December at The Counter by Robin Read

December 16, 2024

December at The Counter

December is a time for celebration and reflection and what a first six months of operation at The Counter by Robin Read in Tunbridge Wells it’s been. This is the first festive season and Christmas at The Counter, and the restaurant is looking beautiful with twinkling decorations, candles, good food and wine and of course, time with friends and family.

December is a month for great produce from the land and sea of the British Isles to the warmer climate of Italy for citrus, radicchio and other bitter leaves. On the menu this month is stunning trout from the crystal-clear chalk streams in Hampshire which is lightly cured and served with finely sliced red moon radish, bitter leaves and Scots pine oil; Dover Sole from Cornwall is simply poached with a white wine and tarragon velouté, while local venison from the Eridge Park Estate and aged Sussex rump cap take the menu to a whole new level of richness and umami. A new offering each month is a palate cleanser made this month with fragrant and aromatic Sicilian pink grapefruit and Buddhas Hand Lemon in a refreshing thyme tea, before heading back to the comfort of an oozing chocolate fondant and Chiddingstone Dairy cream.

Diners have a choice of three-, five-, eight-course menus, costing £40, £60, £96 respectively, which are shorter versions of the ten-course menu. Three or six-glass wine pairing is £36 or £70, while the eight-glass pairing is £96 per guest and a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

Open days and hours:

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00

September at The Counter by Robin Read

September 3, 2024

Shiso, Trout and Roe at The Counter by Robin Read, Tunbridge Wells

September at The Counter

“The Counter is delicious and charming… treating the inner Veruca Salt in all of us with pure imagination.” 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

The September menu at The Counter by Robin Read bridges the seasons with the first of the Autumnal squash, celeriac, greengages, apples and blackberries partnered with the luxury of caviar, truffles, wild turbot and aged Sussex sirloin. A treat of a menu, as much as a celebration of the seasons, the ten-course tasting menu experience, served exclusively to guests sitting at the kitchen counter by the pass is elevated further with extra snacks, and premium wine pairings. Guests dining in September will enjoy dishes such as Shiso, Trout and Smoked Pike Roe; Wild Turbot, Leek and Potato Agnoletti, Chive Emulsion, Caviar Veloute; Allsop & Walker Ewes Tart, Beet, Nectarine, Bitter Orange Gel & Thyme; Greengage Sorbet, Yuzu Sake and Apple Mille Feuille, Blackberry Gel and Vanilla Cream.

There is also a choice of three-, five-, eight-course menus, costing £40, £60, £96 respectively, which are shorter versions of the ten-course menu. Three or six-glass wine pairing is £36 or £70, while the eight-glass pairing is £96 per guest and a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

Open days and hours:

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00

About Robin Read

After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter 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.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, 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 for 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.

-ends-

August at The Counter by Robin Read

August 5, 2024

August at The Counter by Robin Read, Tunbridge Wells

“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 e

Three months after opening his debut restaurant, The Counter in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and already receiving critical acclaim, chef patron Robin Read isn’t sitting still. The new monthly menu in August sees the ten-course counter experience elevated further with extra snacks, extended wine pairings, makings of a destination – a relaxing neighbourhood restaurant with a big-city attitude” Good Food Guidwith the addition of a premium wine pairing and a three-part beef dish using the exceptional Sussex aged beef from Fullers in Eridge, using the prime cuts as well as trim for a rich ragu.

Guests dining in August will enjoy dishes such as Dorset crab tart, trout roe, kohlrabi and watercress; roast sweetcorn and Beal’s nduja, spring onions, chives and parsley; poached Sussex fillet with beetroot & beef tea, beef fat and Wiltshire truffles and Fig Leaf Parfait, Myatt’s White Peach, Gingerbread crumb and fig leaf oil.

The new August menu offers a choice of three-, five-, eight- and ten-course tasting menus, costing £40, £60, £95, and £125 respectively. Three or six-glass wine pairing is £36 or £70, while the eight-glass pairing is £96 per guest; a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

August’s ten-course menu at The Counter

Ricotta Rosti
tare, herb salad

Dorset Crab Tart
trout roe, kohlrabi and watercress

Malted Sourdough served with vegetable broth
Chiddingstone Dairy butter

Sherry Roast Aubergine
slow roast tomatoes, chilled tomato & pepper dressing, basil

Roast Sweetcorn & Beal’s Nduja
spring onions, chives and parsley

Isle of Orkney Scallop
herb puree, confit potato and brown butter

Baked North Sea Cod
seaweed butter sauce, beans & lovage

Chefs Treat

Poached Sussex Fillet
beetroot & beef tea, beef fat, Wiltshire truffles

Aged Sussex Sirloin
beetroot rosette, creamed greens, red wine sauce

The Idle Hour
pastry cracker, pickled plums, bronze fennel
Optional £12 supplement

Strawberry Sorbet
strawberry & lemon verbena

Fig Leaf Parfait
Myatt’s white peach, gingerbread crumb, fig leaf oil

The Sweet Treat Tower

£125 per person

3, 6 or 8-glass wine pairing £36, £72 or £96

About Robin Read
After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter 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.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, 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 for 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.

Open days and hours:
Wednesday: Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00

June at The Counter by Robin Read

June 3, 2024

June at The Counter
New menu and new opening hours due to demand

The Counter is the debut restaurant of ex-Firmdale Hotels Executive Chef Robin Read in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. After a hugely successful first month of trading Robin is releasing more tables and opening on Wednesday evenings. The new June menu launches on Wednesday 5th June and offers a choice of five-, eight- and ten-course tasting menus, costing £60, £95, and £125 respectively. Three or five-glass wine pairing is £36 or £60 per guest, or a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32.

The June menu at The Counter
Cured chalk stream trout tart, beetroot & bronze fennel Malted sourdough served with ‘waste’ vegetable broth, Chiddingstone Dairy butter
Ricotta, broad beans and peas, kohlrabi & nocellara olives
Jersey Royals, watercress velouté & smoked eel
Seaweed baked John Dory, Spring vegetable ‘Pot au Feu’, Beal’s Farm guanciale & lovage
Roast saddle of Sussex lamb, courgette, aubergine & oregano jus gras
Lancashire Bomb, sourdough crumpet, tare (optional £12 supplement)
Blackberry sorbet, fig leaf oil
Crème fraiche parfait, gooseberry compote, linseed biscuit, elderflower gel
The Sweet Treat Tower

Robin has years of experience sourcing the best seasonal and local produce, predominantly from Kent and Sussex, but also within the British Isles. His menus are created from a love of classical cookery and a curious mind for new techniques. The ten-course menu is offered at the counter and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menus.

Vision and suppliers

Robin’s vision of a modern-day restaurant is that of a responsible and sustainable one with seasonal cooking, few food miles and using every part of an ingredient. He seeks out and nurtures a strong network of small, independent farmers, growers, and producers from farm to sea and takes great care and pride to meet all his suppliers, visiting their farm, forest, river, warehouse, or barn across the country. This ensures he has first-hand knowledge of the produce, and relationships with the people whose hands create, grow, or farm them.

Suppliers at The Counter include Kentish fruit and vegetables from T H Brown & Son, fish from Chapmans in Sevenoaks, meat from Fullers Butchers in Eridge and charcuterie from Beal’s. The wine programme is headed up by Greta Boccia and is a curated edit of English and European wines alongside several English spirits, such as Hepple gin and vodka and Vault vermouth and botanical spirits, on the list.

The restaurant features original artwork on display, and for sale, by Venezuelan artist RAA, a close friend of Robin and his former sous chef. The multi-media works combine acrylics, oil pastels, colour pencils and spray paint in bold and graphic shapes.

About Robin Read

After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter 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.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, 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.

-ends-

Open days and hours:

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00

Images available to download credited to Stuart Mack HERE

For more information about The Counter by Robin Read please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

The Counter by Robin Read

April 18, 2024

Robin Read at The Counter, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (credit Stuart Mack)

The Counter by Robin Read

The Counter is the debut restaurant of ex-Firmdale Hotels Executive Chef Robin Read, launching on Thursday 2nd May in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

www.thecountertw.com
Reservations open on 22nd April

Images available to download, credited to Stuart Mack HERE

After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter 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.

Offering a choice of five-, eight- and ten-course tasting menus, costing £60, £95, and £125 respectively, Robin has years of experience sourcing the best seasonal and local produce, predominantly from Kent and Sussex, but also within the British Isles. His menus are created from a love of classical cookery and a curious mind for new techniques, with dishes such as Cured mackerel croustade with broccoli purée, Birchden asparagus and seaweed; Cavolo nero cavatelli, Old Winchester & sage; Steamed brill, lobster mousse, caramelised cauliflower, and seaweed confit potatoes; and rosemary & fennel granita on the opening launch menu. The ten-course menu is offered at the counter and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menus.

Robin’s vision of a modern-day restaurant is that of a responsible and sustainable one with seasonal cooking, few food miles and using every part of an ingredient. He seeks out and nurtures a strong network of small, independent farmers, growers, and producers from farm to sea and takes great care and pride to meet all his suppliers and visit their farm, forest, river, warehouse, or barn across the country. This ensures he has first-hand knowledge of the produce, and relationships with the people whose hands create, grow, or farm them.

Suppliers at The Counter include Kentish fruit and vegetables from T H Brown & Son, fish from Chapmans in Sevenoaks, meat from Fullers Butchers in Eridge and charcuterie from Beal’s. The wine programme is headed up by Greta Boccia and is a curated edit of English and European wines alongside several English spirits, such as Hepple gin and vodka and Vault vermouth and botanical spirits, on the list.

The restaurant features original artwork on display, and for sale, by Venezuelan artist RAA, a close friend of Robin and his former sous chef. The multi-media works combine acrylics, oil pastels, colour pencils and spray paint in bold and graphic shapes.

About Robin Read

Prior to opening his own restaurant, 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.

-ends-

Notes to editors
The Counter
77 Calverley Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent, TN1 2UY

www.thecountertw.com
@the_counter_tw
@robin__read