We visited Ramsgate last weekend and were hosted at some lovely restaurants, which I must tell you about! If you saw my earlier feature on the best things to do in Ramsgate with kids, you may remember me mentioning Archive, Homestore & Kitchen. Set in the arches around Ramsgate's Royal Harbour, these former cargo storage buildings retain much of their original architecture which gives them a wonderful industrial chic.
But Archive is no style over substance, and offers a fantastic menu with daily changing specials, soups and cakes. We admired the harbour views over drinks and opted for some of Archive's delicious vegan dishes.
The vegan tart and roasted sweet potato salad with chick peas, and spicy harissa on the side for small people, were both excellent. But the unbeatable spice bowl stew was a hug in a bowl, perfect on a chilly autumn day. We all loved the smokiness of the sweet potato and red pepper stew, the perfectly seasoned rice with beans and the creamy home-made guacamole. Just divine.
Our shall we-shan't we on pudding didn't last long once we had spotted the delicious array of cakes on the counter. Lara chose a wonderfully creamy vegan chocolate tart with raspberries, Tatiana wanted an almond croissant for some reason, and loved it, and Steve, Sophia and I are were torn so shared three other cakes! We had a fantastically light three layer blackberry sponge, a seasonal plum and almond cake, and a deliciously decadent peanut butter and chocolate brownie. Oh my!
The food at Archive is truly outstanding, if you are anywhere near Ramsgate, you must go. We will be back!
Archive Homestore & Kitchen, 17 Military Road, Ramsgate www.archivehomestore.co.uk
Set out on the harbour arm, the Royal Harbour Brasserie occupies a wonderful position with views back to the town on one side, and out to sea on the other. It also has a lovely terrace outside which we have earmarked for a future daytime visit. On our recent evening visit, we were lucky to have wonderful views of fireworks from various locations across the vista.
We loved the slight 'shabby chic' vibe of the Brasserie and its wide and varied menu offered plenty of options, although not too many that were vegan or vegetarian alas. However, whether it was the location, the atmosphere or the food, this was Steve's favourite meal of the weekend; high praise indeed from a chef!
We loved the jars of home-made pickles on the way in, very Russian so right up my street! My vegan curry was delicious, served with naan bread and a delicious mango chutney. Steve opted for the avocado, halloumi and Portobello mushroom veggie burger which was served with a wonderful array of those home-made pickles, beans, kimchi and fries.
The girls had a bit of a pick and mix of side dishes and enjoyed all, but were most pleased with the yummy home-made ice creams.
Royal Harbour Brasserie, East Pier, Ramsgate Sea Front www.royalharbourbrasserie.co.uk
With its bookish, colonial atmosphere and classic furniture, The Empire Room is the perfect setting for a delicious Sunday lunch. We were offered a well-chosen vegetarian menu with an emphasis on local produce, the hallmark of chef Craig Mather. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the gentleman's club atmosphere and excellent service is not reflected in the prices, which offered exceptional value for money.
The girls were well catered to, with the option to have a smaller portion of anything on the menu or pasta with tomato sauce, which delighted Sophia!
Steve had a kind of veggie roast dinner with enormous Yorkshire pudding (quickly snaffled by Lara!), roast potatoes and other vegetables, and a leek, spinach and aged cheddar parcel. It was all delicious. I had a roasted cauliflower and spiced potato dish with onion bhaji and delicious smoky tomato sauce, but alas I had taken so many photos of the town and harbour that my silly camera battery died.
I so wish I could have shown you the to-die-for desserts, which included a sticky toffee pudding; another chocolate tart for Lara, this time with honeycomb ice cream; roasted plums with frozen nougat ice cream' and a warm pear and almond tart with amaretto ice cream, which were all divine.
The Empire Room, Royal Harbour Hotel, 10-12 Nelson Crescent, Ramsgate www.theempireroom.co.uk
And finally, for perfect fish and chips (or chips and chips in our case!) plus all the extras, you must visit Peter's Fish Factory at 96 Harbour Parade. Nothing beats chips on the beach!
Enjoy Ramsgate!
But Archive is no style over substance, and offers a fantastic menu with daily changing specials, soups and cakes. We admired the harbour views over drinks and opted for some of Archive's delicious vegan dishes.
The vegan tart and roasted sweet potato salad with chick peas, and spicy harissa on the side for small people, were both excellent. But the unbeatable spice bowl stew was a hug in a bowl, perfect on a chilly autumn day. We all loved the smokiness of the sweet potato and red pepper stew, the perfectly seasoned rice with beans and the creamy home-made guacamole. Just divine.
Our shall we-shan't we on pudding didn't last long once we had spotted the delicious array of cakes on the counter. Lara chose a wonderfully creamy vegan chocolate tart with raspberries, Tatiana wanted an almond croissant for some reason, and loved it, and Steve, Sophia and I are were torn so shared three other cakes! We had a fantastically light three layer blackberry sponge, a seasonal plum and almond cake, and a deliciously decadent peanut butter and chocolate brownie. Oh my!
The food at Archive is truly outstanding, if you are anywhere near Ramsgate, you must go. We will be back!
Archive Homestore & Kitchen, 17 Military Road, Ramsgate www.archivehomestore.co.uk
Set out on the harbour arm, the Royal Harbour Brasserie occupies a wonderful position with views back to the town on one side, and out to sea on the other. It also has a lovely terrace outside which we have earmarked for a future daytime visit. On our recent evening visit, we were lucky to have wonderful views of fireworks from various locations across the vista.
We loved the slight 'shabby chic' vibe of the Brasserie and its wide and varied menu offered plenty of options, although not too many that were vegan or vegetarian alas. However, whether it was the location, the atmosphere or the food, this was Steve's favourite meal of the weekend; high praise indeed from a chef!
We loved the jars of home-made pickles on the way in, very Russian so right up my street! My vegan curry was delicious, served with naan bread and a delicious mango chutney. Steve opted for the avocado, halloumi and Portobello mushroom veggie burger which was served with a wonderful array of those home-made pickles, beans, kimchi and fries.
The girls had a bit of a pick and mix of side dishes and enjoyed all, but were most pleased with the yummy home-made ice creams.
Royal Harbour Brasserie, East Pier, Ramsgate Sea Front www.royalharbourbrasserie.co.uk
With its bookish, colonial atmosphere and classic furniture, The Empire Room is the perfect setting for a delicious Sunday lunch. We were offered a well-chosen vegetarian menu with an emphasis on local produce, the hallmark of chef Craig Mather. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the gentleman's club atmosphere and excellent service is not reflected in the prices, which offered exceptional value for money.
The girls were well catered to, with the option to have a smaller portion of anything on the menu or pasta with tomato sauce, which delighted Sophia!
Steve had a kind of veggie roast dinner with enormous Yorkshire pudding (quickly snaffled by Lara!), roast potatoes and other vegetables, and a leek, spinach and aged cheddar parcel. It was all delicious. I had a roasted cauliflower and spiced potato dish with onion bhaji and delicious smoky tomato sauce, but alas I had taken so many photos of the town and harbour that my silly camera battery died.
I so wish I could have shown you the to-die-for desserts, which included a sticky toffee pudding; another chocolate tart for Lara, this time with honeycomb ice cream; roasted plums with frozen nougat ice cream' and a warm pear and almond tart with amaretto ice cream, which were all divine.
The Empire Room, Royal Harbour Hotel, 10-12 Nelson Crescent, Ramsgate www.theempireroom.co.uk
And finally, for perfect fish and chips (or chips and chips in our case!) plus all the extras, you must visit Peter's Fish Factory at 96 Harbour Parade. Nothing beats chips on the beach!
Enjoy Ramsgate!