FOOD AND DRINK
FITTING THE BILL FOR ‘NEW NORMAL’ DINING
ingredients provide pleasing textural and taste contrasts. My guest says he would definitely order this again. The main event: To follow I choose the pan fried sea bass (£16.45) as I’ve tried it before and love how simply it’s cooked yet that it still packs a mighty flavour punch thanks to the coriander, avocado, tomato and lime as its supporting act. My guest meanwhile, after much deliberation having witnessed the Bill’s Classic Burger (£11.95) being transported to another table in all its generously stacked, cheese, slaw and fried onion oozing glory, decides that actually he won’t revert to type and therefore goes for the Supergreen chicken curry (£13.75) instead. It’s aptly named as when it arrives it looks positively verdant thanks to its melange of sugar snap peas, courgette and spinach sliced around the tenderest of chicken breasts. The bright red chillies, dome of fragrant coconut rice and sculptural rice cracker balanced on top of the latter all add to the wow factor – both taste and looks wise – of this dish. Another tasty triumph… Finishing post When it comes to portion sizes, Bill’s definitely doesn’t skimp. So when we’re presented with dessert menus it’s hard to think that another morsel
Curfews can actually be a recipe for success as SO Magazine discovered when she dined at Bill’s in Tunbridge Wells last month
W
hen the 10pm closure of pubs and restaurants was introduced last month by the government in order to help stem the number of rising coronavirus cases many had doubts it would work. But as I discovered on a visit to Bill’s in Tunbridge Wells a couple of weeks ago, if you are well organised it can actually result in a more intimate and enjoyable experience… First impressions: On entering Bill’s, which is located on Lime Hill Road in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, my guest and I had our temperatures taken, filled in the track and trace form and once we were given the all clear we were ushered to our intimate booth table, safely distanced from any other diners. We were told by our friendly, attentive waiter we could remove our masks and that we’d only need to wear them to and from the toilet. He also pointed over to a bottle of hand sanitiser we could use which was sitting among the cruets and glinting retro heavy crystal votive candles. Despite the fact that Bill’s is a
40 | October 2020 | SO Magazine
national chain each one of their branches feels pretty unique and the Tunbridge Wells one is no different.
We had our temperatures taken, filled in the track and trace, and once we were given the all clear we were ushered to our intimate booth table We loved its quirky décor which includes a mix of vintage chandeliers and oversized pleated printed lampshades suspended from a corrugated ceiling, smart colourful leather button back banquettes, scrubbed wooden tables, oversized statement plants and an array of eye-catching objets d’art festooned on bespoke shelving. In short it feels super chic and yet cosy too. Under starters orders: The menus at Bill’s are as eclectic as the décor with a smorgasbord of
tempting treats on their brunch, kids and all-day offerings. On the latter it’s predominantly gourmet grub classics such as burgers and grilled steaks but there’s also a sprinkling of more exotic dishes including miso glazed salmon and mojo marinated chicken skewers. There’s a decent showing of both vegetarian and vegan dishes too, so something to pretty much suit everyone’s tastebuds. For our starters I decide to go for my personal favourite of Crispy Calamari (£6.95) which is presented in a cast iron pan and comes loaded with chillies and spring onions as well as a piquant mayo to further turbo charge it. Needless to say, the golden rings of hot gently battered squid disappear sharpish! My guest goes for the more unusual sounding Tuna Tacos (£7.95). Generous and pretty as a picture to look at, the slivers of delicate seared raw tuna steak come perched on shards of blue tortilla chips and are anointed with droplets of crème fraîche, a sprinkling of coriander and sesame seeds with nuggets of perfectly ripe avocado and a few super sweet cherry tomatoes liberally scattered. The tuna is melt-in-the-mouth delicious and the accompanying
