COLUMN: Trinity to up the game of theatre dining with Clocktower Bistro launch
Artistic Director Sean Turner looks to the foodie future at Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells
Sean Turner - Artistic Director at Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
“I once attended a panel discussion at the National Theatre where Sir David Hare (an excellent playwright and, by all accounts, a bit of a snob) exclaimed gleefully that “there isn’t a single restaurant at a theatre that is worth eating at” … before realising that he was speaking at a building that housed three of the very diners he was condemning. So, it was with that challenge ringing in my brain that I set out to open the Clocktower Bistro at Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells.
“It’s true that a restaurant can’t be a side piece, if you view it as merely an extra stream of income you will invariably produce sub-standard food and shoddy service. A restaurant is at worst a full-time job and at best a passion project that you simply can’t put down. At Trinity we are lucky to have a dedicated team that sees it that way and a real desire to integrate the cooking into the very fabric of what we do here.
“There is something wholly theatrical about eating together - discovering and dissecting the dish, exciting all the senses at once, sharing it with good friends. Our head chef Anne Mansey understands the importance of that, and her food reflects it beautifully. Her entire menu starts with modern takes on classic dishes, all (with the exception of the delicious salmon fillet) have a vegetarian base that proteins can be added to.
“The inspirations are varied; dishes like the charred pepper, olive and halloumi stew and crispy patatas bravas (with poached egg or chorizo) have a distinctly Mediterranean appeal, and the sweet potato Quesadillas are a Latin taste explosion. The Walnut and Cumin Muhammara with shards of crispy flatbread transports you to the east whilst the (frankly delicious) lyonnaise potatoes are definitely, well, Lyonnaise. It’s a carte that feels eclectic and adventurous but also thoughtful and comfy.
“Opening a new restaurant (or a new anything to be honest) without a sustainable approach is sacrilege and we are committed to undertaking all our new projects as responsibly as possible. Our food is meat ‘reductive’ and locally sourced. The environment in which you eat matters; our new furniture looks great but is also all hand-picked over a number of months from local thrift stores giving new life to brilliant solidly built artisanal items.
“Trinity is all about a warm welcome, hope to see you there soon for a quick Buck Rarebit (An inspired twist on the Welsh version with a poached egg on top) or a three-course gourmet lunch – let’s see if we can’t prove Sir David wrong.”
The Clocktower Bistro is open for lunch Monday to Friday.
Trinity Theatre, Church Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1JP
