One Night in Jail: Dinner at Barbutis

Here's my mug shot!

Gravesend, Kent is by far a grey cloud of ugliness and sadness.  FYI I'm allowed to say that because I was born there and still live just a stones throw away.  It's not always been this way though and there are, on occasions a glimpse of sophistication and rejuvenation once more.  Mostly along the heritage walk, aka the old high street.  One of these glimpses can now be found in oddly placed restaurant Barbutis.  A locally sourced, a la carte restaurant, positioned within the entrance of a now pitifully pointless market (I'm hoping Mary Portas might be able to sort that one out for us!)

We were first introduced to the restaurant via a review in a National newspaper and almost couldn't believe our eyes.  A high end restaurant in Gravesend???  I've not seen any other marketing for it, so assume it must all be from word of mouth and I'm desperate for little establishments like this to survive, not only in the current economic climate but also in places near me that are left to fall into disrepair.  So here's me doing my bit.  

Situated in the the old police station, Barbutis has an extra quirky factor to it and you know I love quirky! Although most of the tables are within the main dining area there are the odd few that have their very own cells. My sister and mother once visited for a sneak peek during the day, when it first opened, and they were quick to tell me it was rather eerie in those cells.  You'll be pleased to read that with the warm welcome of the lighting and friendly staff in the evening it wasn't anywhere near spooky, although I did get a chill whilst visiting the bathrooms. 

I'm a sucker for history, so the images of the old police officers all through the decades placed around the rooms was a nice little touch.  We were in Cell 1 for my sisters birthday and although not surrounded by lots of other tables and guests the cell still managed to accommodate it's own little atmosphere.

You can look to spend around £40 per person, without drink, so it doesn't come cheap (although it's not heinously expensive either), which is why it's even more surprising it's residence is Gravesend.

We began with complimentary tomato and basil soup which I have to admit I didn't love and would have been disappointed if I'd ordered, however the presentation was cute.

I began with chicken liver parfait with truffle butter, a red onion marmalade and brioche.  The sweetness against the savoury was sublime and I'm obsessed with truffles at the moment so this definitely hit the spot.

One of my sister's and I followed that with the Roast "Aylesbury" Duck, served with a confit leg croquette, braised red cabbage, wilted baby gem, in a red wine jus.

Despite loving that, I wish I'd ordered this...

Venison in a dark chocolate jus with parsnip crisps and a summer fruits pudding.  Divine!

We followed up with desserts, in which I tried the sticky toffee pudding which was satisfactory.

The meal was definitely worth the money but the mains were the most outstanding of the three courses we all tried.  If you're based near Gravesend in Kent I hope you may show your support and venture here for some good food in an unusual setting.

Barbutis is open Thursdays through to Sundays.