British

Faversham Rd, Seasalter, Whitstable CT5 4BP

Whitstable, England

============

Overall Rating (out of 10): 6.50

Stand Out Dish: Tied joint: Tomato Consomme and the Turbot (followed by the Duck)

Meal Time: 2.00hrs

Ave Cost Per Head (excl. drinks): £65 pp (five-course tasting menu)

Summary: A disappointing return visit to UK’s No.1 Gastropub; reasonably priced, but not worth the wait time to get a reservation

Would I Go Back? No

============

The Sportsman operates on a three or four-course tasting menu only basis, which their website describes as “comprised of small, seasonal dishes which showcase the local environment”. We opted for the four-course option.  

After a long wait to take our drinks order from a limited, but reasonably priced, wine list, the somewhat unfriendly staff delivered three ‘snacks’ to our table. These were amuse-bouche one-bite pieces presented on a wooden platter. We had a crumbly cheese biscuit topped with a fresh tomato hummus; a firm and well-cured piece of mackerel served with sweet and deliciously pickled vegetables (onion, carrot) which left a fresh taste of the sea in your mouth; and a poached oyster served in the shell ad a creamy beurre blanc sauce topped with caviar. This was salty and tasty. The snacks impressed and raised our expectations for the forthcoming tasting menu. 

As soon as the platters were cleared a basket of homemade bread appeared containing a selection of warm sweet onion focaccia, sourdough, and soda bread served with home-churned unpasteurised butter. This was another well executed dish and, no doubt, a contributing reason to this restaurant’s cult following and 1* status.

For the starter course, we both selected their tomato dish which comprised a tomato consommé served with pesto, fresh tomatoes, and giant breadcrumbs. The consommé came in a small jug so that it was poured over the fresh tomatoes, pesto and goat curd at the table. The consume itself and tasted of home grown summer tomatoes but possibly could have packed an even greater punch; especially once the pesto became mixed in it, where after it got lost to the more dominant flavour of basil and garlic.

A simple and enjoyable dish we both felt that the Apple & Sorel Granita missed the mark but didn’t ruin our overall enjoyment.

For the fish course, VT ordered the braised turbot. This was a beautifully clean and fresh dish; the turbot was cooked perfectly and served in with capers and juicy mussels. Wonderfully executed with well balanced flavours where the fresh ingredients sang and were allowed to the star of the show. JT ordered the slip sole with seaweed butter. The fish was as well cooked and seasoned, but we both found the seaweed butter a little unrefined and overly strong accompaniment for the delicacy of the slip sole. There were a few bones in the slip sole which distracted from the, almost monastic, simplicity of the dish. The turbot was the hands down winner in this course.

For the main course, VT ordered the chicken. The meat was well cooked, but the skin was rather limp and lacked crispiness. The sauce was creamy and carried a strong flavour of truffle and was generous in its proportions to the rest of the dish. The plate was finished off with a potato pancake which was under-seasoned and somewhat flaccid. JT chose to have the duck which was served perfectly pink with a well-cooked crispy skin. The sauce was a salty pistachio whose sweet and creamy texture contrasted well with the black currents on the plate. A side of (ever so slightly over-salted) mashed potato laced with spring onions finished the dish well – we agreed that the duck was a superior dish to the chicken and ultimately was a close contender for our top-dish overall.

After the main course plates were cleared, we received an unexpected extra dish, being a small herb-infused panna cotta served with damson jam to cleanse our palettes before pudding. The flavour of this small dish felt akin to (how I imagine it would be) eating a scented candle – overly fatty and artificially scented. This was a shame as the damson jam on its own was very tasty; full of sharp, fresh summer flavours.

For dessert, VT ordered the raspberry souffle with a raspberry ripple ice-cream. I had high expectations for the souffle as the last time I had eaten at the Sportsman, this course had been so good that it (literally) brought a tear to my eye. The souffle was well risen, delicious and light, as any well-cooked souffle should be. It tasted of raspberry and was not overly eggy or sweet which some souffles can fall victim of. If looking to find fault with the souffle, I would point out the heavy-handed dusting of icing sugar which was so thick that I had to be careful not to inhale it as I brought the spoon-laden souffle to your mouth. The side of raspberry-ripple ice-cream was extremely disappointing; the ripples being so few and far between that it tasted simply of vanilla. JT had the salted-caramel and dark chocolate tart. The pastry case was excellent; crumbly with a firm base, however the filling lacked subtly and just tasted ‘sweet’ – we agreed that the two flavours did no favours for each other and that the pastry chef would have done better to opt for one or the other, rather than both.

Verdict 

Sadly, this restaurant would have been best left as a memory of an outstanding past meal; overall, the cooking coming from chef-patron Stephen Harris is solid and certainly showed moments worthy of its * status, however, there were too many elements which did not work across the menu that made me wonder how long The Sportsman can hold on to its longstanding status as the UK’s No. 1 Gastropub; I certainly feel that we have eaten at other ‘top 10’ gastropubs over the last couple of years that would give it a good run for its money and vye for the top spot (especially the Freemasons at Wiswell).