{"id":5055,"date":"2009-10-18T22:17:38","date_gmt":"2009-10-18T21:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/noexpert.co.uk\/?p=5055"},"modified":"2023-07-26T07:34:25","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T06:34:25","slug":"age-sons-eccentric-professional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.noexpert.co.uk\/food\/?p=5055","title":{"rendered":"Age & Sons – Eccentric & Professional (Closed)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We had been planning to do a post on Age & Sons<\/a> for a while. When it opened last year it was seen as a place that could put Ramsgate firmly on the Restaurant circuit. The chef is Toby Leigh<\/a> formally of Kensington Place<\/a> and gastro pubs The Anchor\u00a0& Hope<\/a> and Heston Blumenthal\u2019s Hinds Head<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Age & Sons is actually more than just a restaurant. It is spread over 3 floors, the top floor is the main restaurant, the ground floor is a more casual dining area (laid out a bit like a french kitchen) and the basement houses a cosy rather stylish cocktail bar. It is not the easiest place to find. We arrived on an off season Saturday night to a\u00a0fully booked restaurant whose clientele consisted of well heeled locals, out of towners, people from the yacht club and foodies like us. I particularly like this places eccentricities – the eclectic range of “Granny” style side plates, the squeaky cheese trolley. It is definitely not one of these manufactured venues with catalogue decor, it has it’s own style.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0started with sweetbreads and damsons. While full of damson flavour\u00a0 it did religate the sweetbread to merely a texture rather than a taste. For main course I went for Kentish lamb and my companion went for the pork (as far removed from the pork I had in Harveys<\/a> earlier that day, as it is possible to get). The portion sizes were huge so this was more comfort\/hearty food than any pretension\u00a0of fine dining.<\/p>\n

What is also refreshing is that in such a busy place the service was professional and friendly. Taking the time for example to enquire how we enjoyed some of the more unusual cheeses in our cheese course.\u00a0 On that front we\u00a0 particularly enjoyed the whiskey flavoured variety from Snowdonia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On leaving we noticed just how buzzing the downstairs was. This really made for a great ambience and one that most restaurants would kill for.<\/p>\n

Marks out of 10 – October 2009<\/p>\n

Food 5.5<\/p>\n

Service 6.5<\/p>\n

Ambience 7<\/p>\n