A couple of weekends ago we visited Whitstable, a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-eastern England, Marissa and I took a direct train from London Victoria to Whitstable station which took an hour and 20 minutes. We stopped off to have breakfast at Tea & Times I chose a vegan breakfast as I wanted a light meal before our main event at Wheelers Bar. Marissa chose their Full English, which I can tell you now was very filling, she also chose a latte with oat milk. I also ordered a dirty chai latte; it was delicious and I wanted to savour it all until the end! My breakfast was standard I particularly liked their mushrooms as it was very buttery and blended well with the baked beans. The coffee shop was cute and friendly, a great place to hang out. My meal came to £10 altogether, and Marissa £12 which we thought was a bargain. We loved their coffee so much we thanked the barista who made it for us on the way out. 

We had an hour and a half to explore a few of the independent shops before our lunch booking which was at 1pm. The weather was bright, with a cool breeze. The town got busier by the hour. 

Wheelers Oysters Bar

We booked Wheelers a month in advance as we were so excited to spend a day out of the bustling city. Wheelers Bar in the heart of Whitstable, stood out from the rest of the buildings with its pastel pink and blue paint you won’t miss it! They had a shop in the front selling shellfish, prawns, fish pie and much more.  

We walked past the shop before entering their restaurant a quirky room, filled with seaside paintings along the wall, and ornaments hung around the room. We had the perfect little table in the corner, where customers wouldn’t be constantly walking past us.  

We chose a dozen of the rock oysters to share as starters which was only available from September to April and, I chose their Roast scallops, sage stuffing, twice cooked pork belly, baked apple sauce, crackling, pork dressing. Marissa chose their Ceviche of brill, lime, cucumber, ginger and chilli, pickled kohlrabi and crab salad, pink grapefruit granite. 

Both starters were beautifully presented to us, both using freshly sourced ingredients. Marissa’s ceviche was refreshing and light, really tasty and so fresh. My scallops were tender and the pork belly was superb! We made the mistake of eating breakfast too close to our lunch so sadly we shared the Lobster lasagna, leek and white crab ragout, chanterelle mushrooms, aged parmesan, heritage carrots, tender stem broccoli, lobster sauce. It was orgasmic each layer of the dish was delicious! The lobster was juicy, with delicately thin layers of pasta drizzled in an exquisite sauce that I would have happily licked off the bowl. 

When I come back next time, I will have to have my own main dish and a dessert as their sweet treats is making me salivate – A hot chocolate fondant with salted peanut ice cream and fudge sauce and this one has piqued my interest too – Pear Tarte Tatin with blue cheese ice cream, candied walnut. 

The whole experience at Wheelers Oyster Bar was phenomenal, from how friendly the staff were to how impeccable their dishes were, I strongly recommend visiting this restaurant if you’re ever in Whitstable. But be prepared to spend a little bit more as the prices are a bit higher, but I promise its worth every penny – what a wonderful treat! 

Afterwards we browsed through the rest of the shops, so many charity shops that Marissa loved! I was more impressed with their cute independent jewellery shops; I even bought a pair of cute hoop earrings. Finally, we walked along the pebbled beach with the bright sun on our faces, it was such a beautiful day and I’m looking forward to coming back again!