Silo

When Sinead had first contacted Love Brighton about places to go, people to see and libations to swig, one place kept getting mentioned over and over again.

Silo.  The UK's first zero-waste restaurant.  Now I have eaten at sustainable restaurants, nearly-zero waste restaurants, foraging restaurants and other variants on this theme, but never at somewhere that proclaims to be completely zero waste.  Just pause and try to get your head around that for a moment.  You can't purchase flour - you need to mill it yourself if you want people to eat bread.  Every last scrap of food waste needs to be composted.  Booze needs to be brewed on site. All the building materials need to be recycled.  All produce, every last scrap needs to be locally sourced or come into the UK via sustainable methods.  The sheer scale of this endeavor is, quite frankly, terrifying. 

This is a challenge that founder and head chef, a former BBC young chef of the year, Douglas McMaster has launched himself into with a passion and fervor that is astounding.  You would have to be passionate in order to commit to something as absolute as zero-waste.  Passionate, or absolutely bonkers.  Silo in Brighton is not Douglas' first foray into the world of zero-waste.  A prototype of his vision was launched extremely successfully in Melbourne with the Artist / Designer Joost Bakker. 

Located inside an old industrial Warehouse in the North Laines, Silo's mission is evident from the moment you step through the great doors.  In the waiting area / bakery you can see evidence of the mushrooms being grown onsite ready for cooking and the waiting list by the tills with peoples names being jotted down on the back of old brown envelopes.   The toilets are flushed with used coffee grounds. Really.  Almond milk is made on site for people who can't tolerate lactose.

The waiting system is quite refreshing.  You pop your name, your phone number and the time you arrived on the list and they call you when your table is ready.  Shay and I were happy to wait by the cakes, out of the rain and use the 15 minutes until they could seat us as an opportunity to snap some pictures.

The tables look like they have been recycled from old scaffolding platforms, whilst the chairs and benches are made from compacted recycled plywood.  They don't look particularly comfortable but are in fact surprisingly kind on the backside!

Silo is extremely popular with a constant stream of hungry visitors, so expect to share your table your party can't occupy all the seats at a table.  The main room is open and airy, with the chefs cooking in full view of the diners.

The ingredients that the restaurant uses add another novel dimension to the experience.  Silo believes in a pre-industrial food system, with ingredients having been through an absolutely minimal food processing system.  Food is sourced from local farmers, alcohol is brewed on site in the basement, where the composter is also located. Wild and foraged food features heavily.  The menu is simple, with only 6 dishes to choose from, including a daily Plant, Dairy, Fish, Meat and Wild option to.  This limited choice is deliberate.  In an interview with The Guardian, McMaster said that “Choice is something which is wrong with the food industry. The places with more choice create more waste and have lower standards, that’s an absolute fact."

The menu is presented to you on a tablet or projected onto the wall.  This causes some issues when the projector inexplicably cuts out and a different menu from the day before appears, but for the most part it is a simple, obvious system that reduces paper wastage.

We start with water with herbs in containers made from recycled glass and jam jars.  All drinks are served in jam jars - including the coffee and tea apparently, while the drink stocks are kept in recycled and reusable containers.

Then the bread appears on plates made of recycled plastic- delicious slabs of home milled sour dough using a speciality mix of ancient grains. It is packed full of flavour and has a light, nutty taste to it.

I order a drink made from fresh ginger and lemon; it is hot and cooling at the same time and quenches the thirst I have from my hangover which is starting to gather momentum by now.  Shay orders one of the home brewed ales which she said was nice but with a very unique taste.

Now came the big test. The main dishes.  I must confess, I was worried that the lure of Silo so far had been built on a gimmick and there would not be the substance needed in the food to back up the claims.

I needn't have worried myself.  I ordered the catchbox fish dish, which on this day happened to be some unfortunate cod that had swum into the nets, with greens and a light butter dressing.  It was divine, and I do not say this lightly.  It was served with seaweed mash, steamed leeks and capers.  I actually had to ask what one of the ingredients was as I had never heard of it before.  Turns out it is a cousin to broccoli (which I detest, but in this dish was wolfed down).  The flavour combinations were subtle and delicate, and, (to quote a phrase I am not particular fond of as it is ridiculously hipster, but in this situation it absolutely applies), the entire dish left you feeling clean afterwards.  Every single element on the plate had a purpose and it just came together in a medley of magnificence.

The food here is masterful, and incredibly reasonable priced.  We had a main and a drink each for about £15 each.  No receipt - no paper wastage.

In addition to the restaurant is the bakery where we pick up cakes for the train ride home later that day.

You can also grab a sandwich to go here if you don't have the time to stop and linger over lunch.  When we were here the place was continuously busy with the lunchtime crowd, including families with very young children who (surprisingly to me) loved the food that they were served, considering the amount of flavours on the menu that I thought would not be particularly child friendly.  To be fair, I have no children and was a picky kid, so I could be extremely out of touch!

Overall?  Silo blew us both away.  It is an incredibly brave venture, and one that, they seem to be getting right.  It only opened in October 2014 and they aren't fully there yet - they are still trying to raise funds to improve areas that aren't quite zero waste yet, such as sourcing ingredients that are difficult to get in the UK and improving the coffee system

My verdict?  If you live in or near Brighton and have this on your doorstep, I am jealous of you.  If you live in or near Melbourne and have this on your doorstep, I am jealous of you.  It is worth making a trip to Brighton for this place alone.

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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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The Granville

A few days ago I got a phone call from my parents completely out of the blue to see if we wanted to book somewhere for a mid-week meal near us as they hadn't seen us in a little while.

There was a major problem with this.

They basically just asked me to make a restaurant decision.  They apparently do not know me at all.   I have a word document on my desktop at work that is filled with lists of restaurants to try and so can flip flop for days before committing to an actual booking.  A lot of them are fish based and in the seaside towns which I discounted immediately as I thought the Oyster Festival was on (it wasn't.  It was on the week after.  I need to learn to check websites before making sweeping declarations and doing myself out of trying that lobster place I've been eying up for ages).

There are three places in Canterbury that my folks have always loved.  Deesons, The Goods Shed and The Granville.  I ummed and ahhed and went backwards and forwards and eventually decided on The Granville as we hadn't been there in a little while. 

Backstory time.

My grandparents lived in America for a long time and picked up quite a few traditions whilst they were over there, including one involving a pre-wedding meal (rehearsal dinner I think it is called) which they treated Steve and I to when we got married (you basically invite the wedding party plus immediate family for a dinner or lunch the day before the wedding).    These rehearsal dinners can involve 5 people or 100 people.  I think ours involved about 20 and was held at The Granville.  It was a lovely opportunity to be able to spend intimate time with friends and family as the next day didn't really afford that luxury due to it being such a whirlwind!

Thank you again Grandad America! (my pet name for him when I was little).

So anyway, back to The Granville. 

The Granville is the sister pub to the Michelin-starred Sportsman in Seasalter.  We had been to the Sportsman many years ago and I have to say, despite the hype and the reviews I wasn't impressed.   Maybe we got it on a bad day and should give it another chance but it wasn't a great meal.

The Granville apparently uses the same local producers as the Sportsman does as well as fresh produce that the chef grows on his allotment but has a completely different atmosphere and I have always found the quality of the food to be much higher.

It is pretty unpretentious from the outside.  It has a gravel carpark that makes that satisfying crunchy noise when you pull up and inside it is pretty rustic. There is a large bar, board games on the sideboard, a dart board and a large garden.  You can sink into squishy sofas whilst you are sipping a pre-dinner drink or just come in for a pint and a chat (choose from local Kentish cask ales and a broad wine menu although surprisingly no local Kentish wines).  The menu is chalked up by the chatty owner on a daily basis and is full of fresh local produce and ingredients depending on what was caught or dug up that day.

Make no mistake, this place is more pub than restaurant but average pub grub this ain't!  There are two menu's - a la carte or set and you do get table service so you don't need to wander up to the bar (although a lot of people hover at the blackboard, make their decisions and then order at the bar anyway; relaxed and informal is the name of the game here).   The menu changes on a daily basis depending on what is fresh and available so you can always be sure of something new.

We arrived, got our drinks, avoided eating the chalk straight out of the pot that was still on the bar (mum absently mindedly dipped her hand in thinking the pretty coloured sticks were bonbons) and then took our drinks outside.

This was one of the only downfalls about the Granville.  It is right next to the busy Nackington Road and the sound of the traffic made conversation outside really quite difficult plus the bugs were particularly active that night.  We cut our losses and made a quick dash back inside where we nabbed a large table by the window.

I happen to love oysters and the Granville always serves beautiful large fresh rock oysters complete with a red wine and shallot vinaigrette, one of my favourite ways to eat them.  Dad, Steve and I ordered 6 to share (mum loves them as well but has eaten so many she has made herself allergic.  Cue Homer Simpson 'D'oh!').  There was also fresh baked bread and pumpkin seeds on the table to snack on before the starters arrived.

Steve and I shared a large plate of anti-pasta to start (which came with more oysters, this time with tabasco).  The olives, oysters and smoked salmon were meaty and full of flavour and the beetroot and carrot salad was light and fresh and the parma ham was excellent.  It was let down by the potato salad which was a little heavy alongside everything else.  I'm not a big fan of potato salad anyway so I'm probably not in the best position to judge!

Mum and dad both ordered the homemade scotch eggs which came out with gooey runny yolks and a thick layer of sausage meet and crisp coating.  They both looked divine.

For our main course mum and I both had the skate wing with salsa verde and new potatoes with a side salad.  This was very light, the fish was beautifully cooked and the salsa verde was well rounded, although not as lemon sharp as I like mine.  I couldn't manage the potatoes as I was so full! 

Dad and Steve both ordered the pork belly, a great slab of pork meat and crispy crackling on a bed of vegetables and mash potato.  This again looked fabulous although I was told it wasn't as good as previous pork belly we have had here.

Do you like dad's attempt to get arty with his food composition?  He grabbed the candle and his wine glass and then demanded I take the picture.

Our waitress bought the dessert chalk board to our table and propped it up on a nearby chair.  It certainly looked like an impressive selection and I was sorely tempted by either the posset, chocolate cake or creme brulee but just could not face the idea of more food! 

I like the rustic charm of The Granville.  In the winter the large fire pit in the centre is lit and it becomes really cosy in the candlelight.  This may sound like a rather trivial detail but I also really appreciate the fact that the tables are large and spread out on the restaurant floor so you don't feel crowded or overlooked by other diners.  We were there on a Wednesday night and I know that it doesn't look like it from the pictures (I feel really funny about taking pictures of a space which has people I don't know dining in it, especially if they are trying to enjoy a night out), the place was pretty full.  This is actually why I don't have many pictures of the interior - I couldn't without pointing the camera at someone trying to eat their dinner!

The Granville has a large amount of artwork up for sale by a local artist (annoyingly I can't remember her name!).  These pictures are mosaics, made of thousands of tiny fragments of shell and glass.  No mortar is used to hold the pieces in place, each is individually painstakingly glued to the board and the whole lot shimmers in the candlelight.

Dad was so taken with it he had a flick through her book to see what else she had available.  Each piece retails for about £1000 so he didn't leave with any after the bill was settled up!

I'm currently in two minds about the Granville.  I love the pub atmosphere, the cosiness and the environment and the food is normally mind blowingly good but this week I was a bit underwhelmed by it all.  Nothing was bad, everything was cooked perfectly, flavours were all there, ingredients were fresh, service was fantastic and friendly, they did everything right and yet I still left feeling a little disappointed and a bit lackluster and I don't know why.  I've never left The Granville feeling like that before so I'm going to chalk it up to one slightly off experience, put it down to maybe me being a bit off rather than the restaurant (it was another really hot day and this does do funny things to your appetite) and give it another shot later this year and see how I get along.

It is still a wonderful pub/restaurant that has served me numerous excellent meals and it deserves the benefit of the doubt!