ahh pleasure piggy

this afternoon we had a fabulous, looked-forward-to birthday lunch at the sportsman. we first found the sportsman on our bicycle explorations when we moved to kent in 2003. a weather-beaten, veranda'd pub in the middle of nowhere? must go in and explore further. then we saw the menu and fell head over heels in love. since then, they've won michelin stars, but it is still the pub/restaurant we fell in love with. i studied for many of my exams in their sunny veranda, and many times we've popped in for a drink when we couldn't afford lunch.

lunch, however, has always been special, and today was no exception. we took a taxi there, rather than biking, because "the weather outside is frightful" even though it's june. we were slightly early, and settled in at the bar, where we caught up with one of the owners over the merits and intricacies of home smoked bacon and the menu on offer today, written in chalk near the bar. n had slip sole in seaweed butter to start, folowed by aylesbury duck (breast roasted pink, leg confit). i had the pork terrine to start, and the turbot with smoked pork belly.
pudding was a chocolate mouse with milk sorbet and salty caramel.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

i'm not sure i can even write about lunch here - but what i can say is that i love it here more than any other restaurant, i think. i always feel comfortable here - even though the food is amazing (the guy makes his own sea salt for crying out loud!) i never feel like i don't belong - everyone is friendly, and more than than, happy to talk about THE FOOD, which, frankly, is the point. by the middle of the main course i have that soporific happy-food pleasure-pig feeling which just increases until, by the time we hit the dessert wine and salty caramel, i am pretty much ecstatic.

i also managed to get a lovely pic of my sweet:



isn't he lovely?