insideKENT Magazine Issue 95 - February 2020 | Page 85

Hide & Fox // www.hideandfox.co.uk // Saltwood Rocksalt // www.rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk // Folkestone
Hide & Fox is something very special. With a carefully designed and sourced a
la carte menu, a separate lunch menu, and – perhaps for a special, romantic
occasion – a six course tasting menu too. Even the wine list has been created to
be accessible to all, offering everyone the chance to pair their food and drink
perfectly, no matter what they might be tempted to order. There is something about listening to the waves crash onto the beach that makes
any dinner for two instantly more romantic. And thanks to the gorgeous terrace
that Rocksalt is so rightly proud of, you and your loved one can sit in the open
air and enjoy that sound, as well as stunning views. Even if the weather and the
season aren’t conducive to a meal outside, the interior of this restaurant and bar
has lovely low lighting and exquisite décor. With a wide range of cocktails, locally
sourced ingredients (that make dishes such as Rocksalt fish soup, garlic and chilli
grilled Atlantic prawns and Folkestone huss vindaloo with pilaf rice and cucumber
yoghurt) and rooms for an overnight stay, Rocksalt has romance in hand.
Temptation really is what’s on offer at Hide & Fox. The menu showcases chef
Allister’s skills and knowledge of ingredients to the utmost, leaving the diner with
a difficult choice between (for example) sweetbread raviolo, venison with beetroot,
blackberries, smoked pork belly and swiss chard, and sea bass with confit onion
and fennel, gnocchi and a red wine sauce.
The Ivy // www.theivytunbridgewells.com // Tunbridge Wells
Brettingtons // www.brettingtons.com // Rochester
Brettingtons is a very specific type of restaurant, offering mainly a variety of steak
and lobster dishes (although there are other options on offer too). But that’s no
bad thing – steak and lobster are both known to be aphrodisiacs, and an evening
at Brettingtons sampling the food on offer would be a very romantic one indeed;
the restaurant itself is intimate and cosy and extremely comfortable. Dishes
include golden crusted baked lobster, surf and turf burger and Jim Beam and
cola glaze baby back ribs.
A romantic meal doesn’t have to be eaten in the evening. It could be a breakfast,
a lunch, or even an afternoon tea. The point is, what makes it romantic, is the
person who you are eating with and the ambience of the place you are eating
in. Although The Ivy Tunbridge Wells may not be able to offer you the perfect
dining partner, it can offer the perfect dining space, no matter what kind of meal
or time of the day you happen to want to go there.
The Ivy Tunbridge Wells is only a few minutes away from the famous Pantiles,
and it offers sophisticated dining in gorgeous surroundings. If the sound of truffled
wild mushrooms, Iberico pork, roast fillet of salmon, or lobster linguine appeal,
you’ll love eating here.
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