Michelin starred pub just outside of Canterbury in the village of Bridge
The Bridge Arms is a Michelin starred pub and second venture of Daniel and Natasha Smith who opened and lead the Fordwich Arms also, just outside Canterbury. The Bridge Arms opened in 2021 after the success of the Fordwich Arms gaining its Michelin star and being so popular. The menu has some impressive and high-grade ingredients and I loved the a la carte format of the menu. The pub entrance is delightful as one would expect in a Grade II listed building from the 1600s as a former Inn, with the restaurant in a more, modern-looking interior. I was impressed with the cooking on this visit an and it was completely pleasing all round. No question here, Daniel Smith and his team are doing enjoyable menus in general it would seem, wherever they are.
For snacks, I opted for the whipped cods’ roe & linseed crisp breads which was as creamy as one can get and with quite hard crisp breads. Buttermilk fried chicken & tandoori mayonnaise was enjoyable as it always was going to be, however, with a batter that felt a tad under. Breads of focaccia, brioche and sour dough were very pleasant with sumptuous butter served in a neat, little, glass cloche.
My dining companion opted for the ham hock, foie gras & leek terrine & toasted sourdough which was very nicely done and I enjoyed the beautiful Chicken liver parfait, with shallot chutney, red grape, sauternes jelly & brioche. I actually knew this would be good having had Daniel Smith’s liver parfait with doughnuts at the Fordwich Arms and being genuinely the starter I wanted from these options and thankfully it was as smooth and wonderful as it is there.
For the mains we enjoyed the new season white asparagus, morels, wild garlic & housemade ricotta which was superb and the dry aged Iberico pork chop with celeriac, grilled hispi cabbage & maple bacon which was also extremely well done with no issues at all. I was surprised (and delighted) to see A5 Japanese Wagyu on the menu as genuinely from Japan and not the somewhat misleading ‘UK Wagyu’ which is simply not the same thing. I enjoyed hand cut chips and with a side of sauce béarnaise to enjoy dipping those in to as one of my favourite things in the world (well done sauce béarnaise) and thankfully all was ok on those as well as a sheer bonus.
Desserts chosen were caramelised chocolate mousse with peanuts & snickers ice cream which was very enjoyable and a slightly tart lemon meringue pie. Both very skilled and the chocolate dessert being a lovely finish.
I really enjoyed this meal and if you wanted, you could even go for a superbly valued £35 set menu lunch. It is a quality menu and some very nice offerings in a hospitable environment.
Food Grade: 74%
My hobby-turned-passion began to evolve during my assignments to London where I was fortunate enough to be able to explore all the Michelin starred restaurants in my spare time and as a result, I gradually built up a catalogue of all these venues.