Pearly Cow, Margate: Go for the steak, but stay for the potatoes

No matter where it is I’m planning on eating, from the latest smash burger pop-ups to far fancier and far-flung establishments, if I can get hold of their menu beforehand, I’m reading it. I’m not sure if it’s my inclination towards over-preparedness, a fascination with food, or a bit of both – but it’s a compulsion.

When I scoured the menu at Pearly Cow, Margate, I was mesmerised. Words started jumping out at me: “celery salt”, “dijonnaise” and “smoked caramel”. I found myself returning over and over to pour over it. From experience, this can often set you up for disappointment, as reality doesn’t always match up to the culinary delights conjured in your mind. Luckily, this wasn’t the case with Pearly Cow.

The meal begins with a salt cod taco paired with parsley mayonnaise and preserved lemon, and a garlic-baked oyster with parsley and Ashmore cheddar. The crab-like texture of the cod contrasts beautifully with the crunch of the taco, while the oyster is bursting with flavour, once again disproving that cheese and seafood don’t belong together (tuna melts, melt-in-the-middle fish cakes, smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels… I could go on.)

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Although bread was not needed, bread was ordered, for I’m not a sociopath, and freshly baked sourdough with Hinxden farm butter proved all too irresistible. It arrives still steaming with a quenelle of salty butter dolloped on its side. It’s all you could hope for. There are tempura prawns with seaweed mayonnaise. Delicately battered and garnished with briny seaweed. The only issue is there aren’t more of them – definitely for the best, given what was to follow.

Up came a lobster roll that was almost too pretty to eat; a charred, buttery brioche encasing generous chunks of lobster, doused in a delicious mayonnaise-y sauce. With the restaurant’s emphasis on “cooking over fire”, it felt necessary to try a steak. The ribeye came suitably charred, the open flame a definite flavour enhancer – mushrooms served in bone marrow were an indulgently lovely touch.

As much as I resist playing into stereotypes of my Russian and Irish heritage, the star of the show for me really was a potato. Not just any potato, beef fat chips, to be precise. A sort of mix between latkes and thousand-layer potatoes, yet somehow with the texture of creamy mash within, these crunchy, crispy little wonders were a little bit magical. And don’t forget the dijonnaise.

With just enough room for dessert, I managed to stuff down a chocolate custard tart topped with freeze-dried raspberries (arguably one of the best flavour combinations out there), this was the only dish that didn’t do much for me; a little crumbly and could have used a touch of salt to bring out the flavours, however, it was pleasant. Not forgetting the passionfruit souffle, which my guest described as the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth. A seasonal and creative cocktail menu has a variety of inventive tipples, perhaps only lacking in a few of the classics.

Pearly Cow looks out onto Margate beach; for those fortunate enough to dine on a sunny, blue-skyed day, the view really is as pretty as a postcard. Velvet upholstery and twinkly lamps pair with the colours of the sea to offer up a comfortable yet luxurious setting for a long, seaside lunch.

Pearly Cow, 16 Marine Dr, Margate, CT9 1DH | pearlycow.co.uk | 01843 261200