Review: The Beacon, Tunbridge Wells

Not everything about our three courses at The Beacon was perfect, or likely to be particularly memorable. But I’m not too bothered because it was an absolute bloody pleasure to sit by the open fire and just soak up the (completely concocted and utterly brilliant) atmosphere of this majestic Victorian pub on the outskirts of good ol’ Tunbridge Wells. Whoever transformed this place must’ve absolutely loved every minute of it, and boy does it show in every little detail. A small pile of old books stacked on a windowsill, decanters on the sideboard, the whole shebang. If Farrow & Ball had a baby with Antiques Roadshow it might look like The Beacon. You cannot help but feel like gentry here. Very comfortable gentry, just in from an afternoon yomping across the bounds on a spirited courser… or whatever it is they used to do.

Really, I can’t think of a more spiffy ambience. And they’ve stunning views over the Weald for summer evenings on the terrace. Wot wot. This isn’t a pub though, it’s most definitely a restaurant with a bar. So how about our dinner?

Well, the flatbread crisps were chewy but the turnip chutney with them was delish. Maureen’s starter was a beef carpacio. T’was very good, with a pungent dollop of truffle-oiled mayonnaise and some fair shavings of parmesan. My salad of poached pear, walnuts, chicory and blue cheese mousse was classic and nice enough, although the blue cheese mousse was criminally un-blue-cheesy. There was a bit of crumbled cheese on the pear but that kinda feels like making an excuse for your mousse.

My main was skrei cod, a very nicely roasted piece of it with buttered brown shrimp on top. The sturdy helping of caper mash accompanying was good, so was the fennel and very well roasted salsify. My heartiest commendation on a fine bit of fish. Maureen’s pork belly was a huge and juicy piece of flesh. They’d made no attempt at crackling, but the skin was chewably porky anyway. Mustard mash with some black pud crumbled on top was good with it, nice bit of cabbage, and a tiny wee roasted apple with a dollop of caramel was a pretty accompaniment… but frankly nowhere near as nice to eat as apple sauce. Still, jolly good show old boy!

I had just enough room for pud: orange and almond cake with marmalade ice cream. There was some serious marmalade overload here: marmalade icecream, sitting on a dollop of marmalade sauce, and then the block of cake glazed thickly with marmalade and sprinkled with delicately crystallised orange peel. I had marvellously fragrant marmalade breath right through to breakfast! Just a pity the cake’s texture was a bit off; very fine and floury, no crumb to it at all. No idea why as I’m not that good of a baker.

Three courses at The Beacon cost us £38 each. Well, this is Tunbridge Wells after all! Nice house cocktail to start and a bearable glass of Rioja from a reasonable selection of wine. On its own the food comes nowhere near £38 for the quality, I’ve no idea how they get a 4 from Hardens. Or maybe I do? It really is such a lovely place to have dinner I suspect the surroundings are enough to elevate the food! I wouldn’t hesitate to take anyone there. You should stop in too.