Cafe du Soleil — Restaurant in Canterbury

I took my boyfriend here as part of his Valentine's Day present as I read the amazing reviews online and saw it had a great local reputation in Canterbury.

For starters we ordered the mixed vegetarian starter which had a delicious spread of Mediterranean inspired delights. The hummus was tasty; the tzatziki was really fresh, creamy and with the right about of mintiness; olives were a mixture of green and calamanta and they gave plenty of them - we couldn't manage them all but if you are both obsessed with olives then I am sure you will have no trouble polishing them off; there was a delicious aubergine, caper and tomato dip as well which we liked and the bread was tasty but there could be more for all the dips. The crowning glory of the platter was the creamy cambert.

For mains we ordered the aubergine, ricotta and mint ravioli and it was draped with a velvety smooth tomato sauce, finished with a swirl of basil oil and dusted with finely grated parmesan. The pasta was al dente and the filling was heavenly: no bite was the same but there were elements of smoky, charred aubergine and fragrant mint with delicious creaminess all the way through. The portion was a good size for a main and I thought this dish was really innovative and different for a vegetarian ravioli. My partner ordered the brisket which came with truffled mac and cheese. He said the meat was delicious and the sauce was tasty. The mac was creamy with a hint of truffle which he really liked.

For dessert, I ordered a tiramisu and my boyfriend ordered the chocolate brownie served with white chocolate ice cream. The brownie was more of a cakey brownie but was rich, decadent. We feel as though the hot and cold element of the pudding was a winner. The tiramisu was light and classy with pillowy soft cream and the sponges were as light as air and soaked in Espresso.

We rarely have three courses when we go out to eat but all three courses were super and we are so glad we sampled the puddings. We did have an alcoholic beverage as well as 3 courses and the food and service was well worth the price. Waiting staff were friendly and efficient. Food arrived quickly which was also good as we had a masterclass in town.

We plan to come back in future to try the pizzas. I would really recommend this lovely restaurant if you want a special meal...

Great staff. Overly salty food that isn't worth the price and portions are tiny. This may be something you enjoy eating. I didn't. The amount of salt in almost everything was ridiculous.

Didn't think the dishes were that tasty either.. Aubergine dish for example tasted mainly of too much salt, cheese and tomato.

I was shocked when my first two starters came. They were so tiny. £9-£9.50 each.

I didn't photograph the aubergine starter fully, because I was too hungry. But there's likely many photos others have taken of it.

Brushetta bread is crazy hard and thin.

I've eaten pizza here years ago and remember thinking it was terrible. Best pizza I've had was in the south of Germany in an Italian run by an Italian family. Good pizza is hard to come by.

I only ate here because the usual place I eat at, just nearby, Cafe Des Amis (which almost always has amazing food) was fully booked till much later and I was too exhausted and hungry to head back into the center and look for a place to eat.

This place and cafe des amis have the same owner so I was surprised the food here, wasn't good (in my opinion).

I did complain about the food, and staff were professional and offered solutions.

Ambience is nice. I like the open kitchen too. Wish it were more 'on display'. I love watching pros cook. As it is, unless you stand up, and watch, you won't be able to see much.

It's very small inside, but lighting and decor is nice. The UK needs American sized restaurants. Ours are pathetically tiny.

The toilet room only has cold water. I went 1 March 2023. It was freezing cold water due it being freezing outside. Also I don't like that it's the push down to use style tap. But just cold water is a no no. Mixer taps should be the norm by now too, so you're not battling with adjusting hot and cold water to get the right temperature. But here it's only cold water.

Try it. Clearly many people like it judging by the reviews. Wasn't...

I came here with my mother to celebrate her belated birthday. It was by far the best wood fire cuisine I have ever been to. The restaurant itself sits right by the water's edge and you have to walk over the little bridge to get to the front door, the front doors were made out of glass and already very welcoming. Once inside we were greeted and sat down immediately.

The service was absolutely wonderful we had a lovely waiter called Elisa (everybody should request to have her as a waiter when they come here). Elisa was very friendly and extremely attentive she clocked we were dressed up and asked us if there was a special occasion to which I replied 'it's mum's belated birthday night out.' Elisa was right there whenever we needed something. She deserves all the tips she can get!

Oh, I almost forgot about the food. For starters, we had the Crispy Calamari Salad and the Four Ducks which actually goes very well together if you're sharing. Then for our main course, we both had the Rump Steak Burger which was equally as good as the starter, we had Fries on the side which were cooked to perfection and I wish I had room for more. To finish off we had dessert, mum had Vanilla Cheesecake & Passion Fruit and I had Chocolate & Coconut Cream Ganache. I must say that I preferred my Chocolate & Coconut Cream Ganache. Elisa surprised us with a candle stick in mums Vanilla Cheesecake & Passion Fruit dessert which was quite warming.

Overall we had a fantastic time, we left with huge smiles on our faces and continued laughing down the road on our way to the theatre. I'd come back in a heartbeat!

The restaurant, food and service were just as good if not better than some of the restaurants I've been to in London and at least I didn't have to fork out £300+ for the same amount of value....