insideKENT Magazine Issue 73 - April 2018 | Page 44

TOWNSPOTLIGHT
Spotlight on BROADSTAIRS cont.
Dickens Festival
Viking Bay
DINING OUT
Wyatt & Jones
This independent, family run restaurant can
be found under the famous York Gate, and its
views down to Viking Bay are beautiful. All
the produce used within the restaurant is
sourced locally and the menu changes with
the seasons to reflect the wonderful produce
available. Even the bread in this restaurant is
baked on the day it is served. Fish is smoked
and meat is butchered by the staff. This is the
ideal place to take the family thanks to its
child-friendly menu – but it is equally as
suitable for a romantic meal for two. The food
includes pigeon breast and leg, liver pate and
a jersey potato salad; gurnard, spiced potatoes,
shallot bahji and cauliflower puree; and English
trifle, poached fruit and brown bread ice
cream.
The Tartar Frigate
The Tartar Frigate is historic for a number of
reasons, one of which is that the building it is
housed in is one of the only 18th-century flint
restaurants left in the whole of Kent. Not only
that, but the Tartar Frigate has the reputation
of being one of the most exceptional seafood
restaurants in the county, and with such
stunning views over Viking Bay it’s no wonder
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that booking a table here is highly
recommended. And it’s not just seafood either
– there is plenty for everyone to enjoy, no
matter what their tastes. The menu includes
avocado and layered crabmeat tower; roast
monkfish curry; and smoked fish pie served
with fresh vegetables.
ANNUAL EVENTS
Broadstairs Dickens Festival // Jun
The Broadstairs Dickens Festival has been
held every year since 1937 (apart from during
World War II) and celebrates everything
Dickens loved about Broadstairs. A variety of
events take place including dramatisations
and reading of some of his best known books.
Broadstairs Folk Week // Aug
For a whole week during August, Broadstairs
comes alive with the sound of folk music as
it was meant to be heard. Music and dancing
are expected (even required if you attend some
fun events) and there are even plays put on
that detail the origins of some of the songs.
Broadstairs Food Festival // Sep-Oct
Broadstairs Food Festival is ideal for those who
love to cook and love to eat – and who doesn’t
like at least one of those things? It’s a free
event, so there is no excuse not to visit to
explore different cuisines and drinks from
around the world.
TOP SPOT
Viking Bay is a gorgeous horseshoe-shaped
bay in Broadstairs where visitors flock
throughout the year. This is where Charles
Dickens liked to spend his holidays and he
wrote Our English Watering Place about this
very stretch of Kentish coast.
DID YOU KNOW?
Dickens wasn’t the only famous writer
who found inspiration in Broadstairs;
John Buchan did too. This is where he
began writing The 39 Steps when he
needed something to take his mind off
the pain of his ulcer. Those famous steps
are apparently based on the steps at North
Foreland, although there are 78 there, but
Buchan had a habit of taking them two
at a time.