Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar - Ramsgate

"Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar on the harbour front in Ramsgate: Just amazing - we are so lucky to get such a great restaurant in Ramsgate. Will do well."
Tim who dined in July 2009

"We were a party of 5. We were greeted immediately and shown to our table. The set lunch menu (4 of us had it) was well presented and well cooked. We had delicious bread as an aperitif - again well presented and delicious. Our one criticism - the serving staff were friendly and helpful, but there was an unprofessional touch to them. Overall, a very good experience. (ambience good, and imaginatively decorated)"
J Scanlon who dined at Harveys in July 2009

"Harveys - Excellent new venue, what a transformation, I hear John Burton Race is involved and it does show, superb lobster, an enthusiastic wine guide who gave us the perfect accompniement to our meal, Ramsgate just got a lot more classier and we couldnt be happier!!"
Daniel who dined at Harveys in September 2009

"Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar has a Michelin-starred top chef, fish straight from the trawlers, fantastic view across Ramsgate marina."
George who dined in September 2009

"I had my first oyster about 12 years ago. I was living in London at the time, and my other half, a Thanet man, whisked me off to Whitstable, my first foray into East Kent, and introduced me to that aphrodisiacal delicacy. I still remember letting the oyster slide into my mouth and the flavour of ozone and fresh salty sea breeze that burst inside. It was an utterly sensuous and addictive experience. I’ve never looked back – and this from someone who was brought up a vegetarian!

So imagine my disappointment when I arrived to settle in Thanet some six years ago, excited by the prospect of indulging in the freshest local fish and seafood, only to find not a single restaurant specialising in the fruits of our sea. Thankfully, Thanet’s culinary landscape has been changing over the past few years, and we can boast some very fine places to dine. The most recent of these to open is Harvey’s fish market and oyster bar in Ramsgate. Owned by Richard and Sherry Martin of Kent Inns of Distinction, the restaurant is situated on Harbour Parade and commands beautiful views of the royal harbour. A £350,000 refit has given the interior a fresh, contemporary feel, with exposed beams, cream walls, wood floor and light oak tables large enough to ensure that you’re not clutching the wine bottle between your legs and balancing the bread basket on your head. Talking of which, the bread is made in-house (as are the biscuits and the pasta) and arrives on the table with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip.

I was lucky enough to have a taste of almost everything on the menu so that I can describe to you its scope. It was developed by Michelin-star celebrity TV chef, John Burton-Race, who is head of group development for the company. The chefs at the restaurant have been trained by John at his Michelin-starred restaurant in Dartmouth, The New Angel, and all the dishes displayed the fine quality of classic cuisine, but had a very definite contemporary British twist. For starters, their own Absolut vodka and beetroot cure salmon and dill cream was melt-in-the-mouth delicious, as was the carpaccio of Kent beef. The restaurant prides itself on sourcing locally wherever possible so all the fish comes from our shores. The fish soup, while its foundation was undoubtedly French, used local Ashmore cheese on the crouton; the line-caught mackerel came from Folkestone and the Dover sole was from Ramsgate.

The main courses were imaginative and sophisticated, displaying the clarity of flavour and the lightness in the sauces that you would expect from fine food. I particularly enjoyed the tempura battered oyster on the fillet of seabass and the braised lobster with basil cream…oh and the pan-fried fillet of brill with spinach in mussel sauce, and…the list goes on. For the carnivores, there was best end of Kentish lamb with potato and carrot dauphinois, and the vegetarian choice was wild mushroom risotto.

My guest and I even managed to eat our way through the desserts, most notable of which was the chocolate torte with Harvey’s honeycomb ice cream – but then they do say that love is blind! Whilst the desserts were not as impressive as the rest, they were still good, and the cheeseboard consisted of a range of hand-made local cheeses.

It was a delight to find an extensive and ever-growing wine list, which included some 13 wines by the glass, including champagne and dessert wine. Nick Allen, the group’s wine buyer, says that the main focus is to include wines that go well with seafood, such as the classic combination of the Southern French wine of picpoul de pinet with oysters. The prices are happily inclusive with Domaine Jean Blanc house wine, an off-dry white from Gascony, starting at £13.50 and a sparkling cremant de Limoux at just under £20.

An interesting extension to the restaurant is the wet fish ‘market’, open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 3pm, selling fresh local fish at, Richard Martin claims, the cheapest prices in Ramsgate.
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Kiki who dined at Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar in 2009

"Fish straight from the boats, Micheln starred chef"
Gavin who dined at Harveys in 2009

"Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar - Ramsgate: I haven't been to a restaurant in tears where I felt it was such a good treat, the last place I felt that excited was the very famous Ivy in London and the food there was no where near as gorgeous."
Kelly who dined at Harveys in 2009

"The fish!"
Anon - comment left for Harveys in October 2009

"Nice looking place - bang on the harbour in Ramsgate."
David who dined at Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar in March 2010

"Very very impressed with the quality of the service at Harveys of Ramsgate, the food and the surroundings... 5 people ate, and had a great time - we could not pick 1 fault during the entire evening... We are all local people and enjoy our food and wine alike, so a big thankyou to you all .... We will be back .."
Russell + 4... April 2010

"It seems Harvey's has closed down for good."
Pete @ Harveys