Aged ikejime Chalk Stream Trout, Pomelo, Spinach & Bitter Leaf
March at The Counter by Robin Read
No 69 Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
No 97 Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Michelin Guide 2025
“The Counter is delicious and charming… treating the inner Veruca Salt in all of us with pure imagination.”
Grace Dent reviewing The Counter for The Guardian
“This new venture… is the best news for Tunbridge Wells. It has the makings of a destination – a relaxing neighbourhood restaurant with a big-city attitude” Good Food Guide
March brings new ingredients, a new tasting menu and a noticeable change in energy, which always comes with more sunlight and the first proper signs of Spring. Championing seasonality and British grown ingredients is the foundation of all the menus at The Counter, so chef owner Robin Read will be showcasing bitter leaves, citrus and seafood which are all at their peak this month. Up from the couth coast is stunning Cornish Brill to be stuffed and rolled with scallop and seaweed mousse, steamed, and served with hen of the woods velouté; roast sirloin with caramelised turnip puree, roast onion and madeira; a piece of the superb Perl Las, a creamy and salty blue Welsh cheese and for dessert, a twist on a classic sticky toffee pudding served with a citrus yuzu caramel and whipped double cream, from Chiddingstone Dairy.
Diners have a choice of three-, five-, eight-course menus, costing £40, £60, £95 respectively, which are shorter versions of the £125 ten-course menu, which is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at tup at the counter overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass.
Under the Counter
Under the Counter is a new midweek offering from The Counter, an off-shoot from the monthly seasonal tasting menus, and a chance for the chefs to try something a little different, experiment and have some fun – there are no rules! Under the Counter will return on Wednesday 12th March for a celebration of British seafood with the best the UK’s coastal waters can offer. Dishes include raw aged Ikejime trout, scallop ceviche, herb butter baked plaice, squid ragu, classic fish soup and curried haddock risotto. All served small enough to taste the full menu or just a few dishes.
Mother’s Day
Opening specially on 30th March for Mothering Sunday, treat your mum, granny or yourself (why not?) to lunch and a gift from The Counter, including a glass of house favourite Hoffman & Rathbone Rose Reserve, a bouquet of seasonal British blooms and a bag of chocolate crinkle cookies to take home. Reservations are now open.
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Open days and hours:
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00
The March eight-course menu at The Counter by Robin Read
Mascapone Rosti
Wasabi Leaf
Malted Sourdough & Vegetable Broth
Chiddingstone Dairy Butter
Aged ikejime Chalk Stream Trout
Pomelo, Spinach & Bitter Leaf
Steamed Cornish Brill
Scallop & Seaweed Mousse, Hen of the Woods Veloute
Roast Cornish Sirloin
Caramelised Turnip Puree, Roast Onion & Madeira
Perl Las
Pear & Bitter Leaf Salad
(optional £12 supplement)
Grapefruit & Oregano Tea
Sticky Toffee
Yuzu Cararmel, Chiddingstone Dairy Cream
The Sweet Treat Tower
£95 per person
Three or five glass wine pairing £36 or £60
Premium pairing three or five glasses £50 or £90
About Robin Read
The Counter, which opened in April 2024, is the fruition of the long-held dream of Robin Read to have his own restaurant. Born from a long family history of serving the best produce over a counter, Robin’s maternal grandfather was a Master Butcher in Rugeley, Staffordshire, while on his paternal side, his great-grandfather was a Greengrocer in Lewisham, South London. Together with his wife Greta Boccia, they have taken on a 200-year-old Georgian building in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, which includes the main restaurant with table and counter dining, private dining room, small wine bar and courtyard garden, with raised beds and pots growing herbs, salads, and brassicas.
Previously, Robin was Executive Chef of the Firmdale Hotel Group for 16 years, overseeing six new Firmdale openings, including four hotels, a bakery and training academy, all with great success. He worked with head chefs in eight sites (UK & internationally) with over 200 kitchen staff, to maintain the highest of standards.
Robin began his cooking career at the age of 16 with work experience at the Roux Brothers’ London patisserie, where he trained in 1990. His love and passion of the industry continued to grow, working and training with some of the best chefs this country has produced. He spent two years at Chez Nico under Nico Ladenis as sous chef, which held three Michelin stars, before working with Marco Pierre White at Mirabelle, becoming Head Chef, and retaining their one Michelin star. Robin also spent time in the kitchens at Le Gavroche, The Square and Restaurant Paul Heathcote.
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