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