Harden's says
Formerly head chef at West House in Biddenden, Ben Crittenden and his wife Sophie opened this diminutive (12 cover), modern European, prix-fixe restaurant in Broadstairs just before Christmas 2016.
Harden's survey result
Summary
Ben & Sophie Crittenden’s tiny 12-seater “is a unique example of how a small, focused team can delight the diner”, with “superb cooking” and “terrific” six-course tasting menus that “never disappoint”. The couple opened the restaurant eight years ago so they could spend more family time with their three children; they closed their nearby tapas bar Dos at Christmas 2022 in the face of escalating costs.
Summary
“Not your usual restaurant but a labour of love” – Ben & Sophie Crittenden opened their minuscule 10-seater venue in a former sandwich shop in 2016, achieving rave reviews for Ben’s seasonal 6-course tasting menus of “truly wonderful food, cooked in a tiny open-plan kitchen”.
Summary
“Ben (Chatterton) is an unassuming genius”, say fans of his and wife Sophie’s minuscule ex-sandwich shop, which revolves around a seasonal six-course tasting menu (£65); “to get such awesome food out of such a small kitchen is truly amazing”.
Summary
“Utterly triumphant” food “which surprises and delights” again inspires only adulation for Ben & Sophie Crittenden’s tiny converted sandwich shop. “It’s a privilege to see a chef working on the pass on his own – a real feat!” – and with “one person front of house and ten covers”, the overall impression given by this “small, stylish and sexy venue”, which only serves a no-choice tasting menu, is “phenomenal”. Now three years old, it was blessed with a star by the Michelin man in October 2019.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Stark Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Tiny restaurant. Great food. Interior won’t be for everyone, but didn’t put me off in the slightest"
"Reached even greater heights! Last visited in its earlier days of December 2018. On that occasion the food was superb, Ben had an extraordinary skill in creating the most fascinating dishes. Its inability to cater to fussy picky diners was constrained by Ben’s apparently magical ability to create brilliant food from a micro kitchen. This visit they have now moved to a marginally larger venue. Sophie works the front of house superbly. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that on this visit the food has indeed improved! Not only has refined the presentation but the flavours and textures are even better. It’s not easy to think of new superlatives to describe this experience. Ben creates a fascinating selection of tastes/flavours and textures to excite the palate. Both my dining companion and I were amazed by the amuse bouche and were very clear that each course following was an improvement, if that’s possible until the second dessert matched the best we recently had at 3* Sketch, with its famous multi dessert. I would strongly recommend people come to experience this quite exceptional place. Thank you Ben and Sophie, we loved the experience and everything about it was so memorable."
Prices
Drinks | |
---|---|
Wine per bottle | £0.00 |
Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
Extras | |
---|---|
Bread | £0.00 |
Service | 10.00% |
15 Oscar Road, Broadstairs, CT10 1QJ
Opening hours
Monday | CLOSED |
Tuesday | CLOSED |
Wednesday | 6 pm‑11 pm |
Thursday | 6 pm‑11 pm |
Friday | 6 pm‑11 pm |
Saturday | 6 pm‑11 pm |
Sunday | CLOSED |
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