Brought to Margate by three big names of the art world, Fort Road Hotel is as much a creative outlet as it is a place to eat and drink. The trio behind the operation is made up of co-founder of the Frieze fairs, Matthew Slotover, private residential developer Gabriel Chipperfield and artist, Tom Gidley.
The restaurant is found downstairs and seats 35 people. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner there is something for everyone here, ideal if you plan on spending the day by the sea and want to pop in and out for a bite to eat. Head Chef Daisy Cecil has worked with consultant Gioconda Scott to come up with a menu that has been inspired by early 20th century female food writers. The work of Isabella Beeton, Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson has been drawn on in combination with a larder of local ingredients to come up with a menu of timeless classics. Throughout the year the kitchen welcome chef residencies to keep the offering fresh and dynamic.
Depending on the time of year, the main menu might start with chilled cucumber and fennel soup or pork terrine with pickled cherries before moving on to mains of clay baked trout with bay leaves and a lemon and parsley risotto with a dandelion salad. Pudding might be wild blackberry pancakes with geranium ice cream, a nice nod to the team’s interest in foraging much of what makes it to the menu.
Elsewhere, there’s a subterranean mezzanine 60-cover bar that serves a well curated cocktail list. Here you’ll find slings and spritzes as well as martinis, juleps and classic cocktails. The foraging theme is continued here by way of gins infused with things like sea vegetables, slow berries or wild fennel.
Upstairs, the hotel has 14 rooms, perfect for a romantic weekend away or a gathering of friends and family.