Sankey's Seafood Brasserie & Oyster Bar
39 Mount Ephraim,
Royal Tunbridge Wells,
Kent,
TN4 8AA
01892 511 422
/ www.sankeys.co.uk
/ view map
Surveyed 03/03/2011
What does this rating mean?
About this restaurant
A family-owned and run pub, brasserie and fishmonger in one business in Royal Tunbridge Wells. When we first reviewed Sankey’s we praised them for their outstanding commitment to sustainability and this still seems to be the case.
The pub offers a seafood sharing platter for £15.50; moules mariniere for £8 and traditional beer-battered fish and chips for £10.95.
The brasserie offers paella to share for £42 and surf ‘n turf – consisting of a whole Cornish lobster, five rib eye steaks, chips and salad – for £58.
The fishmonger is further down the road and boasts: “Sustainability is as important here as it is in the Brasseries and every effort is made to ensure that our products are sourced as responsibly as possible.”
They say...
Sankey's has always had strong concerns for the welfare of the world’s fisheries. We believe that some fisheries are being heavily over fished and will not purchase fish caught in these fisheries. Sankey's has made a commitment to ensure that neither the Fishmongers nor the Seafood Brasserie will knowingly buy or sell fish from an unsustainable source.
We say...
This restaurant, pub and fishmonger have an upfront and robust policy on sustainability which they place at the heart of their philosophy. Its sustainability message is the first thing to be seen on the menu and does Sankey's great credit. It is heartwarming to see underused species such as megrim, John Dory and gurnard on the menu. It uses organic farmed Gigha halibut, Dover sole from a recognised and certified fishery and Loch Duart salmon, which does its best to avoid fishmeal from unsustainable stocks. It does use King prawn but we are assured by their supplier that these are from an approved Madagascan organic farm.
There is a lot of shellfish on the menu but it is all pot or creel caught and none of the shellfish is dredged. Sankey’s continues to operate a scheme where one lobster is released under a hatchery scheme for each one sold.
We are delighted that Sankey’s continues to prosper while still abiding by its sustainability rules and it thoroughly deserves its 4.5 Blue Fish rating.
« Return to the restaurant index
is there any alternative to fish ?
July 09 2012
It was Matthew Sankey who approached us at the National Lobster Hatchery and asked if he could support our work. Over the last 18 months Sankey's have donated over £2,000 and paid for 596 lobsters to be released back into the wild in Cornwall. Fantastic!
June 03 2010
I was lucky enough to start going to Miya's in the very early 1980's when Bun's mother opened its doors on Chapel Street (across from the Elm City Diner). I was an instant fan not just because of the very consistently good food, but also because of the wonderful people who owned, cooked, and operated the place. In Bun's case, the apple didn't fall far from the tree! He has taken this wonderful restaurant to new places and is taking us all along on the journey. I applaud him (and his great staff) for continuing to push the boundaries for sustainable cooking and eating and bringing us along with him on this journey. Make the trip to New Haven and make sure you get a chance to talk to Bun. He is a rare individual with whom you may fall in love. To be sure, you will fall in love with his food!
June 03 2010
Best local fish restaurant in the area - has never failed to produce delicious fresh fish - am very pleased to see it comes from sustainable sources and cannot recommend this restaurant enough!
June 03 2010