REVIEW: Should I visit Big Shot Diner in Margate, Kent?
“The staff know the customers by name (or at least by artistic trade), and they know the desired overtone - relaxed, informal but really f*cking good”
Is ‘understated chic’ a term?
Well, Big Shot Diner (@bigshotdiner) on Margate’s waterside Marine Drive has an elemental vibe of old school cafe with its functional furniture and paper serviette dispensers but with the deliberate delivery of a contemporary coffee and brunching haven.
The staff know the customers by name (or at least by artistic trade), and they know the desired overtone - relaxed, informal but really f*cking good.
Influenced by the US, the menu is broken into three: Sourdough Toasted Sandwiches, Eggs on Sourdough and Waffles.
‘The Colonel’ toasted sandwich, filled with American mustard, dill pickled gherkin, Monterey and burger cheese is so simple but so bloody effective - you can ‘add a ticket to egg town’ with a fried St Ewes rich-yolk free-range if needed.
The more adventurous out there could opt for the Monterey Bacon, which comes complete with said pork cooked in maple syrup, bourbon and espresso, plus Monterey and smoked Applewood cheese. Noice.
We also had the fluffy and light Breakfast Waffle, topped with mapled, crunchy bacon, two fried eggs and pesto oil, which just set the whole thing off. Cracking.
Now with the downstairs space - which can be hired out for a party, or maybe a book club - the venue is approaching its first anniversary. Local cookies are on the countertop.
The coffee (which is banging) is from nearby We Are Here. Big Shot Merch is hanging from the ceiling. You’ll find a refrigerator stocked with locally-brewed tinnies from Xylo (a few doors down) next to bottles of habanero chilli sauce. Big Shot knows what it’s doing.
