As I’ve mentioned on here before, I live close by to Hannah who runs Baileycakes blog, so when she features amazing looking cafés and restaurants they immediately get added to my ‘to-visit’ list. The most recent occasion of this was when she featured The Raft in Milford on Sea – their unique, beachcomber-esque décor, not to mention their extremely yummy-sounding menu had me immediately pencilling in a dinner out in my diary on Saturday. Unfortunately, after a quick phonecall we discovered they were fully-booked on Saturday (apparently they get really busy) and so the next best option was to visit them for lunch on Sunday after a long walk at Barton-on-Sea.
It really was beautiful inside – a mix of beach hut and country manor with the cosiness of your own living room and a few hints of architectural salvage/vintage garden to boot. We were a bit worried about Bodhi being left in the car so we didn’t stay too long but I can imagine whiling away an afternoon here on a sunny day with a chilled glass of wine, watching people go by in the high street (or in their courtyard garden).
Tom and I never pass up an opportunity to have baked Camembert – it’s an unspoken rule that if it’s on a menu, it’s getting ordered – so we had one to share as a starter. It came with garlic bread fingers which were perfect for dipping in goo-ey cheese.
It was absolutely amazing, and one of the best camemberts I’ve had; the right mix of delectable, melted centre, with hints of rosemary and garlic and a harder, flavoursome crust.Tom had a burger for his main, which came with chips in an enamel mug, a crisp salad and a huge burger sandwiched between crusty wedges of bread. I had onion and cabbage potato cakes which came with bacon lardons, melted cheese, tomatoes and salad.
I was expecting it might be a small dish but it really wasn’t! After that I was much too full to look at the dessert menu but having had a sneaky peek when we were choosing our mains I will definitely be returning and sampling some of the delights on there as soon as possible (coconut panna cotta with mango jam? Yes please!). Our starter, mains, a large glass of wine and a pint of beer came to £33 which I think is really reasonable. I can’t wait to go back, I have a feeling it’s going to become a real favourite for us. On the way out I had to take a photo of their lovely happy list, doesn’t it make you smile?
If you want to visit The Raft you can check out their website or Facebook.
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