4 minute read
Week-end à Whitstable – who said
Yusef Tunkara of Scandinavian Touch
HYGGE AND HOME DECOR FROM SCANDINAVIA
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SCANDINAVIAN TOUCH 66 OXFORD ST
“As soon as you walk in, you immerse yourself in the world of hygge, that Nordic feeling of cosiness. When you visit us, you see, touch, smell, hear and taste Scandinavia at its best.” Yusef Tunkara and partner Marianne Ofstad from Scandinavian Touch have created that special Nordic atmosphere in their design showroom. “We are all spending more time in our homes thinking about how we can make our place more comfortable. And here is where the Scandinavian way of living comes in. The atmosphere we wanted to create in our Whitstable showroom was the one you get when you visit someone’s home in Denmark or Norway. That connection with the natural environment and relaxed feeling of being at home.” From the Eva flower pots by Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad, or ceramic balloons of Norwegian Kristin Antonsen, to ygg&lyng Norwegian furniture brand or Danish MOEBE, everything Scandinavian Touch offers illustrates the region’s nature, history and traditions: “We are big on ethical brands and Fairtrade and a lot of our products are sustainable. We like unconventional products, and we keep testing and challenging ourselves with new ideas.”
WEEK-END À WHITSTABLE
From Scandinavia to Sicily via Croatia and France, you can travel through Europe within a fifteen-minute walk in Whitstable. Who said staycation was boring?
Writer
Katerina Kolyva
Photography
Jean-François de Kriek
BOUILLABAISSE IN A FRENCH BISTRO
BIRDIES 41 HARBOUR ST
“Birdies has been here since the 1980s and was an established, well known English restaurant. But it was only in 1993 when we took over that the French side of it came to life. From the moment we put the red check tablecloths, our French-style cuisine and atmosphere began,” says chef Philip. Birdies is a true family business with partners Philip and Sue Colthup and sons Llewelyn and Rhys all working together. Philip recalls how it all started: “My uncle was my inspiration when I became a chef and he taught me a lot about great French cooking. But as we used to holiday in France a lot, we picked up ideas from there as well.” Birdies’ walls tell the story with lots of family mementos and photos of French castles. “The restaurant is 80% French. We try to keep the dishes very classic in their method and preparation and we continue to be inspired by France. We are passionate about good quality traditional cooking and work hard to get the best local fresh ingredients.”
Philip still uses his 1960s and 1970s cookery books from France and America. “I like the classics and have always been inspired by great French chefs. Just try our famous bouillabaisse or sole meunière and you will know what I mean.”
Ed Thomas of Amedea
THE CROATIAN COAST AND ISTRIAN GOATS
AMEDEA 3 OXFORD ST
“As soon as people enter Amedea, they are transported to my native Istria. I’ve seen people getting instantly into that holiday mood. Recently, I have been getting a lot of Croats almost every day and they say it does feel like home when they come in, which makes me really happy,” says owner Ed Thomas, who is halfBritish, half-Croatian, hence the strapline “Half Croatian Café-Bar”. “Half of the menu is Croatian with my favourite being the San Servolo, arriving straight from a small local brewery gem, which is hard to find even in Croatia, so I am very proud serving it here in Whitstable. But there is also a large variety of other beers and Croatian wines, with the white Dalmatian dog Pošip being at the top of my list right now.” Amedea is not just any name: “She is my wonderful nona/grandma and I wanted to celebrate her great spirit of generosity, creativity and fun. There are photos and paintings of her in the bar reminding us of her great dancing. Although she has never been to visit, she giggles when I tell her she is famous here.” The café’s walls are full of Croatian memorabilia: the family village Kanfanar coat of arms, Istria’s goat, aunt’s traditional dress, the istarska supas (ceramic jugs for wine). Croatia has never been so close.
SERVING UP THE SPIRIT OF SICILY
SALE&PEPE 15 HARBOUR STREET
Pietro Caruana’s big smile immediately transports visitors to the smell of lemon trees, great pasta, and red wine: “Hospitality is a big thing in Italian culture. I just love interacting, talking and laughing with customers. Everything is a Sicilian business here at Sale&Pepe. We offer classic and authentic Sicilian cuisine. Everything is homemade here with many of our products coming from Sicily, like the ricotta for our cannoli. I like classic Italian cuisine, what we call la povera cucina, the food of the poor.” The Sicilian atmosphere is everywhere in Sale&Pepe (salt and pepper in Italian) with great Sicilian wine, delicious local dishes, mouthwatering desserts, and even a small library. “I wanted to bring the spirit of Sicily to my restaurant,” Pietro says. “Once you are here you can eat, drink, learn some authentic phrases and about the island by borrowing a book from our piccola libreria siciliana (our small Sicilian library). And as we get ready to close in the evening I put on “Nessun Dorma” and everyone gets into that Sicilian spirit.”
