Lobster at Sunset

When Mum and Dad were first wondering whether or not to build in Kalkan, the first port of call was to come over and conduct a wreckie of all the potential sites.  This could not be completed in one hit, so they needed somewhere to hole up and stay whilst they completed their research.

They chose the Likya Residence Hotel and Spa as their base and were impressed with the quality of the food in the hotel restaurant, so on our final night with them at the end of the first week, they treated Steve and I to a slap-up meal there, high on the cliffs above Kalkan Town, overlooking the harbour.

We wandered down the hill (top tip, don't bother with heels in Kalkan, you will just fall over.  Wear flats) just before sunset to have a look at the view out over the bay before being escorted to our table.

When I say escorted, I don't mean by a human being.  There are packs of stray dogs in Kalkan, all of whom are very friendly, and they each have their own turf.  When you enter one of their patches, they will pick you up and walk with you down the hill until you arrive at the patch of another pack. The dogs will then hand you over to the next pack, making sure you are in safe paws before trotting off back to their business, and the next pack will then escort you further down the hill.  It is a very surreal experience.  Most of the dogs are collared and tagged, and they are all looked after by the local restaurants, bars and hotel owners.  This blonde boy was our restaurant escort.

The view from the hotel was stunning, a panoramic sweeping vista of Kalkan Bay framed by the Taurus mountains.  You could see right down in Kalkan Harbour and when the sun set and the lights came on, the entire hillside lit up like a Christmas tree.  It was a simply stunning location to sit in, enjoy the light breeze off the hillside and enjoy one of the best meals I think I have ever had.

I started with a cocktail, one that was easily one of the most delicious things I have ever drunk and I only wish I had the first blue clue as to how to recreate it.  It was a gin (obviously) fizz and was muddled through with a simple basil sugar syrup and slices of cool, fresh ginger that infused gently as your stirred.  It was sublime.

The Likyan clearly likes its table theatrics, and this was evident from the start when they delivered the traditional bread basket, served with its own table toaster for you to toast your own.  This came with a herb infused butter and was closely followed by an odd combination of a homemade ravioli and hummus.  We didn't order this - it just showed up and Mum and I then spent the next 10 minutes cooing over the crockery.  Those white plates are so impractical, take up a ridiculous amount of space on the table, look nigh on impossible to store and yet I must have them.  Just have a look at the other plates and bowls further down as well, they are things of pure beauty, like the sails of the ships in the harbour below us.

Dad and I then opted for the oysters with chilli for our starter.  Not as good as a Whitstable oyster I must say (they were rather small) but tasty nevertheless.  I am probably slightly spoiled when it comes to oysters though, living where I do.  By the way.  You can't eat the starfish so don't try.

For my main I opted for the lobster.  The waiter came and asked me what size I wanted, and I did originally ask for a small until Mum told me to go larger and she would have some of it.  So I did.  I also ordered a portion of chips, as I am of the firm belief that you can't have lobster without chips.

I realised my error the second my 4 plates arrived, all for me.  This was an obscene amount of food.

I tried, I really, really tried but I could not touch the edges of the chips, or the salad, or the cooked vegetables.  I did eat all the lobster, even after Mum decided that she didn't want any after all, and the lightly pickled crudites were crunchy and delicious, an amazing counterpoint to the lobster and one that I must remember for the future.  This meal was just divine and the others all had similarly wonderful meals, although none were quite as large as mine was.

After gorging myself on shellfish, I went for a walk around the bar and pool to try and alleviate the overstuffed feeling I was experiencing.  The pool and bar are wonderfully camp, and look like something straight out of Cocktail.  It was a really lovely place to sit and digest, before the waiters bought over the dessert menu.   

I couldn't face the thought of anymore food, but Steve had eaten decidedly less than I had and tucked into the mezze platter of sweet things, with a plethora of fresh fruit, ice cream, macarons and baklava as well as Turkish delight and sweet fudge..

As the night deepened the moon rose above the mountains and cast shimmering reflections over the bay.  I tried to capture it with my camera but the photo's really did not do the landscape justice, it was truly beautiful

Mum, Dad, thank you for a wonderful meal and a wonderful holiday.  You really spoilt us.

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Whitstable Oyster Fishery Co.

I made a promise.  I promised to treat Miscriant to a lobster and champagne dinner to apologise for neglecting her so much when I was working on developing the new Canterbury Players website.

I recently made good on that promise.

One Saturday, after Steve had come home from cricket, we were both trying to work out what to do for dinner.  It was hot, really, really hot and neither of us fancied slaving over an oven, hob or BBQ for any length of time.  We both were craving seafood as well and didn't have any in the house.

We made the decision to go out for dinner in Whitstable, as, frankly, if you have a hankering for seafood there is really no other place to go.  My treat.

Our first choice was actually The Lobster Shack but we got there to find a wedding going on, the whole place hired out and no access to the resturant for people not involved in the wedding.  How rude!  I toyed with the idea of following in the footsteps of Wilson and Vaughn but then my Englishness kicked in and I just couldn't handle the idea of crashing someone elses wedding, no matter how good the lobster was!  I'm just going to have to go back another time. 'Tis a hard life, but someone must live it.

Instead we headed back to the main high street to see if we could scrounge a table at one of the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company restaurants, the Royal Naval Oyster Store (better known as the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Co.).  Located opposite The Pearson's Arms, I was highly doubtful about this plan as we hadn't booked, and the chances of a walk in table being available were about as likely as a review of ouzo appearing on this blog (shudder). 

Apparently I need to start drinking ouzo as we were told that they could seat us, but we would have to take one of two tiny tables right in the middle of the restaurant.  These were the kind of tables that made me hope I didn't slip on my lobster crackers and send a claw flying to land gently in some poor man's toupee.  Elbows in!

Settled happily, Steve ordered a Whitstable Bay Blond whilst I was on the sparkling elderflower (aren't I a good date - driving and everything!) which he enjoyed so much he made us stop off at The Offy (I've mentioned this place before) so we could stock up. 

Then it was time to order food.  I scanned the menu.  I blinked and checked it again.

They didn't have lobster.

Well, not exactly.  They had it as a starter but not as a main.  The problem was, I'm greedy and I didn't want a starter size portion of lobster!  A quick word with the waitress and a check with the chef and I had my lobster lined up for my main.  It was pricey (£30), and I didn't want to ruin it, so I passed on the starter and instead tried one of Steve's Oyster Rockefeller which were really good.  They came with spinach, cheese and breadcrumbs and the flavours were warm and comforting. I don't normally like oysters when they have been cooked, preferring to eat them raw with Tabasco and lemon, or shallot vinegar but these were a bit of a revelation.  I could see the cogs turning in Steve's head as he worked out how to recreate the dish at home.  You need big, fat, meaty oysters for it though, which is why the local Whitstable ones are so perfect!  Problem is, no matter how clever you are with a camera, an Oyster Rockefeller ain't an attractive creature so I will spare you that.  Have a look at the menu instead.  Hmmm, if you don't like seafood, then you probably don't want to eat here.

Now, as you may have guessed from my lobster price, The Whitstable Oyster Company isn't exactly a cheap night out.  Starters are on average £10 each and a main will cost you around £20, whilst desserts are also around the £8 mark.  The food is worth it.  It is of a seriously good quality and there is a reason why I would normally recommend booking well in advance!

I got my lobster, with lemon and garlic butter (simple, perfect and just the way I like it) with a side portion of ridiculously good chips.

Steve had beer battered cod (£16.50) with mushy peas, samphire (sea asparagus), tartar sauce and more of those amazing chips.  The batter was light, crispy, flavourful with only the lightest hint of the beer and cod was cooked to perfection, moist and flaky.  We did recreate this at home shortly afterwards with our own beer batter and it was divine.  For one starter, two mains (one of which was a full lobster), a side of chips, a couple of beers and a couple of sparkling elderflower's the full cost was £80.  

The restaurant itself is utterly relaxed - located right on the beach with views of the company's oyster grounds in an 18C brick warehouse style building, it isn't fancy in the slightest.  Giant green shutters lead out onto a deck that is ram packed at peak hours with diners and the used shells are stacked high outside, ready to be recycled into cultch on the seabed, a nursery for baby oysters (spats) to settle on.

Whitstable are very protective over their oysters and they have a right to be.  Natives reared on the ground owned by the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company (a tiny area of six square miles known as the Flats) are the only true Royal Whitstable Native Oyster. Rock Oysters, although not native, have also settled into the area and are regularly harvested and the stocks replenished with brood, ware or half-ware (different maturity levels of stocks).  A huge amount of care goes into preserving the quality of the oysters as they rightly enjoy a reputation world wide as being some of the best out there.

Back inside the restaurant, Steve and I chatted for hours before wandering along the shore line to take in the sunset.  Date nights like this are still so important to us, even after 12 years together and I really treasure them.   

By the time we left the sun was very low in the sky.  We headed to The Offy to pick up the beers, drove back to Canterbury and settled on the sofa for a film.

Perfect evening.

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Pinocchio's

Anyone who has a sensitive tummy when it comes to shellfish and table manners - you may wish to not read any further.   Things are about to get rather grubby.

This is Pinocchio's.  It's one of the best Italian restaurants in town.  You need to book, it is always rammed and the food is brilliant.  It's tucked away from the high street down one of the side alleys (Castle Street to be exact).  I've eaten here a number of times and have stayed so late I have actually had the door locked behind me as I exited. 

As nice as dining out it is, it's a lot of effort and faff to get ready, get out, get parked and get sat at your table.  Some nights it is just far too much hassle and I'd much rather be in the comfort of my own home, slobbing on the sofa in my PJ's with no makeup on watching crap TV (i.e. Made in Chelsea).  If, like me, you just can't be bothered with all that getting ready to go out malarkey but still really want amazing Italian food then I have a little surprise for you.

Pinocchio's delivers.  You can call them up, order your food and they will either deliver it to your door (over £15 I think) or you can go in and collect it.

So far, so ordinary for an Italian with a delivery service.  However this place doesn't just deliver pizza.

It delivers pasta. 

Wait for it.  There's more.

It delivers lobster.  My Achilles heel.

Now it's not on the menu; you need to call them up and ask for it but they never say no (at least we've never had a problem and we order it so frequently they now recognise us when we go in to collect it).

Steve and I discovered this purely by accident when he went to collect our takeaway one evening.  He saw it on the specials board whilst waiting for the food to be bought from the kitchen and asked about it.  The second they said they could do it as a takeaway he ordered a portion to bring home for us to try.  It was an absolute hit.  Now every time we call them up this is what we order.

 You get a huge amount for your money.

However I always feel that, no matter how much food there is on your plate, there is still room for cheesy garlic bread that has been stone-baked in a pizza oven.

The first half of the lobster is easy enough to eat in a fairly ladylike manner.  You can manage with just a fork.

Then it gets messy.  Very, very messy.  You need to get into all the nooks and crannies, crack the legs open and make sure you get into the claw where, in my opinion, the best meat is.  Don't be afraid to go all caveman on the lobster and rip the shell with your teeth to get to hidden bits.  This is not a meal that works well with table manners.  If you don't have crackers then a skewer is very useful to have on hand.  My hands are testimony to how mucky this actually gets.  The mess is worth it though!

Not a seafood fan?  No worries, there are plenty of other options to choose from.  The pizza, risotto and other dishes are also out of this world.  You can tuck into antipasto or gamberoni, pollo Milanese or Neapolitan meatballs.  It's one of the best and broadest Italian takeaway menus I have ever seen.

If you are in Canterbury and fancy an Italian I cannot recommend this place highly enough.  You don't even need to leave your house to enjoy it.