Kentish cuisine can mean many things, but it is most famous for its coastal restaurants. Folkestone’s Rocksalt has a reputation for serving the best locally sourced produce, but was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
Contemporary British dining
Lovers of authentic seafood
Seeing the Kent coast
Ambience & Décor
The dark, weatherboarded, curvaceous exterior is a modern take on the harbour building and symbolises sustainability. The lovely panoramic rear terrace overlooking the harbour feels like you are dining in the sea at high tide. The design should be nominated for architectural awards. The impressive interior was clean cut and modern. The fully glass panoramic back wall looking out into the English Channel was the striking USP.
Service
The staff seemed to be disjointed and an air of chaos descended on the weekend service. Luckily our table only suffered inattentiveness, but the adjoining were not so lucky.
Food
The ham hock terrine (left) to start was tasteless. The sourdough bread, rock-salted butter and candied beetroot accompanying the terrine was the dish’s saviour, as the combination made the dish bearable. I would not recommend this. The standout starter was the smoked Coley. Creamy texture, fresh flavours and the buttery mash capped it off. Rustic, wholesome and divine. Great seafood dish.
The fish mains did not appeal to me so decided on the Monkhill Farm Pork Chop with Charred Red Pepper Salsa and Black Pudding (below). A buckwheat side salad came too.
The generous portion was refreshing to see, but the presentation could be more refined. Individually each part was cooked well but for me it did not seem to harmonise. The red pepper and buckwheat salad were flat on flavour and as such was superfluous but pork and black pudding was a palatable mix. I finished it all out of courtesy, but it was not a winner.
The Kentish strawberry & white chocolate cheesecake (left) was quite rich. Those with a sweet tooth will love it. Yet, it was very tasty and the strawberry coulis oozes out when dissecting the dessert. With it being visually appealing and tasting on point, it was the best dish of the day.
Rocksalt was an enigma. The design rivals any, but the indifferent service and average food damaged the experience. For £35+ pp I would go back if Rocksalt sharpened up the food. Sort out the food and service and it will be a winner, but based on this time, C+.
Photos of Rocksalt and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: C+
Final comment: Stunning décor but average elsewhere means it is only a pretty face.
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