March 19, 2017

Dining Out: The Drawing Room, Maidstone

So my friend and I took a little road trip last weekend; nowhere too dramatic – just a quick drive to Canterbury (read all about it in my other post here). We figured we’d spend the night in (somewhat) nearby Maidstone to relax after a very long week. Our first stop after checking into the hotel was this cute little restaurant right on Maidstone high street.

We had found the restaurant online so I really didn’t know what to expect especially given we were dining so late (9.30pm) outside london. I even panicked a little bit on the way there, when google maps didn’t recognise the restaurant name! We spent ages driving up and down the high street trying to find it. Thankfully after a quick call to the restaurant and some squinting we realised it was inside a hotel called The Townhouse.

We walked in and it was sort of empty but gorgeous in its quaint elegance. We were directed to our table in what must have been the original drawing room of the old townhouse. Beautifully set tables and the murmur of a few other couples finishing up their dinner, definitely a good first impression. By this point I was admittedly bordering on “hangry” so we ordered quickly.

For starters, I had the duck and my friend had the twice baked cheese soufflé. My duck was pretty tasty but as much as I hate to admit it the cheese souffle really took the cake! It was absolutely stunning, the flavours and textures were just divine. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t like cheese and refuses to eat any dish that doesn’t have meat in it! (It would have been even more perfect if it had bacon in it lol – but I guess I’m biased 😁)

Mains were equally delicious, although I struggled to pick something I thought I would love. I settled on smoked pork belly in the end and wasn’t disappointed. My friend had the steak which came with truffled Welsh rarebit, fondant potato and artichoke purée in a red wine jus. It was so good he just wouldn’t shut up about it lol! With all this food and a bottle of wine, we simply had no room for dessert so threw in the towel after mains.

The verdict: An absolute find in what I would call the middle of nowhere (being a London girl 😁). If you ever find yourself in Maidstone, I would thoroughly recommend you check this place out.