Review: Stark, Broadstairs

Very strange experience. When we got home from a lovely weekend around Broadstairs and Ramsgate (including a brilliant meal at Stark in Broadstairs – more on that in a mo) we decided to just flop out on the sofa and watch a film. So we picked “Juliet, Naked”, a gently funny Nick Hornby adaptation from last year.

And we realised very quickly that the whole film was filmed in Broadstairs and Ramsgate.

Whaaaaaaaaaat?!?

Twilight Zone aside, the far end of Kent has a lot of charm and plenty of stuff to see. It also has the incredibly tiny 10 cover restaurant, Stark. It’s run by Ben and Sophie Crittenden,

though I guess Sophie had to be elsewhere today as front of house was a young lady who didn’t know much about food and wine and wasn’t really engaging. Perfectly good service, though. It’s just a good example of the kind of allowance you have to make when the operation is that small.

Luckily Ben’s cooking is absolutely brilliant. Won’t surprise you to know that it’s a tasting menu with no options on it, nor that it changes regularly. They are very no-nonsense on the website too: “PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO CATER FOR ANY DIETARY REQUIREMENTS, DISLIKES OR ALLERGIES AND WE ARE UNABLE TO OFFER ANY SUBSTITUTIONS.” Perfectly fair, in the circs.

We start with a tartare of cured mackerel with a big amber egg yolk and vivid orange pickled carrot. It’s a delicate sweet pickle with flavours of dill and goes like a dream with the chewy mackerel and gooey yolk.

Poussin with thinly sliced grapes and a warmly spiced korma gravy just gets better and better. There’s a good hum of cardamom coming from the gravy, the poussin breast is juicy, the grapes look pretty and add sweetness.

The fish course is even better. There’s a snow-white piece of cod rolled in nori, served with brown shrimps and (probably?) a brown shrimp bisque. Or at least, it’s served with a decadently creamy/boozy/seafood-y sauce that I loved. Glad I had a bit of bread leftover to polish the plate with!

The main, if possible, is even better still. It’s a near perfect piece of fillet with a pool of sticky and silky gravy as dark as night. Then on the other side is a fine dice of some slow-cooked and perhaps previously smoked or cured beef (had given up expecting details from our waitress and didn’t think to ask) draped with a white sliver of lardo and topped with shaved

truffle. On the side, vivid green stalks of wild asparagus that tasted like fine asparagus with the occasional tang of ransoms.

Puds were not a let down either. Goat curd ice cream with pistachio cake and tiny fresh strawberry slices was a magic combo of textures and flavours and colours. Bright red, green and white in a little slate bowl. Coconut, cherry and chocolate included a cherry parfait, sliced cherries, coconut whipped cream, coconut goo and chocolate mousse. Absolute treat. Nobody could fail to love this pud.

The tasting menu is £60 and the cooking is bright, fresh, flavour-packed and absolutely faultless. Broadstairs is very lucky. You should make a bee-line to Stark.