My stomach is distended, every muscle in my body aches and I had a very satisfying, weekend.  We went to Ramsgate for the weekend as we had lots of chores to do.  As soon as we got there on Saturday we headed out to Miles Bar.  This is a strange place.  Great location beside the marina, great coffee and cakes, fabulous mussels but some unpleasant items such as cheap and nasty mayonnaise and very variable waitressing quality but we all love their Moules et Frites so we set off and all had the same.

This was a hard working weekend for us all but we did have a stroll round the corner to a pub for a cheeky beer on Saturday evening.  The Edwardian shelters along the front have been refurbished and they look really good. This is the delightful view from our dining room.  I love sitting here but unfortunately this was not a weekend with much time to sit and stare. The front garden had become so overgrown it was hard to get to the chairs and tables.  This is a lovely spot to relax in as you are secluded from the road and protected from the sea breezes.

This basement level courtyard looks much better after a coat of paint.

As it was Father’s Day, we all had a big breakfast together.  We don’t usually have breakfast together as we all get up at different times.

Melon and raspberries (my choice), Pain au chocolat (Lara’s choice) and eggs and bacon (boy’s choice!)

This was the destination for lunch.  This ugly old building at the end of the harbour wall has been unused for ages but about 6 months ago, a new restaurant opened in there.  This was our first visit to Royal Harbour Brasserie.

It is in a fantastic position at the end of the East Harbour wall so you have the marina on one side of you and the Channel on the other.  So you can sit and watch the endless movement of boats in and out of the harbour.  I liked the decor inside too. Lots of grey and red which looked smart, coffee sacks used to line the partitions and bench seating which helped with the more relaxed vibe.  The windows on 3 sides provided a fabulous view. The food was good too!  Cod goujons with tartare sauce to start with, which were small but perfectly formed.  Not greasy and the batter was crispy.Dressed crab with new potatoes and salad which was delicious.
Followed by a very naughty orange sponge and custard which was a bit school dinners.

The house wine was good (Sauvignon Blanc) and most of us really enjoyed everything we ate.  It is not cheap and the portions are not massive but they were not stingy either.  I would say they were just right.
I overexposed this picture but rather like the effect.  I took this on the way back from the restaurant while we were on the harbour wall. This was taken from our house, looking out to the Brasserie.  We all enjoyed it and would all choose to go again. I should have taken a “before” picture to show the contrast between how this overgrown front garden looked before we tackled it.  All 4 of us helped and it was rather satisfying. I had forgotten that it is a reasonable size! Outside the kitchen is a little raised deck area which Lara spent literally hours scrubbing to get rid of all the algae that developed during winter.  It came up really well.

This little deck catches the early evening sun and is a delightful spot to sit and enjoy a chilled glass of something.We all worked really hard this weekend.  There was plenty to do inside too and it seemed a shame to have to come home when it was looking ship shape and lovely.  We had 2 lovely lunches but not much relaxation apart from that.  As if to tempt us to stay, the mainly cloudy day changed in to a sunny and blue skied evening.
I am heading back next weekend for a Mums and Kids weekend – can’t wait!