The Dove - Dargate

Call it a pub or a restaurant in fact it is simply The Dove and it's a splendidly rustic, ivy-clad Kentish hostelry just off the A229 at Dargate, a pretty village between Faversham and Whitstable. Inside, it looks like an honest local watering hole, with a maze of little rooms, bare-boarded floors, panelling and scrubbed tables; there are Shepherd Neame ales on tap and a blackboard menu of hearty, French-inspired food that hits the button.

Phillip MacGregor is chef/proprietor (he trained here as a budding chef during the 1990s). 'I have not tasted such good food in a long time and the atmosphere was friendly and inviting', raved one Mobile Food Guide user. In fine weather, there's also a wonderful garden with glorious views.

The kitchen delivers easy light bites along the lines of roast pork and Bramley apple baguettes, croque madame and even Welsh rarebit together with more ambitious offerings such as seared scallops with black pudding and parsnip purée, confit of lamb with anchovy crushed potatoes, and fillet of sea bass with grilled potatoes, slow-roast tomatoes and fennel ceviche.