TV Chef to serve tasting menu at Canterbury pop up
Kent-based TV Chef Dev Biswal is to create a “pop up” restaurant and serve a gourmet tasting menu at the Kent & Canterbury Club at three special events in October.
Although a private members’ club, the Kent & Canterbury will open its doors to the public for two special dinners.
Dev and his team from his award winning Ambrette restaurants in Margate and Rye will run three events – an exclusive members only lunch on Sunday 13th October, plus two dinners on the following Wednesday and Thursday, 16th and 17th October, both of which will be open to the public.
The eight-course menu will cost £30 a head. Dishes include Ambrette classics such as Dosai with gently spiced potatoes; Soft shell crab with locally grown sea purslane salad; Breast of wood pigeon with marjoram; Breast of Kentish pheasant with spiced chickpea; Kentish venison loin with locally grown Kentish kohlrabi and a Trio of desserts.
Club social committee members Robin Mitchell and John Storrs have become of firm enthusiast of The Ambrette’s unique take of modern Indian cooking, which has been widely acclaimed by the country’s leading national restaurant critics and in all the major restaurant guides.
“The social committee is always looking for new ideas to entertain the members and on hearing that Dev was looking seriously to open in Canterbury, we invited him to visit the club’s facilities with a view to a pop up to showcase his food,” said Robin, who added, “We find Dev's take on Indian food so different and the food is always delightful – we have had some of the special evenings at The Ambrette”.
Dev agreed that agreed that the club’s setting and facilities are ideal for running a fine dining event. The lunch will provide existing members with a unique opportunity to sample the deftly spiced dishes of locally source produce. The dinners will promote the club to the wider public and encourage new memberships. The meals will also provide an ideal platform to generate awareness among Canterbury residents for a new Ambrette.
Dev is in negotiations over a number of potential sites in Canterbury and expects to announce his latest venture, which will become the third Ambrette.
“We have many regulars at both our existing restaurants that travel from Canterbury on a weekly basis,” said Biswal, adding, “I’ve been looking for a suitable site in the city for nearly two years, but now have a number of options and expect to finalise matters in time for a December opening.
Earlier this year, The Ambrette was named ‘Best Restaurant’ at the coveted Taste of Kent Award because of its “well balanced menu, use of local seasonal ingredients, its lovely ambience and a contemporary marriage of Indian and English food.” Other awards received by The Ambrette in 2013 have been ‘Best Indian Restaurant’ by Morrisons magazine and ‘Best Restaurant in the South East’ by the Cobra Good Curry Guide.
For more information, visit theambrette.co.uk.
