Harden's says
Ex-Clove Club chef Dan Smith and sommelier Guy Palmer-Brown have teamed up (with Smith's partner Tash Norton) to re-open this large Kent pub, with a great beer garden, in December 2017. Expect the foodies to descend - it's already been rated very highly in the national press.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“This former public house is nowadays a fine-dining restaurant” under Dan Smith (ex-Clove Club), Tash Norton and Guy Palmer – and the “beautiful” old riverside venture, with “lovely wisteria-covered terrace”, delivers a “stunningly good” experience… “the best gastronomic meal I have had in a long time. It has restored my faith a little in these high-end restaurants being able to deliver the quality they promise”.
Summary
“Not the easiest place to find in what is apparently Britain’s smallest town” – Dan Smith (ex Clove Club), Tash Norton and Guy Palmer’s venture is barely two years old and “has really hit its stride” as one of the UK’s best dining destinations: “high end, but not poncy”. Picturesquely located on the river, “when you enter it feels initially more like a pub with food, but my goodness you are soon disavowed of that!”. “Every dish is beautifully crafted and presented” – “superbly intelligent combinations, prepared with skill and ambition” – and with “flavours that just hit you”. What’s more “staff are so attentive and polite and seem genuinely to care!”
Summary
“Not the easiest place to find in what is apparently Britain’s smallest town” – Dan Smith (ex Clove Club), Tash Norton and Guy Palmer’s venture is barely two years old and “has really hit its stride” as one of the UK’s best dining destinations: “high end, but not poncy”. Picturesquely located on the river, “when you enter it feels initially more like a pub with food, but my goodness you are soon disavowed of that!”. “Every dish is beautifully crafted and presented” – “superbly intelligent combinations, prepared with skill and ambition” – and with “flavours that just hit you”. What’s more “staff are so attentive and polite and seem genuinely to care!”
Summary
“Under new management and trying very hard to be exceptional” – ex-Clove Club chef, Dan Smith, Tash Norton and Guy Palmer’s “idyllically located” December 2018 newcomer won instant fame and inspired an impressive volume of feedback in this year’s survey, all of it very upbeat. “It’s rare to find a pub that has been worked over as a restaurant but keeps a bar for locals with proper draught beers” but this “beautiful building in a perfect setting” does just that. One or two locals have “found fine dining in this local a bit incongruous” but most focus is on the “outstanding food” – “the presentation, originality and moreover the mix of ingredients blending into superlative tastes was a joy!” (“They make their own bread too – a full selection including sourdough, wholemeal, white etc along with homemade crackers”).
For 31 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).
Have you eaten at The Fordwich Arms?
Restaurant details
The Fordwich Arms Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Fantastic food. Have got into their stride. Beautiful old pub on the river. Nice to dine on the lovely wisteria covered terrace by the river on a sunny day. Let down by late delivery of the dessert wines by which time the dessert was almost finished, it would have melted otherwise. Aldo one of the coffee cups had several cracks in it."
"everything is superb except the prices on the wine list; nothing much less than £40-45!!"
"Lovely old pub serving brilliant modern cooking. Enjoyed it even more than the Sportsman!"
"Food still excellent, but, As with sister restaurant Bridge Arms, sauces have become more (too) dominant"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
King Street, Fordwich, CT2 0DB
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑5 pm |
Best British, Modern restaurants nearby
Indian, Southern restaurant in Canterbury
British, Modern restaurant in Ickham
British, Modern restaurant in Bridge
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
British, Modern restaurant in Bridge
