REVIEW: THE BUTCHER’S BLOCK, BURHAM, KENT
A pub restaurant that has been mentioned to us on a number of occasions as having the chops. We now know why...
Equidistant between Rochester and Maidstone, the lovely little village of Burham is home to a pub restaurant that has been mentioned to us on a number of occasions as having the chops. We now know why...
Its front bar area is a modern country pub with decent beers on tap (we had the Curious Brew) while the wines, gins and rums are from the best purveyors across the county - you all know the names. It’s cosy and a great stop-off for walkers. Cut through the bar and past the glass cases storing hanging meat and you will arrive at a restaurant that has become renowned for putting out beautiful meat-led dishes.
With Kentish producers and suppliers listed across the menu, provenance is a big selling point.
To start, we opted for the spectacular duck Scotch egg (£11). The crispy crumb gave way to a soft, rich, herby duck and it was sat in a beautifully sharp but still creamy blood-orange emulsion and topped with segments of grilled blood orange. Stunning.
We also took the pan-seared scallops in a dash of bouillabaisse (fish soup) with a slither of salty samphire (£15). The sweet juicy scallops were in contrast to the more bitter and anise-flavoured tarragon and fennel foam and topped with a delicate scallop crisp.
From the main à la carte menu, we went for the winter’s day-warming braised lamb shank (£22) covered in sweet, sticky reduced juices. The meat simply fell off the bone and was paired beautifully with the flavoursome confit garlic mash and root vegetable fricassee.
On the side, though it really wasn’t required, we had the steaming pot of mac & cheese (£7) for a lovely hearty accompaniment. From the grill menu (of course there’s a grill menu), we had to give the steaks a whirl. You cannot come to a venue called The Butcher’s Block and not get the beef in.
The thick, juicy 10z ribeye steak (£30) was cooked perfectly medium-rare (we’ve eaten in plenty of places where it can’t be done) and was melt-in-the-mouth. Served with the ever-popular triple-cooked chips, confit tomato and roasted shallot. Everything we had was perfectly executed. The quality of the meat spoke for itself and the taste-filled sparks of inspiration in each dish were fantastic. Flavour.
