Harbour Street Tapas

Cooking is a serious matter at this small but perfectly formed tapas bar. All ingredients are lovingly sourced and like the bare-bones minimalist decor, simplicity is the virtue of its dishes; local asparagus with ham and chargrilled sardines, for instance. But, for every familiar dish you order, it’s well worth seeking something more unusual: try grilled Garroxta goats’ cheese with honey, or a paella of spinach, tomatoes and pine nuts to have alongside chorizo in cider and patatas bravas, for example. The carefully chosen wine list is a rewarding venture, hitting well beyond the expected Rioja and Cava.

Harbour Street Tapas opened its doors back in 2016. The owner, Lee Murray, is a familiar figure in the local culinary landscape, and has been providing a diverse range of Kentish fine foods and specialty goods sourced from across the UK and Europe at Murray’s Stores - located in Canterbury’s The Goods Shed, this establishment has been a hub for over 12 years.

The menu is simple, yet delicious. Begin with para picar options, and choose from simple bread, olive oil and sherry vinegar, or the gordal olives with orange and oregano. Also on this section of the menu are padron peppers, along with roasted garlic and white bean hummus with flatbread, and a plate of chicken jamon and leek croquettes with aioli. Cured meat options include the jamon serrano, lomo iberico, salchichon iberico, and dish that includes manchego. Salad and vegetable options include the patatas bravas, roasted vegetable pisto, and bowl of little gem lettuce with anchovies, manchego, migas and egg. There are classic and goat cheese tortillas, which you won't be able to get enough of. For seafood, choose from fried baby squid with anchovy aioli, along with grilled butterflied sardines with fennel and salsa verde, and tiger prawns with chilli, ginger and garlic.

Last but not least are the meat options, such as the chorizo with rioja and honey, and the lamb cutlets with a chickpea salad and harissa yoghurt. Finish on a sweet note with a sticky figgy pudding with toffee sauce and creme fraiche.