Keller instinct: a Whitstable wine bar that wears its learning lightly

Crab sandwiches and oysters are a given for a day out in Whitstable, but in exciting news for Kent seaside visitors and coastal locals, there’s a new wine bar in town. Dan Smith, chef-owner of the Fordwich Arms (in nearby Canterbury), and sommelier Elliott Ashton-Konig have opened Keller on the high-street. It’s billed as a relaxed neighbourhood bar but, given the pair’s respective Michelin-starred experiences, it’s perhaps a more chic and considered affair than they’ve let on. They were led by a love of simplicity and clean lines – as well as inspiration from the local shoreline and surrounding landscapes of vineyards, orchards and fields.

Smith is keeping an eye on the menu (with head chef Ollie Clifford-Cox on the pans, over the charcoal oven), while Ashton-Konig has drawn on the best of Kent, and personal favourites from further afield, for a wine list less ordinary. “What’s excited me most is building a drinks list that people can’t easily find elsewhere,” he says. “Indigenous grape varieties will play a big part, hopefully encouraging guests to try something they may not have before.”

Smith is known as a champion of Kent produce. “It’s the Garden of England,” he says. “Exceptional seafood, local oysters. If you want to come in and have a glass of wine and a few snacks, that’s great.” For those who want to linger, there’ll be sharing steaks, roasted or grilled fish, perhaps suckling pig. A sense of place, local flavours, and no battling with gulls for chip.

Photograph by Getty