Restaurants: Hide and Fox, Saltwood, Hythe, Kent

Hythe is an underrated town. It’s on the Kent coast, and just east is Folkestone, in walking distance. But while Folkestone has a certain feel, Hythe has its own identity: laid back, upcoming, quite refined. And now it has a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hide and Fox.

Amuse bouche – strong start

We dined there on a Saturday lunch service. The restaurant is actually in the old general store in a small village just up the hill from Hythe, and it’s very stylishly set up. It has an informal feel.

It’s tasting menu only, which makes a lot of sense. Five courses are £58, but there’s a more expensive eight-course option.

It’s hard to fault the cooking here. And the presentation. A beautiful combination of flavour with creativity. I was really impressed with everything. Pictured top is the Brixham crab.

Raviolo

The wine list is good but could be better. It’s pretty much from one supplier – albeit a very good supplier in Hallgarten. There are plenty of choices, and there are also some affordable choices, which is good to see. It’s just that with a kitchen operating at this level – which is absolutely top quality – then it deserves a wine list to match with some braver choices.We drank two excellent, and affordable bottles. The Vidiano from Idaia was £30, and utterly delicious, with some richness but also lovely precision. And then from Echeverria, a no-added-sulfites Cabernet Sauvignon that offered a lot of pleasure for £38.

My verdict: this place is fantastic and I’be be back again in a shot. Bill was £220 including the tip (unlike most high-end London restaurants service isn’t included as an automatic add-on).