insideKENT Magazine Issue 95 - February 2020 | Page 70
FOOD+DRINK
DELIVERING RELAXED YET SOPHISTICATED SMALL-PLATE DINING, ARTISAN
PRODUCE, CAREFULLY SELECTED WINES AND SPECIALITY COCKTAILS WITH
JUST THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE, ANNA LOCKYER SETTLES IN AT
BANK HOUSE
BANK HOUSE, FOUND IN THE TRENDY SOUTH EAST LONDON SUBURB CHISLEHURST, IS THE NEW
WINE BAR GIVING FOODIES, SOCIALISERS AND LOCALS EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN MISSING.
OWNED BY STUART GILLIES - EX CEO OF THE GORDON RAMSAY GROUP AND WIFE CECILIA, THIS
‘HOTSPOT’ IS ALL I HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE - AND MORE!
Stuart brings his world of experience to life, not only
in the kitchen and on the wine list but in the character;
with a luxurious feel to the old Victorian building -
which was formerly the high street bank. Welcomed
in by Cecilia’s warming smile, the downstairs has
chic low sofa-style seating for the less formal diners
(or wine-rs!), a beautiful classic bar area and a
generous dining space. Curious to have a look
upstairs, the space completely surprised me. Designed
to perfection, it’s for parties, with a seperate bar and
dining area, as well as a terrace that overlooks the
green. Bank House has really raised the bar and
brought something completely new to the table!
Arriving at the end of Friday brunch, the dishes
being served to the busy morning rush really got our
taste buds ready to dine for lunch, setting expectations
pretty high! My guest and I were seated and chatted
through the menu with Cecilia, you could feel her
passion for everything they had created was so real,
which was so fresh to see in the industry. The dining
experience itself is a share-esque style with options
for everyone. Head chef Bobby Brown, who
previously worked with Stuart for the launch of the
famous Bread Kitchen, has certainly brought his
extensive knowledge and love of food to the menu.
Gillies sources his produce locally, as well as artisan
suppliers from further afield, and at lunch you have
70
the choice of the four-dish lunch menu for an
extremely reasonable £15, or to choose from the
well conceived and seasonally changing á la carte
options. We started with bruschetta, topped with
buffalo mozzarella and a simple, but personal
favourite of mine, padron peppers. And it was
everything we had hoped for and more. Perfectly
salted, the peppers were the best I had tasted.
Next to arrive was the buttermilk chicken in BBQ
sauce, with a side of blue cheese sauce and spring
onions, along with kale Caesar salad, crostini, apple
and veggie parmesan. I think my guest and I will
both agree the salad, surprisingly, was a keen favourite
of ours out of all of our selections. The apple
complimented the caesar sauce flawlessly, I could
have eaten this for days! Stuart recommended us to
try a taste of the crisp, fruity Sicilian 2018 Catarratto
Ciello Blanco and the rich Spanish Tempranillo,
Viña Ilusión, Rioja, from the unique biodynamic
taps, which was too hard to say no - who needed
‘dry January’ anyway. This is a must try, and certainly
the wine of the future in my eyes!
Our meat dishes, with a side of roast potatoes with
chicken salt, were last to arrive - but certainly not
least! Marmite flat iron, served juicily pink with
marrowbone, literally melted in the mouth, whilst
the crispy pork belly, in a rich sauce with hints of
wholegrain mustard, had me not wanting to share.
Brown had clearly cooked these to perfection. The
concept of the dining, was clearly pieced together
with experience, passion and pure talent.
Although probably not needing to, next on to dessert.
For me, it absolutely had to be the salted caramel
slice, with blood orange sorbet. A faultless
combination; flaky pastry, rich chocolate ganache,
lashing of caramel and the sharpness of the blood
orange to cut through the sweetness; leaving us with
nothing but amazing things to say about Bank House.
We totally felt Stuart, Cecilia and the team’s vision,
and with Chapel Down tasting evenings and
bottomless brunches on the horizon, I’m excited to
see what Bank House has next to come!
Bank House
11 High Street
Chislehurst
BR7 5AB
020 8249 0461
[email protected]
www.bankhousechislehurst.com
bankhousebr7