insideKENT Magazine Restaurant Guide 2016 | Page 43

Blean Tavern 4 Blean Hill Blean Canterbury CT2 9EF 01227 504887 bleantavern @hotmail.com After having successfully opened the Oyster Pearl restaurant in Seasalter, which won the Kent Life & Kent on Sunday Food & Drink Best Newcomer award in 2013, Susan Lovett has now bravely taken over the Hare & Hounds pub in Blean. She has lovingly refurbished the premises and is now relaunching the pub under the new name, Blean Tavern. bleantavern.com There is something quite unique in the area about the food they are now offering. She has employed an old friend, Randy Miravalles, who hails from the Philippines, as head chef. They met when they worked together at London’s’ Saint Ermins Hotel. /bleantavern @4bleantavern The restaurant is serving authentic Pan Asian food, and the inspiring menu includes dishes such as chicken yakitori (Japanese), beef bulgogi (Philippines) and chicken katsu curry. There is a lunch menu, Sunday set menu and tempting evening and dessert menus, including platters for sharing. This is great if you want to try various options and avoid food envy! Randy has an interesting and enviable history; he has worked at some of the most impressive restaurants in London, including The Langham and Italian restaurant Princi. He ran the opening of Cocomaya near Downing Street, and was the head chef at Rhubarb Design, an events’ catering company. Here he had clients such as Formula 1, the Baftas and our royal family! And whilst he worked as executive chef at Kimchee, a Korean restaurant, he won the number one recipe at the 2014 Restaurant Festival. He then worked as chef consultant with Banana Tree, creating standards of hygiene and the general running of the kitchen. It was here that he helped with the launch of the artisan Manor Coffee Shop. your definitive guide to dining out in Kent 43