David D.
Yelp
I've become a regular here since moving back to Dover.
Opposite the town hall, the restaurant is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. You generally need to book on Friday/Saturday nights.
The food quality is excellent, generally being locally sourced. The owner encourages locals to bring in produce they have grown themselves.
The place probably seats around 25 at a push, it has an open kitchen which doesn't intrude on the dining experience in any way, not noisy and no drifting cooking smells.
A blackboard menu normally offers about 6 starters and 8 mains. Starters range from soups such as Honeyed Butternut Squash soup(!) to maybe Twice Baked Stilton and Goats Cheese Soufflé.
There are a few staple dishes in the mains selection, such as sirloin (locally reared) then seasonal dishes such as Slow Roasted 'crying' shoulder of canterbury Lamb.
Prices are good for this quality of food, around £6 for starters and mains averaging £12-£13, from £8.95 (I think) for home made burgers up to £16 for 21 day aged sirloin.
Can't comment much on the desserts as I'm normally too full to eat one, but they look good and are surprisingly reasonably priced, around £4 for most, say for Bramley Apple Tarte Tatin with custard or Almond and Raspberry frangipane and creme fraiche.
The wine list deserves a mention too, I like the fact the house wines are very reasonably priced at £14 and others are all priced the same, £17. They have another list of "Expensive Wines of Exceptionally High Quality" if you really want to spend , again at a fixed price, £45. I haven't bothered with those!
The standard list generally has a classic, one or two new worlds and maybe a local in each colour. It took me a few visits to get to it, but now I always drink the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - great wine and a great price too.
If you asked me where to get the best food in Dover town that wasn't Indian or Chinese, this is it. Enjoy.
Edit (15/11/09):
This place has just become the first ever actually IN Dover to be in the Good Food Guide. Well deserved.