving very popular ”... As we sipped our way through a classic espresso Martini , daiquiri and a special honorary Queen ’ s cocktail featuring Dubonnet and gin , rumoured to have been the late monarch ’ s tipple of choice .
Aperitifs devoured , it was time to take our seats back in the dining room , with a quick pitstop to view chef ’ s table , a private dining space that not only offers its own decadent eight-10-course tasting menu , but also uninterrupted views of the pass and time with Sargeant himself .
Alongside a daily changing á la carte menu ( factchecked after I queried how often the seasonal menu changes - “ Oh it ’ s printed daily ; Mark and the kitchen team make changes every day , all depending on what market produce was available and which ingredients were chosen ”) is the recommended ‘ menu prestige ’ tasting menu which again is made with the best local and seasonal ingredients and is , of course , the best culinary showcase of a chef ’ s cooking flair . Happily , menu adaptations were effortlessly made for our dietary requirements ( notice is required , naturally ). The taster menu is also available with a highly recommended paired wine flight ; chosen from a list which celebrates the highest quality French and European wines with a dash of British and New
World to bring some modernity to its traditional approach , although Luis and his team can also make by the glass or bottle suggestions with ease .
And so to dinner …
With a kitchen team of seven , Sargeant has been gifted the opening start of dreams , enabling him to harness a menu which can showcase culinary flair and does indeed embrace that ‘ 90s /‘ 00s decadence .
Canapés arrived in the form of a truffled ricotta choux , rich , smooth and moreish ; and a taramasalata tartlet which offered the most delicate of pastry shell , before the table devoured the Docker sourdough baguette with salted Netherend butter .
Hors d ' oeuvres proffered a silky velouté of celeriac with Braeburn apple and woodland mushrooms , quaintly served in a china teacup . Next came ‘ Coast ’, a ‘ lasagne ’ of seafood with a rich crustacean sauce topped with a grilled king prawn , replaced for me with juicy rillettes of pork , the crisp shells offset with a zesty sauce tartare .
‘ Farm ’ offered the table its first decision-making point of the evening - would we opt lamb or beef ? Problem solved , we split 50:50 and begrudgingly handed over a taste to our accompanying diners of either the delicately seared lamb rump , soft lamb breast , ‘ rissole ’ and aubergine caviar offset with a sweet and sour pepper sauce in exchange for a meltin-the-mouth morsel of sticky glazed braised beef ‘ Dubarry ’ with a sweet onion confit and sauce verte or vice-versa … Having devoured both with aplomb , I still can ’ t pick a winning dish .
As a pudding aficionado , it was a delight to see not one but two listed on the menu . First up , vanilla fromage blanc with sablé breton , a small square of zesty vanilla cheesecake with macerated strawberry providing the palate cleanse . Followed by dessert proper , the île flottante . In this incarnation , the classic French floating island was instead a towering mountain of delicate soft meringue offset with caramelised banana , classic crème Anglaise and , in a new flavour combination for my dining companions and I , passionfruit coulis .
Our evening in the comfortable elegant restaurant was interspersed with plentiful wine , effortless service and a guest appearance by Sargeant himself , who delivered one of our dishes with his own unique and passionate approach . When asked what is the main thing prospective diners need to know about his new venture he replied , simply : “ I ’ m here .” Further explaining “ I ’ m cooking every day , lunch and dinner , I ’ m proud of the menu and I will be the one cooking it .”
And that is , of course , the point behind his first namesake offering and the reason that many a curious connoisseur will flock .
The Brasserie MS Leaside Court Clifton Gardens Folkestone CT20 2ED the-brasserie-ms . co . uk
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