The Corner
House, Minster in Thanet
“Whitstable is now firmly on the ‘foodie’ map but venture a little
further into Kent and visit the new, highly-acclaimed Turner Gallery in Margate.
In fact, make a day of it and be one of the first to find —
and enjoy — a new restaurant (with rooms) that is surely going to put Thanet
on the food map...”
ONCE AGAIN FOODIES seem to have struck it lucky with the latest addition of
The Corner House to the scene in the historic village of Minster, where an extremely
charismatic young man of twenty-eight has returned to his roots to open his
first restaurant with rooms.
Matt Sworder, a twenty-eight-year-old marketing graduate who found the lure
of pots and pans in the kitchen too great a draw to ignore, dropped his successful
career in Marketing to go and train with Gordon Ramsay (La Noisette).
After working for a couple more restaurants Matt decided what he really wanted
to do was run his own show where he could serve modern British cooking in a
relaxed and informal setting with many dishes designed for sharing. The sort
of hostelry where everyone was welcome; and where families could follow the
example of, say, the Spanish and Italians — sitting down together to a
lovely easy Sunday lunch.
The deceptively simple food is, as you would expect from someone of Matt's background,
absolutely delicious — and there really is something for everyone. His
'sharing' dishes are great fun: roast chicken with pigs in blankets, sundried
tomatoes and watercress salad; or a whole shoulder of lamb...
However,
I was bowled over by the Snacks and Starters that we were given to share. Matt's
interpretation of sausage rolls had the lightest pastry encasing the most delicious
herbed savoury mixture and, literally, dissolved in my mouth.
We were also given an extremely well balanced chicken liver parfait topped with
a mulled wine jelly, but the ham hock terrine with mustard mayonnaise was a
real inspiration — I shall be experimenting on my family!
A meal at the Corner House is a lovely relaxed informal affair leaving you with
a feeling of replete conviviality and all without giving your credit card indigestion.
The Lunch Menu is an absolute bargain — two courses for only £10 or three
for just £13. Go there before the crowds hear about it and enjoy some seriously
delicious cooking. — Bonnie Stevens
The Corner House, 42 Station Road, Minster, CT12 4BZ | Telephone: 01843
823000 | email: matt@thecornerhouseminster.co.uk | Web: thecornerhouseminster.co.uk.
Rooms
Make a night of it, too: Free Wi-Fi, an en-suite bathroom and a flat-screen
TV are featured in each room at The Corner House.
