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The Beacon, Tea Garden Lane, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent


Tea Garden Lane, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

01892 524 252

It was a gorgeous sunny April Sunday and the place was filled with large family groups, although I came for lunch for two, with just my friend. The young waiter - who looked like a jobbing actor to me - was very pleasant and smiled and didn't crowd us, and seemed to know what good service was all about. A printed menu of the day took the place of the old blackboard - and included bar favourites such as sandwiches, as well as more substantial mains including Sunday Roast beef. After ordering a £14 bottle of Chardonnay (not great, but at least they provided us with a bucket to keep it cold, without asking) we went straight for the mains. Mine - Sea bass on a bed of mussel chowder - was excellent. The fish was cooked just right and the creamy chowder to dip it in was very tasty. Yum. My friend's dish - smoked chicken salad was really boring looking - and tasting - by comparison. The chunks of smoked chicken were just thrown on some green leaves - it just didn't have any great taste or balance about it, and he looked over at my plate enviously. To end the meal, the sticky toffee pudding with ice cream was indeed sticky and very moreish - I only had a couple of spoons of it as I'm watching my waistline, but my friend had no complaints and licked his lips. The mint tea turned out to be a pot of tea made with a teabag - would have been nice to have some fresh mint tea but it's not a big complaint. The Beacon is great for the views and the atmosphere, but it seems as though the food is still a bit hit or miss. My hope is it is leaning more towards hit most of the time. I glanced at the children's plates sitting at the table next to us - and their fish and chips served on trendy rectangle plates looked incredibly appetising and non-greasy with big chunky home-made looking chips. I think this remains a good place to go with a family but I think the consistency of the dishes needs to be given more attention. I will probably go again sometime, but I will order with care and steer clear of the salads.


www.the-beacon.co.uk