insideKENT Magazine Issue 51 - June 2016 | Page 115

TOWNSPOTLIGHT Bromley cont. Shampan 2 Down House © English Heritage did well, producing the most wonderful of romantic, peaceful places to visit in the town. The gardens have won many awards over the years, and always look stunning whether in full bloom or in the less colourful winter months. Today, the gardens have changed somewhat since Moysey’s initial design – the flower beds are still there and still prevalent, but there is also a skateboard park, children’s adventure playground, tree tail, rockery, lake, amphitheatre and games courts. Down House Former home of Charles Darwin, Down House is a remarkable place to visit. Find out more about the famous scientist, stand in the study where he wrote the groundbreaking On The Origins Of Species and enjoy the gardens that he took such pride in. With a multimedia tour hosted by Sir David Attenborough, science and learning is combined with fun and interactivity. DINING OUT Madisons Madisons is a family-run, friendly restaurant in Bromley that was opened in 1996 and has remained popular ever since. There is a great kids’ menu and a happy, party-like atmosphere for everyone who goes there. Food includes all the favourites such as barbecue ribs, nachos, a 16-ounce T-bone steak, butterfly Cajun chicken and you can even build your own burger from a variety of different meat and vegetable options. Havet Known as ‘the best Turkish restaurant in Kent’, Havet offers a variety of mouth-watering traditional and modern Turkish and Cypriot dishes. With its excellent reputation and enviable location, Havet serves delicious, authentic food made from the best and freshest ingredients. The dishes are meant to evoke childhood memories of eating with family and enjoying food – it’s about sharing and tasting. The menu includes items such as seftali (handmade Turkish sausage filled with ground lamb, finely chopped onion and parsley), lamb adana (minced lamb, peppers and chillies) and lokma (de-boned chine of lamb, from the high end of the rib bone). Shampan 2 Shampan 2 has been nominated as one of the top 10 Indian restaurants in the outer London and suburbs region of the British curry awards not once, not twice, not even three times, but an impressive four times in a row – so you can be sure of a delicious meal when you dine here. At Shampan, flavour takes precedence, and no matter what you order, it’s the taste that counts. Examples include paneer tikka, Mughal lamb chops and shabji biryani. 115 Cow & Pig Cow & Pig isn’t about high prices, nor is it about posh food. This is a restaurant that serves great tasting, well-cooked dishes at prices for everyone’s budget. It’s all locally sourced, and if you love a good steak, this is the place to come. The kitchen maestros here will take the classics and twist them until they become something almost entirely new (although there is always enough left of the original to feel homely and comforting), tantalising your tastebuds with food such as pastrami and pulled pork lasagne; smoked garlic bread and salad; English asparagus, beef ragu, cheese and Hollandaise; and of course, the 500g Chateaubriand. Herbert’s Located just outside of Bromley itself in pretty Keston village, Herbert’s is the kind of place you can go to meet with friends in a convivial atmosphere safe in the knowledge that the food and the service will be second to none. Speaking of the food, everything at Herbert’s is handmade, from the bread to the ice cream, and everything is delicious. Dishes currently found on the menu include chicken supreme with crispy skin, stuffed thigh, hay-baked celeriac and tender stem broccoli; beer battered fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce; and the breakfast bagel (a homemade maple bagel filled with a sausage patty, fried egg, bacon mayo and tomato chutney).