The Radnor Arms

The Good Food Guide — Very Good

Of the many endorsements we’ve received for this smartly remodelled Victorian hostelry, ‘the locals’ local’ is the one we like best. Most visitors make a beeline for the Harbour Arm, especially during summer, so the Radnor Arms’ 'west end of town' location doesn’t get much passing trade and can feel like a real find. Yet this is the kind of prototype pub that every neighbourhood needs: divided equally between drinkers and diners, it scores heavily with its warmly welcoming service and value for money. The rotating selection of guest ales and local beers, including the ‘best Guinness in Folkestone’, keeps drinkers on their toes, and the Southeast Asian thread that weaves deliciously through the modern menu is starting to attract attention – thanks to talented Filipino head chef Niel Talan. In the stylish dining room, you can eat a pork and prawn Scotch egg, a spiced buttermilk chicken burger with Kewpie slaw and pickled cucumber, or a first-class Sri Lankan fish curry. But there’s also good eating to be had, in more straightforward dishes such as grass-fed ribeye steak with Café de Paris butter and fries, or a designed-for-sharing wood-fired whole bream with smoked beurre blanc that one fan couldn’t resist finishing solo – ‘it was that good’. Moderation isn’t easy here, especially when the enticing selection is boosted by must-order sourdough flatbreads straight from the oven (the beating heart of the open-to-view kitchen). And desserts are no afterthought either, if our light, creamy Basque cheesecake was anything to go by. Bring an appetite. Like the food, the wide-ranging wine list is inexpensive and good quality, with a fair choice in the £20-£40 bracket and a decent selection by the glass (from £6.50).

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