The Goods Shed

November 17th 2012- Rafael at The Goods Shed

Set in an old Victorian railway goods shed, it appears to not be the ideal place for a farmers market (or restaurant for that matter), but The Goods Shed for years has proven a great, local success through its endorsement and vital promotion of seasonal and local produce from around Kent. Providing a wonderful array of products and services from charcuterie to greengrocers, bakeries to fishmongers. Cutting out the middleman and selling these great Kentish goods to the public, as well as utilising them in the restaurant. Which has been (after ten years) given an identity and name, Rafael at The Goods Shed, named after the long term chef Rafael Lopez. Uniquely set on the mezzanine/balcony the restaurant itself is quite small, so booking in any situation would seem recommended. The heaters buzzing above us and the trains rattling along occasionally added to a very unique experience to say the least.
After scrolling the drinks menu, an extensive array of local beer, ciders and wines were displayed, but also lesser known regions for wine made an appearance, with wines from Romania and Portugal making the list. A Kentish apple juice was opted for in the end, which was possibly the best juice i've ever had, sparking a revelation, the "Garden of England" tag line started to all make sense to me.

The menu itself is what you'd expect of any restaurant that uses such fresh, local produce in such a close catchment area, it's a tight menu, consisting of five starters, six main courses and five desserts but simplicity is the word. After sampling the wonderful bread, from Enzo's Bakery, just metres away from the restaurant we both went for the scallops, simply written on the menu with jerusalem artichoke puree and smoked bacon. Served with the roes on- something I personally like to see (though others I believe may dislike) were seasoned perfectly, golden on the outside, silky soft in the middle. Teamed up with the creamy, earthy puree of the jerusalem artichokes and the salty bacon was a classic combination which was pulled together by a background flavour of thyme and garlic oil. Sublime.
After a promising start to the meal, anticipation and expectancy grew as we had both chosen our favourite meats, with MBH choosing the pork belly and me choosing the haunch of venison. With the restaurant slowly filling up, the main courses took a little longer than expected. After 25 minutes, we eventually received the main courses, which did not deliver the pungency or flavour I was becoming accustomed to experiencing.
The venison promised so much, but delivered very little. The main event lacked any real flavour, although cooked to perfection being rose pink in the middle, I would question both the quality of meat and general seasoning of the entire dish. Disappointing. The black pudding and wilted greens although reading well were lost in the dish as well, as it struggled to claim an identity as a whole. The jus flavoured with prunes lacked depth or the expected meaty/sweet punch which was anticipated and which the venison so desperately needed.
The roast pork belly, however, partnered with quince puree was slightly more of a success, with crisp crackling and a more intense sauce was a classic combination excelled and altered by the replacement of apples with Kentish quince. What came apparent however was that both dishes were served with the same medley of seasonal vegetables which for me identified a lack of imagination and pure laziness to create separate garnishes. This may have been forgiven if these vegetables had been cooked in a way to enhance the flavours, but they seemed boiled and steamed, again lacking a fair amount of seasoning- almost crying out for it, or even just roasting the vegetables with a good knob of butter could have made all the difference. After some quite bulky portions we had to leave before dessert, although offering a wonderful array of homemade sorbets such as the quince, crab apple and rosehip the dessert menu seemed to lack that creative spark which may have enticed us to continue. 

The general ethos behind the Goods Shed cannot be criticised, as I  can only praise the project as it's proving to be a wonderful way to introduce the public to local produce once again. I'm still undecided to whether I came on an off day, as I heard rave reviews elsewhere from friends and critics alike, but overall although showcasing some wonderful produce the restaurant lacked imagination and technical execution in making it anymore than that.

Rating- 5/10