The INDEX magazine october 2011
INDEX food news Time to think Festive...
Find a local venue for your Christmas party
IF YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE for booking the year’s Christmas outing – whether with colleagues or friends, it really isn’t too early to start thinking about the best place to go. One thing’s for certain, in the current climate you’re likely to be looking for somewhere that can offer you the best possible night at the best possible price – and for a venue that can offer a truly individual experience. If you want to take somewhere over in its entirety for the evening, there are plenty of intimate, atmospheric options in Tunbridge Wells, including High Street favourites, Sopranos (
www.sopranowinebar.co.uk) which can offer deliciously authentic tapas and music in a groovy setting, or Juliets (www.juliets tunbridge
wells.co.uk), which serves fabulous, reasonably-priced food and looks beautiful by candlelight. Another really special, less well-known venue is bijoux Tiffin of Castle Street (01892 533 988), where cook- owner Claudia can rustle up any sort of feast you fancy for a group of up to 14 (her recent Greek night featured mezze, the tenderest of lamb kebabs and moreish baklava – all for just £20 and you can keep prices
Great food at The Black Dog Café
down by bringing your own booze). She does outside catering, too. At the other end of town in Camden Road, Amy and Matt are delightful hosts at the laid-back Black Dog Café (
www.blackdogcafetw.co.uk), with the freshest tapas and a great wine list – on party nights they can cater for up to thirty seated guests, fifty standing. Still at that end of town, if you’re partying in the office and calling in the caterers, Soup-urb (which also has good café) can come up with delicious treats – call Claire on 01892 514074. If you’re after a buzz as opposed to intimacy, Thorins,
www.thorins.co.uk, with its lively atmosphere and hearty menu has long been a local favourite. In Sevenoaks, El Matador (
www.elmatador.co) offers not only prime cuts of Argentinian beef, but pizza, paella and cockails, too – plus the chance to watch (and take
part in) displays of tango and flamenco – something to talk about over the water-cooler. Further afield, the Index’s reviewer really appreciated the food and warm atmosphere at The Bakery Restaurant in Tatsfield – and it’s got a good range of Christmas menu options to choose from, from traditional to modern. It enjoys a lovely setting overlooking the village green, too. In the same neck of the woods, the recently- refurbished Grasshopper Inn near Westerham is a gorgeous Tudor building that oozes charm and can cater for anything from 20 to 500 guests. What’s more, ‘tired’ party-goers can settle into one of the Inn’s elegant rooms for the night, after they’ve enjoyed the excellent food and entertainment – including sets from top comedians. See
www.grasshopperinn.co.uk. A more urban experience is to be had at Smith & Western
New foodies’ paradise for Brenchley
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear about new food offerings beyond our larger local towns, and one such venture has just opened in pretty Brenchley. Coffee, charcuterie and local produce are the order of the day at Olive Stores, the new café and food shop in the village’s High Street.
As well as everyday items such as bread, milk and vegetables, Olive
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sells cheeses, cold meats, oil and vinegar, jams and pickle, plus booze including cider and great wine from local favourite, Biddenden Vineyard. Says owner Sarah Crysell, “We try to keep it local where we can, but we look outside the area as well, so we can offer an interesting mix. I’ll also be looking to stock produce supplied by local smallholders, so anyone interested should get in touch.” The café side of the business
sounds equally enticing: chef Katie Moody – formerly of the Michelin- starred Apicius in Cranbrook – has put together a relaxed lunch menu that includes quiches, charcuterie and – YUM – fish-finger sandwiches, plus coffee and home-made cakes, with plans to open on some Saturday evenings. Sounds as if a visit to Brenchley asap is on the cards... See
www.olive-stores.co.uk, or tel: 01892 725675 for more information.
35
(
www.smith-western.co.uk) back in Tunbridge Wells – ideal for a relaxed, quirky evening and American-style dishes food, all, as its name suggests, with a Western theme (yeeeha: you can even buy sparkly cowboy hats and sheriff badges there, so an office night out there could be a real hoot).
And for different sorts of action, music nights at the Grey Lady (
www.thegreylady.co.uk), comedy at Trinity Theatre (
www.trinitytheatre.net) or The Stag in Sevenoaks (
www.stagsevenoaks.co.uk), even Murder Mystery at beautiful Salomons near Southborough (
www.salomonsconferences.org. uk) would all make for imaginative, affordable options. Just don’t forget to book early!
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