le petit poisson

Table by booking only. Disappointing for tourists!

This is a lovely little seafood restaurant in a great location, right on the seafront smack bang in the middle of Herne Bay. Housed in an extended and refurbished ex public toilet, there is a lower room which is quite spacious and has a view of the kitchen and an upper room which has a view out onto the seafront. Both rooms are light, airy and fairly minimalist but on balance I would recommend the upper room if you have the choice.
As there is a lack of decent eating establishments in Herne Bay this place gets pretty busy most evenings so I would recommend booking well in advance to avoid disappointment. Having said that most folk in these parts seem to like to eat early so you have a reasonable chance of a «walk in» if you turn up later in the evening near the end of service.
We visited last Saturday and had a very pleasant evening. We were warmly welcomed and shown to a nice corner table. After a quick look at the short but very reasonably priced wine list, the most expensive white was a Sancerre at just under £24, we ordered a bottle of Chablis which came nicely chilled and was a great companion to the fishy feast which was soon to follow.
While we were snacking on some lovely bread and trying to decide what to have from the short but nicely put together menu we ordered a few oysters which came grilled with garlic, parsley and parmesan. I normally like my oysters raw with a little lemon and Tabasco but these bad boys from Essex were really very tasty and I would definitely recommend trying a couple — having them grilled is a good introduction to the delights of the oyster if you are a little wary.
After much debate B decided to start with the home cured salmon which came with a crème fraiche dressing on the side. I passed on the starter as I wanted to do justice to my main but when the salmon arrived it was a very decent plateful, had an absolutely wonderful citrus flavour and was good for two to share. I’m licking my lips just thinking about it.
B then moved on to her main, which was in fact another starter, of plaice goujons which she teamed up with a side of lovely thin cut fries. This was a great combination and I had a slight touch of the food envy as I tried the tasty fish encased in a very toothsome light crispy batter. However, the green eyed monster soon disappeared when my bouillabaisse appeared and I got a waft of the lovely rich fishy fragrance. It was a very fine dish indeed; made with a deft touch and containing a nice selection of firm white fish and shellfish.
We finished by sharing a chocolate plate which was delicious selection of chocolate based treats and came with a nice scoop of ice cream.
All in all we had a lovely meal which was served by friendly and efficient staff. This restaurant was by far the best we managed to find in Herne Bay and is well worth seeking out.

This was the second time my partner and I have visited this restaurant and I think it is brilliant.
Le Petit Poisson is situated right on the seafront by the pier. The building itself used to be the public toilets however continuous renovation work has transformed it into a cute and comfortable seafood restaurant.
On both occasions the service has been faultless. A welcoming charm that lingered for the entire experience. Once inside you don’t feel the cold, harsh weather that is outside on the seafront!
Both starters that we had were perfect. I had homecured salmon with beetroot salad. The salmon was delicate and flavoursome and was complemented by a creamy beetroot salad that was flavoured with thyme. My partner had the fish soup, he commented that as the he drank more of the soup it got better. I only managed to try and mouthful, wary as I was (not generally a fan of Fish soup) I was wowed by the tasty fish flavours and the deep orange colour. I would happily have this soup agian on another visit!
To follow we both had panfired halibut with an oyster cream sauce and bacon. This was probably one of the best things I have eaten to date. The fish was perfectly cooked and I felt that every ingredient on the plate was great friends. As I struggled not to lick my plate in public I was saddernded to be losing this plateful of friendly food.
We shared a dessert of apple crumble mousse with treacle ice cream. This was great also, the appley mousse was a contrasting texture to the crunchy crumble and washed down well with the ice cream that reminded me of a Kentish Gypsy Tart! Yum!
Often when I eat out I find there is one course that isn’t quite to standard. However with this meal every course was as good as the previous. I can’t wait to return to eat more lovely treasures from the sea and also see how the renovation work is going!
This restaurant is a hidden gem. Please visit, but make sure there is a table left for me!