insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 71

FOOD+DRINK

THE empire

room

Walking along Ramsgate’s iconic harbour, enjoying the views and taking in the sea air,
one may be forgiven for not noticing at first the restaurant that is in the basement of
the Royal Harbour Hotel. Tucked away like the proverbial hidden gem, The Empire
Room deserves to be seen and noticed; with just the right mix of modern and vintage
in both its décor and its food, this is British cuisine at its finest. BY LISAMARIE LAMB
Opening the door to The Empire Room is like
stepping into a comfortable, cosy room in the
most fashionable of houses. To the left is an
honesty bar, and to the right is the wonderful
dining room, complete with polished floorboards,
a roaring fire, and walls painted a dee p red colour.
If there is such a colour as ‘Empire Red’, then
surely this must be it. Mismatched, yet elegant
tables and chairs to seat 30 fill the room, as well
as shelves of fascinating books dating from the
early 19th century (it’s quite a collection). Adorning
the walls are covers of British Empire Magazine.
Nothing looks out of place.
Head chef, Wendy Smith, has just returned from
a week’s work placement at The Ritz under the
tutelage of John Williams and his sous chef, Dan
Birn. Here, she helped to prepare a tasting menu
for the Queen, Anna Wintour, and Victoria
Beckham. She is already implementing ideas
learned there into her ever-evolving menu, and
is especially keen to create classic dishes that
have a modern twist to them. What's more, it
seems she has succeeded in her mission – every
item on the menu is familiar and comforting, yet
a sense of newness makes each dish irresistible.
Take the starters, for example. I chose the wild
mushroom soup with truffle oil and egg, and my
dining partner had the black pudding and pork

Scotch egg with Brussels slaw. Neither of us had
ever enjoyed soup and a scotch egg quite so
much as at The Empire Room, and all because
it was cooked perfectly, and was just that little
bit different.
Main courses were just as good in both taste
and looks. My dining partner went for the glazed
Brogdale pork belly with pomme Anna, carrots,
braised chicory, and crackling, and I had the
lambs' liver and bacon with cabbage, redcurrants
and pomme purée. Delicious. The pork was meltin-the-mouth good, and the cabbage with
redcurrants was sensational; I’d have that again
in an instant.
Dessert maintained the theme of traditional
comfort food with an elegant and unique side to
it, and my rice pudding with mango sorbet and
dark chocolate fit the bill perfectly. My partner’s
vanilla panna cotta with damson and passion
fruit macaroon sandwich was, in his words, the
best way to finish an excellent meal.
Wendy Smith keeps the menu small on purpose;
it means that she can prepare each dish to order,
she has little wastage, and she can source and
use the best local ingredients. She also enjoys
changing the menu whenever she has a new
idea for a dish, or a supplier offers her a change

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of produce. Sometimes the menu can change
from week to week, and it's this creativity that
intrigues and entices the patrons.
The Empire Room provides both à la carte and
set menus (Monday to Thursday) to suit every
taste. Welcoming, comfortable, and with originality
that can be tasted in every bite, this restaurant
will be around for many years to come.

The Empire Room
The Royal Harbour Hotel
10-12 Nelson Crescent
Ramsgate
CT11 9JF
01843 582511
www.theempireroom.co.uk
01843 591514
www.royalharbourhotel.co.uk