At the moment, I live here in Whitstable, a seaside town in Kent, South East England. I first heard about Whitstable through a friend who forwarded me this New York Times article while I was living in London. Little did I know that just over a year later I would be moving here. Both of these photos were taken just out front of our rented bungalow. Outstanding views like these are the primary reason we didn't pass up the chance to rent this house when the opportunity presented itself. The lower photo shows "The Street", which I have yet to walk out on. It's not looking altogether likely that I will to be honest, what with winter rearing it's butt-numbing head.
The area we live in is called Tankerton, which is amusingly referred to as a "suburb" of Whitstable. Okay, Tankerton does have a small grocery store (with a post office window), banks (tiny little branches of the majors), a few restaurants (including the obligatory Indian take-away), some charity shops, several hair salons, a used bookstore, an off-licence, a wine merchant, a green grocer, a butcher, and a baker (but no candle-stick maker as far as I can tell). All of these are in the same small stretch of Tankerton Road. Shockingly, you have to walk around the block (a few doors up from us) to go to the nearest pub, which is part of the Marine Hotel. It's about a 20 minute walk to comparably metropolitan Whitstable High Street from here, so I'm glad for the amenities. I don't get much use out of the funeral home or dog grooming salon, but I guess I'm glad they're here.
In my humble foodie opinion, the best and by far most fun restaurant here in Tankerton is the one I work for part-time (of course) called JoJo's. It is a harrowing 5 minute walk down from the main bit of Tankerton Road. Nikki makes Patatas Bravas, (crunchy potatoes with a spicy tomato and paprika sauce), that I am officially addicted to, fighting the urge to go over and get some on my off-days. The clincher is the homemade tartar sauce she puts on the top (which has the ingenious addition of capers). This dish opened my eyes to Spanish smoked paprika. If you haven't experienced it already, buy some and sprinkle it on your hummus. To die for.
Lovely to see your words and hear your voice (okay, that bit is in my head... I've always been blessed with a fertile imagination).
ReplyDeleteYour description of JoJo's and Whitstable in general has me salivating, triggering an almost primal urge for good ol' fish and chips or some of that new-fangled Patatas Bravas.
Maybe I'll get a chance to try them out in the not too distant future, as Riza has just got a new job starting on Jan 1st, and decided to celebrate by heading off to Seville for a 4 week Spanish immersion course. Hopefully, assuming she can get her passport stamped appropriately (her pocketbook was stolen recently, along with her green card), we'll be heading into dear old Blighty to celebrate Thanksgiving.
So... I'll let you know in the next couple of days.
Yay! My first comment! VERY exciting. Although, I'm not really sure what you've read, Robert, because you posted your comment on my 10th out of 15 edits! At least I know you'll enjoy what is bound to be an endless commentary of food I've eaten and plan to eat. :) Hope to see you soon.
ReplyDeleteMary!
ReplyDeleteI miss you a TON! I would love to visit Whitstable. All the pictures are so beautiful and it sounds so welcoming. Maybe someday!
I'm going to be in Spain for a week in April, so I'll have to try some of that food. :) Another thing to look forward to!
LOVE YOU!!!!
oh p.s. This is Kaylea. We had to use a blog in Spanish for class, and my spanish name is Elsa, so it automatically showed up as that...yeeeeah. :)
ReplyDeleteOk....second attempt! Didn't know I had to register and would lose my message in the process.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Whitstable...is the pronounced white or whit?
I remember the New York Times piece because the pastel colored beach huts caught my eye.
Little did I know that my sis would be living there in little over a year.
Sounds great! Would love to visit ...even if just for the "patatas" (though oysters and a pint sounds pretty good to me right now...oh wait, its 9 AM.)
Be well by the beach. Don't get caught in The Street
J be J be Jon bla bla bla bla blog
josh and i fell in love with patats breves when we were in spain.
ReplyDeletepotatoes are just good.
i meant patatas bravas, i cannot touch type, my fingers are not to be trusted....
ReplyDeletei think patats breves might be potatoes and steamed half and half with a shot of espresso....BLECH
foodie? ...foodie .. food.. ie ...foodie
ReplyDeleteMiss you lots, and love the pictures. Would love to visit. Hope you will be home to visit some time soon. Will check the blogs often.
ReplyDeleteT