When Mr M and I agreed to cross
La Manche again for the second time this year I was adamant that we'd stay closer to Dover so we could go explore its famous white cliffs which we had missed out on doing last
time. No, I'm not about to post
more pictures of cliffs - instead, as the title of this post suggests, I'm sharing the fantastic place we miraculously found while aimlessly driving around to try and find exactly what it is that we had found.
The White Cliffs Hotel and The Bay Restaurant sit almost at the top of a very narrow, windy road that cuts right through a gorgeously named suburb of Dover, Saint-Margaret's-at-Cliffe. Its off-street parking and large, clean, weather-boarded facade struck us first as being a suitable place to stop; its invitation to enjoy the large garden out the back had us walking through to take a seat. The inside of the restaurant struck me as being quintessentially British, with its eclectic and colourful cushions, fire place and large arm chairs. The Union Jack bunting hanging from the cross-beams and door frames themed the place beautifully without making the interiors seem too contrived.
The garden, shared with the Hotel and its guests, contained the most amazing teepee I have seen in my life, decked out with fairylights on the inside, several deck-chairs for mid-afternoon snoozing, and a vintage foozeball table that is sure to be popular with fussy teens stuck on a trip to the seaside with the family.
I'd actually recently had fish and chips for
lunch in Paris, but the experience left me less than satisfied so I was very much looking forward to replacing it with a real British 'fish & chips' meal, possibly with also a glass of Pimm's and a huge serving of cheery English hospitality. And we got it all. Including a complementary starter of olives and home-made sun-dried tomato bread due to the "bit of a wait" we had for our food (hardly at all!)
Almost never do I research a place to eat, drink or stay when Mr M is organising a trip, mostly because I'm happy to be "whisked away" and surprised. Additionally, if I'm given just the slightest opportunity to contribute to the planning of a trip I would completely take over, like the total control freak I am, and as Mr M was driving on this trip it's always best to leave it to him. But should I have gone researching for a place to have our first lunch in Dover, The Bay Restaurant is exactly where we would have gone. It was the best meal I've had in a long time, which could not all be attributed to the food; the rest to the lovely ladies at The Bay, the teepee, the bunting, the village Saint-Margaret's-at-Cliffe and the blackberry & elderflower Pimm's, mmmmmm!
The White Cliffs Hotel and The Bay Restaurant
High Street, St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Dover, Kent CT15 6AT, ENGLAND
T: +44 01304 852 229
E: mail@thewhitecliffs.com
Site - please do visit their site - listed in immense detail are all the producers, farmers and nearby Kentish regions that they source their produce and ingredients from. I had no idea about this while in their restaurant but since reading it it has given me a new-found appreciation for the great food we enjoyed.
xx
