insideKENT Magazine Issue 168 - April 2026 | 页面 90

FOOD + DRINK Garden of Tasteland cont...
INNOVATIVE PLATES & BOLD TAKES
THE PIG- at Bridge Place, Bridge, nr Canterbury thepighotel. com / at-bridge-place
Glorious garden-to-table dining at its best, THE PIG- at Bridge Place’ s much-loved restaurant is a proud homage to Kent’ s rich agricultural landscape. While the dishes here are refined and often guided by the philosophy of‘ simple food done well’, it’ s the restaurant’ s celebrated 25-mile menu- and its extraordinary use of kitchen garden produce and ingredients from nearby suppliers- that makes a meal here feel so wonderfully unique and unmistakably Kentish. With plates shaped entirely by Bridge Place’ s gardener and forager’ s top picks, and additional food and drink sourced strictly within a 25-mile radius of the hotel, diners are in for a masterclass in hyper-local feasting.
© Jake Eastham
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford, Sevenoaks shwenshwen. com
A relatively new addition to Kent’ s acclaimed dining hotlist, but already setting the culinary stage alight with its unapologetic flavour-led ambition( which has led to the restaurant being named Michelin Opening of the Year and picking up a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2026) is Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford.
Award-winning chef and author Maria Bradford’ s debut restaurant Shwen Shwen is a colourful love letter to Maria’ s homeland of Sierra Leone, honouring the stories and spices of West Africa through a distinctive Afro-fusion menu that is woven with tradition, respect and long-cherished ingredients. Expect standout dishes such as spatchcock poussin with palm butter, plantain hand pie and tomato, and pineapple with cassava, grains of selim and coconut ice cream.
THE PIG- AT BRIDGE PLACE
The Blue Pelican, Deal, thebluepelican. co. uk
A gloriously swish seafront belle, The Blue Pelican that has swept up locals and critics alike for its classy yet exploratory take on Japanese-inspired dining from head chef Luke Green. Having lived and trained in Tokyo, Luke brings the freshest of knowledge and concepts to Deal’ s coastline with the kind of ingenuity expectant diners pore over; an act made all the more enjoyable by the open kitchen that takes centre stage in the beautifully finished dining room.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the full menu is served offering singing fish and veggie flavours: raw hamachi with fermented turnip tops and green mandarin, Jerusalem artichoke misozuke and chestnut clay-baked donabe, and a pork katsu with castel franco and sesame dressing. Served on a Thursday and Sunday, The Blue Pelican’ s ramen menu is equally famed, boasting a curated broth selection brimming with quality ingredients.
SHWEN SHWEN
© JAndrew Hayes Watkins
SHWEN SHWEN
© JAndrew Hayes Watkins
The Dining Club, Deal, thediningclubdeal. co. uk
Leading the way with a unique concept that invites parties to be seated in individual dining rooms- more like an intimate private supper than a traditional restaurant- The Dining Club are fervent champions of dining with a difference.
Helmed by talented head chef Scott Roberts and frontof-house extraordinaire Suzanne Roberts, the pair deliver impeccable service within exquisitely decorated Georgianstyle rooms suited to every occasion. Their weekly changing menu takes diners on a journey across the globe- from classic British and refined French fare to dishes packed with Spanish soul, Chinese-inspired feasts and even Scott’ s personal interpretation of an internationally renowned chef.
THE BLUE PELICAN
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