The Wellington, Margate, Kent: ‘worth Risking A Werewolf Attack To Get To’ – Restaurant Review | Grace Dent On Restaurants

The Wellington has been drafting crowds to Margate of late, owed to a caller takeover by cook Billy Stock and front-of-house queen Ellie Topham. Stock is formerly of adjacent Sète, which I loved very much, and besides cooked astatine London’s The Marksman and St John, which is simply a pedigree that says: “I for illustration feeding group due food, not fancy, itsy-bitsy suggestions of food.” So pinch that, I group disconnected to nan south-east Riviera connected a time erstwhile nan upwind ranged from hailstones to simply freezing gales.

The Wellington’s asparagus comes pinch a ‘rich, pale, silky and not over-eggy’ condiment gribiche.

Much is said astir Margate being freshly desirable, hep and charming, but connected a freezing time astatine nan tail extremity of winter, this seaside municipality surely tests nan medicine of one’s rose-tinted spectacles. None of nan down-from-London brigade cries, “Let’s move to Margate!” arsenic icy hail plink-plonks disconnected their chemoreceptor while they cower successful nan doorway of nan Turner Contemporary. On days for illustration this, you request a centuries-old pub for illustration nan Wellington conscionable disconnected nan promenade successful nan Old Town, to barren disconnected pinch a stiff negroni and a vessel of French bulb crockery pinch beef short ribs. Or possibly a slab of country-style terrine pinch cornichons and, if you’re driving, 1 of their very bully non-alcoholic shrubs: erstwhile we visited, location was a lovely, crisp but not-too-tart rhubarb 1 connected offer.

As a pub, nan Wellington feels for illustration an aged warhorse that’s seen galore things. Stock and Topham person fixed it a lick of paint, framed French-themed prints and employed a typeface present and location that mightiness suggest: “We are not a Fuller’s pub; please don’t inquire for Nobby’s Nuts”, but there’s still a beautiful emotion of nostalgia, for illustration those aged rambling Borders pubs of my childhood: portion nan Woolpack successful Emmerdale pinch a large dose of nan Slaughtered Lamb from An American Werewolf. The Wellington describes itself arsenic a “reimagined classical pub” – it has Meteor and Guinness connected draught and impermanent IPAs – pinch an “emphasis connected food”. But this is simply a skilful measurement of describing nan measurement truthful galore glorious aged beasts of ex-coaching houses crossed nan UK are now being saved from developers via, well, nan powerfulness of bully bacon-wrapped scotch eggs, duck sausage rolls and coagulated Sunday roasts.

The Wellington’s cod and lobster pastry has a condiment ‘you weep astir arsenic scraps of it caput disconnected to nan dishwasher’.

The ever-changing paper is simply a paean to things that make maine happy: cep pick vol-au-vents, plump salted basking caller rolls pinch bully butter, chunks of brill pinch glossy peppercorn sauce, plates of chunky chips pinch hollandaise condiment for dipping. Incidentally, nan Sunday offering feels to maine for illustration an juncture worthy risking a werewolf onslaught to get to if pigs successful blankets, pear trifle, other Yorkies and after-dinner cognac are your thing.

However, what I really want to salary tribute to is Stock’s attack to pies. They are a point of splendour and ever-present connected nan paper successful different guises: nan chickenhearted and leek served successful a achromatic earthenware cookware pinch a wonderful, buttery puff-pastry lid is simply a definite star. There was a lobster and cod pastry that day, too, pinch a liquor I can’t thief but conifer for; rich | arsenic a thermidor condiment aliases bisque and heavy pinch lobster nutrient and cleanable flaky cod. It was nan type of condiment you weep astir arsenic nan wasted tablespoons of it caput disconnected to nan dishwasher, and you fearfulness you’ll ne'er sensation its for illustration again.

The Wellington’s ‘airy’ cocoa mousse pinch creme fraiche and candied hazelnuts.

We besides ate a sheet of fresh, seasonal asparagus simply steamed, oiled, seasoned and served pinch a rich, pale, silky and not over-eggy condiment gribiche, and a succulent rolled lamb rump pinch small, plump buttered turnips and a broadside of nicely seasoned wilted greens. By this point, though, nan thought of nan sticky toffee pudding pinch clotted pick felt overambitious, truthful we plumped alternatively for a good information of airy, beverage cocoa mousse topped pinch candied hazelnuts. Obviously location is comte connected connection pinch astatine slightest 7 types of sticky, saccharine wines, cognac, calvados, La Vieille Prune, and nan like.

On a freezing acold day, nan Wellington was gloriously toasty and nan work moreover warmer. Topham, Stock and their unit intelligibly emotion being present and are proud of what they’ve achieved truthful far. This is early days for nan pub successful this incarnation, but I deliberation they’re bully for astatine slightest different century.

• The Wellington 1 Duke Street, Margate, Kent, 01843 663803, thewellingtonmargate.co.uk. Open luncheon Fri-Sun noon-2.30pm (4pm Sun), meal Wed-Sat 5.30-8.30pm. About £50 a head à la carte for 3 courses, aliases £35 a caput three-course group paper connected Wednesdays, each positive drinks and service.