"The Abergavenny Arms in Frant is a stone’s throw from Tunbridge wells, surrounded by stunning countryside scenery. The interior boasts classic country pub vibes, with cosy décor with an elegance brought by the natural lighting on a bright day. To start we had a Selection...of Homemade Breads with Cultured Butter and Marinated Olives. The breads were like an armadillo, with the ideal crusty outside but soft and fluffy on the inside. The cultured butter was heavenly, our particular favourite was the wild garlic butter which was a lovely green in colour and beautifully fragranced. The olives were some of the biggest we had ever seen and were deliciously marinaded. The starter of Roasted Scallops, Charred Cauliflower, Pickled Golden Raisins, curried Puree, Crispy Chicken Skin, which is a bit of a mouthful to say, was the incredible. The flavours worked together perfectly, the chicken skin was a personal highlight for the dish and tied the curry flavour of the puree together with the meaty monk fish cheeks. The Roasted 2 Bone Rack of English Lamb, with a Lamb Faggot, Braised Barley with Celeriac Puree Lamb Jus seemed a strange mix. To me, the dish seemed to have a lot of components that didn’t seem to work together. The lamb itself was delicious, it was succulent and tender, perfectly pink in the middle however, the lamb faggot was overpowering in a way that ‘trumped’ the rack. The braised barley was an interesting side, but perhaps would have been better paired with a lighter meat, such as chicken or even fish. The Abergavenny Arms serves quite possibly the best steak dish I’ve tried in a long time, and there has been many! The Roasted 40 Days Aged English Sirloin, Smoked Creamed Potato, Ox Cheek Croquette with Mushroom Puree Beef Jus is, in my opinion, worth every penny. Each component in this dish added to the overall feel of ‘fine dining’ with each part being just as important as the next. The steak itself was cooked to perfection, the medium rare meat was incredibly tender, and every bite melted in the mouth. The Ox Cheek Croquette is something that could be devoured on its own, with this dish, it really was the cherry on top! When you think of fine dining, you often think of tiny portions or that you’ll need at least 10 of each to feel full, but that is not the case here at all. We ordered a couple of sides with our mains, just in case! The Smoked Bacon and Leek Crumble was superb, it was creamy and flavourful and the crumble on top added a different texture, which was very welcome to the creaminess beneath. Overall, The Abergavenny Arms is a gorgeous country pub with a menu that compliments its charm. The staff are friendly, polite, and very conversational. You are made to feel very welcome here. We enquired about the origin of the produce, particularly the meat, and were assured that all of the meat is locally sourced, which adds to the sense of locality that the venue offers."
