Review: Should I visit Finbar's of West Bay?
It was one of those ‘Wish I’d’ dishes… as in “Wish I’d ordered six more”
You can’t have gone to West Bay in Westgate and not seen Finbar’s. From its position overlooking the sand and the sea, its terrace has got to be one of the most enviable in Kent.
Finbar’s reputation precedes it, with the guest chef nights (recently bringing down high-profile chef and Kent local James Cochran) showing the sort of circles it can mix in. Chef Dwayne Richmond has worked for the likes of Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Michael Caines, while Finbar’s received two-AA-Rosette status in May this year, and from the quality meal we enjoyed there we can absolutely see why.
While there is a great airy space indoors (I mean, this is still the UK), the outdoor terrace is a stunning bonus to any meal - especially when the sun has got its hat on.
To kick things off, the pork nduja Scotch egg (£9) was incredible. The outer crumb in harissa oil and spicy meat were packed with flavour and heat alongside the dippy egg centre - all sat in the cooling smoked yoghurt. It was one of those ‘Wish I’d’ dishes… as in “Wish I’d ordered six more”. It was that good.
We also went for one of Finbar’s signature tapas dishes, the garlic king prawns in zinging gochujang ketchup (£11).
The spectacular-looking crispy, battered salt-and-pepper enoki mushrooms (£9) were also a joy. Great for dipping in the saffron aioli - and just really different.
Our final dish was the grilled cauliflower steak in onion bhaji crumb (£19), served with crispy new potatoes and tenderstem broccoli in a moreish tikka curry sauce.
It was a genuinely fantastic meal of great flavours, in a great location, worth every penny. Vibrance and views.
