FOOD + DRINK
ROCKSALT :
A BEACHSIDE BEACON OF COSMOPOLITAN COOL
A SHINING STAR THAT HAS BEEN AT THE HELM OF KENT ’ S FOODIE FRONTIER SINCE FIRST OPENING IN 2011 , ROCKSALT HAS SINCE CONTINUED TO UPHOLD ITS STATUS AS THE EPITOME OF CHIC BEACHSIDE TRENDINESS MANIFESTING AS A RESTAURANT . BY OLIVIA RICCINI
A perfectly balanced mixture of characteristics complete Rocksalt ’ s slick persona , informing any visitor that Kent has long since entered into a reimagined , sophisticated realm of glorious seaside dining .
A day full of intermittent spring showers has been replaced by an evening of blue skies , now blending into one with the ocean before me lapping calmly at Folkestone ’ s harbour walls . Overhanging these and looking out across the ocean towards the continent is Rocksalt itself . I gaze upon this contemporary wonder - a marvellous mass of steel and glass that promises mesmerising views before I even step inside to see them . Upon doing so , the interior strikes me as equally impressive . Oozing modernity , a generously stocked bar glitters at one end of the restaurant , while a huge curve of panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows frame traditional scenes of bobbing boats in the harbour outside .
Like much of Folkestone , Rocksalt is in stark contrast to the traditions of this seaside town it calls home . The hubbub of surrounding heritage has all the elements tourists so love English seaside counties such as Cornwall for , yet its laid back , unquestionable air of cool confidence echoes the restaurants that sit upon the sun-soaked beaches of Ibiza . However reminiscent of these much-heralded European oceanside destinations , it is these adored attributes that have helped Kent carve out its own persona as a cultured yet cosmopolitan escape by the sea ; an identity that Rocksalt embodies seamlessly .
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