A converted 18th Century wool store set at the foot of the old historic Roman wall and on the River Stour in Canterbury, Café du Soleil serves bright, vibrant and rustic Mediterranean food with an Asian twist. Was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
Good quality food for a reasonable price
A change from the London scene
Satisfying your rustic cravings
Ambience & Décor
Due to the unique topology, one crosses the Stour via a wooden foot bridge to enter. Café du Soleil’s premises is still the original wool store and all the period features have been maintained which adds to the charm. Despite being cosy, it makes the restaurant intimate and exclusive rather than cramped. The subdued vibe is akin to fine dining.
Service
Café du Soleil’s staff were generally attentive, friendly and proactive, but did tail off during busier periods. Understandable, given the few service staff tonight.
Food
The culinary influence fuses Provence (France), Italy and the Pacific Rim, with the pizzas cooked in a wood-burning oven. Such fusion ran the risk of being jack of all trades, but master of none.
The French-Asian starter of Crispy Calamari Salad (left) was served with a chilli ginger vinaigrette, rocket and furikake (Japanese seasoning). Calamari was cooked perfectly with a well flavoured and light batter. The heat from the vinaigrette livened up the salad with the furikake giving an extra gear. This dish was a well balanced, flavoursome and light. Calamari fans would love this.
The standout starter was the Salmon and Crab-fried “sushi” served with Fresh salmon, crab, rocket, nori in tempura batter. Wasabi, soy sauce. Not only presented well, it was bursting with a plethora of tasty flavours.
Wood-fired pizzas always taste the best. The Parma Ham & Gorgonzola pizza (right) was topped with Mozzarella, rocket, tomato, olive oil and Parmesan. With so many cheeses, they could clash, but thankfully the scant Gorgonzola was to taste. The ingredients on this pizza tasted fresh and came together well. Whilst it lacked X Factor, it can challenge pizzerias in London. The large portion presented good value for money.
The dessert ordered of White Chocolate Cheesecake and Mango & Passionfruit Parfait was sickly sweet, and the berry compote did not cut it. Perfect for those with a sweet tooth, but too rich for others. The parfait, whilst refreshing, was smothered in even more tart flavours with kiwi coulis and berries, and left a sharp taste. Good for a palate cleanser but is a partisan dessert.
Café du Soleil was a lovely rustic dining experience in a quirky setting, good service and good food, with the starter and pizza being standout. I would happily return and yet another Canterbury eatery gets good marks. Solid A Rating.
Photos of Café du Soleil and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: A
Final comment: Cracking fusion, good service and a quaint setting. Would return again.
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