Below a few tips and tricks if you are planning a trip down to Margate. I for sure will return, it on this overcast Bank Holiday Sunday warm but not quite warm enough for a dip in the sea.
HOW YOU GET THERE
It really couldn’t be easier if you live East (Kings Cross departure station) or West (Victoria departure ) with tickets a pretty decent £29 for a return off peak ticket.
Major tip if you are going on a sunny day (along with the rest of London escaping the city): get to your chosen station at least 20 minutes before your train departs.
Major tip if you are going on a sunny day (along with the rest of London escaping the city): get to your chosen station at least 20 minutes before your train departs.
Your prepaid tickets will have to be collected from one of only a few machines dotted around in the station and I have nearly missed my train / had a near anxiety attack, stuck in the back of a queue of 20 people, trying to collect my ticket.
Be better safe than sorry and not loose precious seaside time!
WHEN YOU GET THERE
PICNIC PROVISIONS
There is a HUGE Morrisons a 5 minute walk from the station which is perfect if you want to stock up on crisps, fizz and all other sorts of picnic food as there are really no smaller supermarkets by the seafront.
VINTAGE SHOPPING IN THE OLD TOWN
Last time I made it to Margate I somehow managed to skip a look around the vintage stores (or maybe they were closed because of Covid - the different stages and exact timings of Corona closures gone by escape me these days).
This time however I stumbled across a wonderful street full of well curated and affordable vintage shops, a short walk from the seafront (you can't really miss them), and managed to pick up a rather fabulous pair of 70s pink statement sunglasses from Madame Popoff's vintage for a tenner that are going to become absolute summer staple!
Make sure to take your time browsing the boutiques, there are lots of treasures to be found.
LUNCH @ DORY'S (BUT GET THERE EARLY)
Dory’s is the no reservations, seafood focused, seafront located, sister restaurant of Michelin recognised Angela’s, which is tucked away a little more towards the old town.
The food menu at Dory’s read like it could be at a culinary hot spot in Copenhagen or East London, but without an ounce of pretentiousness and executed flawlessly.
As there are no bookings and also a no “put your name down kinda waiting list” you either get a table when you get there or you don’t. Or you do as I did and get there just before they open at 12pm. Sure it’s an early lunch but me and around 20 others got seated immediately and got served by the most lovely and attentive team, whether sat outside, overlooking the beach or in the minimal dining room.
The menu is seasonal but regardless reads outstandingly well, I could have easily ordered the entire small plates selection had I not been by myself. Instead I ordered some incredible sourdough with seaweed butter, smoked prawns with an out of this world good aioli and Lastly British asparagus with a wonderful almond sauce.
They recommend 2 small plates per person, so come here and share everything - fresh oysters, cured trout, Burrata, it’ll be amazing I sure about it.
It’s the kind of food cooked with real passion and skill, using exquisitely sourced ingredients you’d be hard to come by for a home-cooked meal and my lunch thar turned out to be one of the best meals out I’ve had in a very long time.
The wine selection is equally clued up, no glass over £6 - skin contacts, local English wines and a few others, a well curated, confident and short list because that is all you will need and want.
I got to say I fell a little bit in love with Dory’s and will be going back (next time with company to try more dishes) and will be there at 11:50am for an early lunch, a dining experience that is SO worth every bit of tactical queuing!
A TRIP TO THE TURNER CONTEMPORARY (IF YOU'VE PLANNED AHEAD)
So this was a second time fail for me.
The food menu at Dory’s read like it could be at a culinary hot spot in Copenhagen or East London, but without an ounce of pretentiousness and executed flawlessly.
As there are no bookings and also a no “put your name down kinda waiting list” you either get a table when you get there or you don’t. Or you do as I did and get there just before they open at 12pm. Sure it’s an early lunch but me and around 20 others got seated immediately and got served by the most lovely and attentive team, whether sat outside, overlooking the beach or in the minimal dining room.
The menu is seasonal but regardless reads outstandingly well, I could have easily ordered the entire small plates selection had I not been by myself. Instead I ordered some incredible sourdough with seaweed butter, smoked prawns with an out of this world good aioli and Lastly British asparagus with a wonderful almond sauce.
They recommend 2 small plates per person, so come here and share everything - fresh oysters, cured trout, Burrata, it’ll be amazing I sure about it.
It’s the kind of food cooked with real passion and skill, using exquisitely sourced ingredients you’d be hard to come by for a home-cooked meal and my lunch thar turned out to be one of the best meals out I’ve had in a very long time.
The wine selection is equally clued up, no glass over £6 - skin contacts, local English wines and a few others, a well curated, confident and short list because that is all you will need and want.
I got to say I fell a little bit in love with Dory’s and will be going back (next time with company to try more dishes) and will be there at 11:50am for an early lunch, a dining experience that is SO worth every bit of tactical queuing!
A TRIP TO THE TURNER CONTEMPORARY (IF YOU'VE PLANNED AHEAD)
So this was a second time fail for me.
Last Margate trip the Turner Contemporary gallery was closed altogether (once again, thanks Covid) and this time I had naively assumed I was just going to be able to queue, as with most things these days, and get in at some point.
Well I was wrong! You have to pre-book your (free) tickets in advance and probably a few weeks in advance during the summer months so bear this in mind when it comes to planning your trip.
Oh well, another reason for me to come back another time!
Well I was wrong! You have to pre-book your (free) tickets in advance and probably a few weeks in advance during the summer months so bear this in mind when it comes to planning your trip.
Oh well, another reason for me to come back another time!
AN AFTERNOON STROLL DOWN THE COAST LINE
After you’ve been to the Turner gallery, or after you failed to get in like me, continue to walk that way by the coast line for some undisturbed beachy scenery.
I didn’t have a route, just kind of heading in one direction for 45 minutes, taking in the fresh sea air and not spending one second looking at my phone, then turning around and walking back to Margate when I felt like it.
I didn’t have a route, just kind of heading in one direction for 45 minutes, taking in the fresh sea air and not spending one second looking at my phone, then turning around and walking back to Margate when I felt like it.
A little escape from it all I can’t recommend enough.
AND LASTLY WINE & LOADED FRIES ON THE BEACH TO END THE DAY
Sometimes you try a dish that you simply cannot forget, a culinary memory you have to recreate and you dream about once in a while.
The local crab and yuzu Mayo loaded fries I had at the Bouy & Oyster on my first visit were just that.
Fusion and fresh seafood done to perfection and even better when eaten out of a cardboard box on the beach.
Of course I had to return there this time and it was lovely to see that the make shift takeaway window had been transformed into the Beach Buoys takeaway, clearly reacting to a demand in the market for above average on the beach fodder even with their actual restaurant was able to open again.
And boy were those fries were as good as I remembered! Washed down with some wonderful English wine (out of very classy paper cup), taking the last bit of seaside magic before jumping onto the train back to London.
This is my first blog post on dining out and leaving London since I think late August 2020 and it feels so great to share experiences with you again that don’t just centre around my kitchen adventures.
Let’s hope the summer brings more of this. Indeed, One thing I have learnt is that a sense of holiday doesn’t have to require a trip abroad, when a train ride away has a magic of its own.
See you soon again my love Margate.
The local crab and yuzu Mayo loaded fries I had at the Bouy & Oyster on my first visit were just that.
Fusion and fresh seafood done to perfection and even better when eaten out of a cardboard box on the beach.
Of course I had to return there this time and it was lovely to see that the make shift takeaway window had been transformed into the Beach Buoys takeaway, clearly reacting to a demand in the market for above average on the beach fodder even with their actual restaurant was able to open again.
And boy were those fries were as good as I remembered! Washed down with some wonderful English wine (out of very classy paper cup), taking the last bit of seaside magic before jumping onto the train back to London.
This is my first blog post on dining out and leaving London since I think late August 2020 and it feels so great to share experiences with you again that don’t just centre around my kitchen adventures.
Let’s hope the summer brings more of this. Indeed, One thing I have learnt is that a sense of holiday doesn’t have to require a trip abroad, when a train ride away has a magic of its own.
See you soon again my love Margate.
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