The Three Mariners – Oare, Kent

It’s good to get out and about, a change of scene every now and again always helps to recharge the batteries. We’d travelled down to Kent at the weekend to visit the Lady’s folks and they very kindly took us out for dinner.

The Three Mariners is a quaint old pub, very charming with its wooden beams and neutral décor. The walls adorned with modern art and the open fire that all help towards painting that old world meets city bistro picture quite well.

Interestingly as well it opens as a post office on Mondays, Oare is well out of the way and like the rest of the countryside has lost those little services we get used to living in cities.

Now I can only really talk about what I’d chosen as we were chatting and the wine was flowing and I was enjoying myself rather than taking everything in the way I perhaps should have.

The menu is sourced locally where possible changing with the seasons and updated daily on the specials board as well. At the moment British Asparagus is in season and was proudly featured on the specials board, made all the more special by being sourced just down the road from the pub.

I didn’t choose it but I made sure that I stole a little while I had the chance. It was char-grilled fiercely so it was beautifully blackened in places and served with dry cured ham and the freshest baby mozzarellas I’ve tried in a long time.

I’d chosen the Potted Duck, a deep dish of the creamiest duck meat; confited then shredded and allowed to cool served with toasted brioche. It was perfect, I could honestly have eaten a lot more but as a starter it was a good size to get me going.

Mains wise the menu is centered round the spoils of the sea. Being a stones throw from the coast it’d be foolish to not take advantage of this and the menu has a good selection. I’d chosen Wild Sea Bass with Pepper Puree and New Potatoes.

The fish simply cooked the skin crisp and the flesh just set, working well with the sweet pepper puree. All the mains were healthy portions and presented well. For desert I went for the now traditional Crème Brulée, it’s my little barometer of taste if you like.

It was a hefty portion served in a mini Le Creuset dish. Though pretty it was actually a bit too much and certainly not the best Brulée I’ve had in the past twelve months but good all the same.

I’d definitely recommend the trip out to try the Three Mariners, the service was friendly and attentive and at £150 for four with a bottle of Prosseco and a bottle of Gavi di Gavi, I’d say it was pretty reasonable.