Deeson's British Restaurant, Canterbury

We stopped in at Deeson’s off the cuff on a breezy autumn evening, after a stroll around the evocative cobbled streets of Canterbury. Initially, our idea had been to have a simple pub dinner, but the special pre-theatre menu in Deeson’s window caught our attention. The deal (weekday evenings to 7pm) is two courses for £15 or three for £20, which we thought sounded ever so reasonable. We arrived in the nick of time, with just 20 minutes to spare within the deal timeframe. The friendly staff initially outnumbered diners, but this swiftly changed after 7pm, as couples and groups steadily took to their tables.
Deeson’s has a warm, chic feel – a typical modern British restaurant interior, but no less charming for it. Heritage green wood panelling is teamed with bold print wallpapers, well-worn and loved wooden chairs and distressed tables. Soft warm bread was served in a trice, and our drink orders taken swiftly. The locally-sourced bottled pear juice was stunning!
Starters set a high standard: A warm crab tart with brown shrimp sauce was light and fluffy, and the egg custard balanced perfectly with the subtle crab. The chicken terrine, packed with meat and fragranced with tarragon, came accompanied by a tangy caramelised onion chutney and a nicely dressed side salad. My only criticism was that it seemed fridge cold.
Much space was required for the mains. My partner’s seabass came on a bed of mash, accompanied by a piquant pepper/vinaigrette salsa. The fish was melt-in-the-mouth loveliness, contrasted by a crispy skin on one side.
I opted for the blade of beef. Also served with creamy mash, this huge slab of slow-cooked meat flaked apart at the slightest nudge of my cutlery, and was full of gelatinous flavour. The gravy/sauce was also packed with little flavour bombs of shallot and rich, earthy mushrooms. It was such a rich dish, it almost defeated me. But, like London’s excellent Rules (see previous review), this was food which required finishing!
Because the food was so filling, I was unable to sample the third course, so our meal came in at a very reasonable £20 per head all in. I’d definitely go back!

I was eagerly anticipating my first trip to Deeson's, having heard many good things about it. However, I was a little disappointed. Although the restaurant itself is beautiful (right by the Cathedral) and the staff were great the food wasn't as mind blowing as my (admittedly) high expectations were awaiting. The vegetarian options for my partner were dull to say the least - when are places going to realise that they don't all want tarts? However, the chips were fantastic and there's a good selection of local beers. It is pricey and I'm not entirely sure it's justified but I think I need to have a few more visits to completely make my mind up!

Generally good food, locally sourced and a fair price (though at the more expensive end of the scale for Canterbury) - expect to pay £40-50 per head for 3 courses and drinks.

The restaurant has a comfortable feel and the staff are friendly and welcoming. We were convinced there were microphones on the tables as no sooner had we a requirement (for example more bread) then it was brought to our table without us needing to ask - kudos to the waiting staff!

A fairly large group (15) of us booked recently for a Sunday lunch and we were all well-fed - the roasts were by-and-large excellent, with crisp vegetables and succulent meat accompanied by well-matched wines and delicious local ciders. The starters were generally good, though we didn't try the oysters after having had lacklustre reports from friends. The desserts were equally impressive, rich cakes and tarts - clearly handmade. The cheeseboard had a good selection of flavoursome British cheeses though was on the small side.

A word of caution for those with allergies: when we booked, we made it clear that there was member of our party with a food intolerance and were told "that's fine, we can cook anything from our menu without X" - it was in fact one our reasons for booking there. However, when we tried to order on the day, we were met with confused looks and a chef struggling to make anything without the 'problem' ingredient, ending up with that person with a rather dry (read: completely sauceless!) meal and later feeling quite unwell!!

We've visited Deeson's twice now and both times had an excellent dining experience. The emphasis is firmly on local produce and there are often some very traditional dishes on offer involving heads, cheeks and ears of pigs! The quality of the food is outstanding, lots of fresh local fish and the English wine list superb. The Chapel Down English Sparkling Rose at £27 was well worth the price.
This is not a white-table cloth establishment, just plain wood tables, which creates a casual dining experience and indeed the restaurant seems happy to mingle lunch time snackers with those ordering three course lunches. The starters are around £6, (oysters were delicious!) mains upwards from £13. There is no table d'hote menu so a three course menu can prove to be more expensive than neighbouring restaurants.

Deeson’s is a newly opened restaurant in the heart of Canterbury city centre close to the Cathedral Gates on Sun Street.

Menus are printed on A4 paper (presumably because the menu changes quite regularly with what is available locally)and well set out in plain English.

I ordered a starter of blue cheese and walnut salad. My first complaint was that the salad was under dressed. It consisted a few limp lettuce leaves, fragments of walnut and a small amount of blue cheese. It was quite underwhelming.

A good test of a chef’s capabilities is whether he or she can pull off a delicious vegetarian main course. I am afraid to say that the filled buckwheat pancake I received was dull fayre and more than this, it was burnt.

The others in my party were served bad oysters and the person serving these slimy items persisted in arguing that they were 'Fresh this morning, sir’.

Perhaps if those who served us had been a little bit more humble, I might have been discreet about my bad experience. However, the arrogance and the defensive way criticism was received has left a bitter taste in my mouth.

We visited here for dinner after the first day of riding on our London to Paris bike ride, so we had an excellent appetite!

Deeson's emphasis is on local produce. Their menu is carfully designed as a showcase of the best that Kent ("the allotment of England") has to offer.

We really enjoyed the selection of British dishes, which were prepared with care, and tasted fantastic.

I won't detail all the dishes we tried, although I recommenced the excellent pork belly or rib eye steak for a main. Take a look at their menu for further examples:
http://www.deesonsrestaurant.co.uk/main_menu.php

For drinks we tried their carefully selected local bottled ales, and a delicious white wine from a local vineyard. They suggested appropriate drinks to match the various courses.

I though the restaurant offered excellent value for money. Not a cheap dinner but very good considering the quality.

I would have given this restaurant 5 stars, but our waitress was a little confused with her answers when asked questions about some of the dishes, which meant what we ordered was slightly different to what we expected. However, service was good apart from this, and I expect this was probably not the normal experience.

Looking forward to visiting again next time I'm in Cantebury!