Review on The Sportsman
To find The Sportsman, you need to trek out of Whitstable, a couple of miles across the bleak mudflats to Seasalter. The pub may look rather weather-beaten from the outside, but the views from the beach and sea wall are impressive – in a blustery, bracing kind of way.
Inside, all is warm, cheerful and cosy, with bare boards, plain wooden tables and a few local landscape photos adding a touch of colour. The place has a genuine pub atmosphere, although everyone is here for the food these days.
Chef Steve Harris is happy to take inspiration from top London restaurants, but the results are very much his own and he has picked up a Michelin star for his efforts. There is plenty of self-reliant enterprise at work here: Steve cures his own hams, churns his own butter and even produces his own sea salt along the way. Local fish gets a good airing on the daily blackboard menu in the shape of rock oysters with slices of hot chorizo, poached smoked haddock with curried carrot sauce, braised brill fillet with mussel tartare and the like.
Meat eaters could focus on satisfying dishes such as coq au vin, crispy duck with smoked chilli salsa and sour cream and braised pork belly stuffed with black pudding and crackling. Those with a sweet tooth are likely to revel in rhubarb sorbet with burnt cream or jasmine tea junket with rosehip syrup and breakfast crunch. Tasting menus (Tue-Fri lunch and dinner) are worth exploring, and the wine list is full of interesting tipples at keen prices.
The Sportsman is also featured in: Michelin Guide, Good Food Guide, Hardens, AA Guide
Rate this RestaurantCuisine
Modern European
Chef
Steve Harris
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 - 2.00pm Tue-Sat (12.30 - 2.45pm Sun)
Dinner: 7.00 - 9.00pm Tue-Sat
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express
