The Sportsman is a gastro-pub in between Faversham and Whitstable. It is fairly low key in terms of the style but it has a fantastic reputation for being one of the finest restaurants in the area with outstanding, locally sourced, produce from ‘The Garden Of England’. A review in The Telegraph went as far as to describe the restaurant as following a “maniac localism” after the chef claimed to be able to see nearly everything he cooks from his own window.
That particular quote was obviously meant in the nicest possible way because the review also describes The Sportsman as ‘the joy of Kent’ said:
“I have not had a better, or better value, meal this year. This is not a place to pass through, it is a place to savour, to have dinner in.”
They have a daily menu written on a chalk board or you can opt for their £65 tasting menu which you need to pre-order. Examples of what to expect on the taster menu include “Braised brill fillet with a smoked herring roe sauce” and “18 month salt cured Seasalter ham”. It tastes incredible and the courses just keep on coming.
In terms of accessibility, the majority of the restaurant is easy to get around. There is step free access into the building and lots of flat space between tables. However, there is no disabled toilet and the toilets that they do have are up a flight of stairs. There is a hand rail alongside the stairs but that might not be good enough for many less able people.
The Sportsman serves perfect food but provides less than perfect disabled facilities. It gets a provisional 1.5 BBS Ticks.
