Once found on Addington Street, Ramsgate, Seabird now lives where the former Coffee Shed once stood in Margate’s Old Town.
Quietly popping up on the corner of The Parade and Duke Street at the start of the year, and officially opening in June, the all day dining spot is not a complete transplant of its former self although similar in many ways.
There are some familiar faces behind the bar, and not just from the original Seabird - manager Mike previously worked at Ramsgate’s much-loved Archive.
It shares an aesthetic with its previous incarnation - it may in fact have the exact same light fittings, even. Handsome with a tinge of mid-century, cosy bench seating runs along the corner sides of the cafe/restaurant/bar as natural light pours in from the wrap of glass walls. It’s also every bit as friendly and relaxed as Seabird 1.0, and still a bit of a treat.
However, Seabird 2.0 has expanded its kitchen service to run three menus across the day. For the morning, it’s a selection of classic brunch hits, bistro-style dishes for lunch, and small plates and picky bits for the evening - with the steak tartare and sea bass ceviche, also making the move from Ramsgate.
We visited Seabird for lunch, when the temperature was roasting. We sat in the piazza under an umbrella and felt quite smug about life.
While perhaps not the grandest piazza known to anyone, places like Seabird and the newly opened Angela’s Bar are bringing some pizazz to the piazza, a corner of Margate that can at times feel like a collection of seagulls, sunburn and the queue for Peter’s Fish Factory.
On this sunny Thursday afternoon however, the piazza was a vibe. With the sea breeze in our hair and Main Sands and the Harbour Arm in view, tables of lunching ladies lingered over bottles of white, couples dined and friends caught up over coffees as Margate and her dogs walked by in every direction.
Lunch was a plaice schnitzel and the bookmakers sandwich. The samphire and smoked salmon served with a poached egg and parmesan crème fraîse, and the wild mushroom crumpet were also contenders.
It was a casually stylish meal. The sandwich, which could also work as a late brunch, was made open. A pressed strip of pink-in-the-middle minute steak and a fried egg, sunny side up, sat upon a slice of toasted sourdough. The smear of horseradish - sharp and creamy - and the verdant, briney caper garnish cut through the meal’s heft.
The schnitzel was also a hit. Soft, flakey fish encased in a light, dry crumb was served with a pile of crunchy pickled red cabbage, which was simple and fresh. The curried tartare sauce that came with the dish had both piccalilli and coronation energy.
Seabird’s cocktail game is strong, and many can be made alcohol free. There’s a healthy selection and range enough to find one to go with whatever menu you’re looking at. The Picante Verde, made with mint, cucumber, lime and coriander, tasted like pure, refreshing health. The only give away it wasn’t somebody else’s morning green juice was the smokiness of the tequila and mescal.
The Solstice was a warm weather spritz. Light, and made with apricot brandy and a maraschino cherry-like syrup, it slipped down quickly in the afternoon sun.
To finish, the gin-based Temeraire looked like a sunset. With creme de peche, passionfruit and lemon in the glass, it also tasted like someone’s morning juice - tropical this time - but with the foaminess of a sour. The Seabird Gibson was a short and punchy martini. Crisp and boozy, and garnished with pickled onions, a second one would have made short work of my afternoon.
Unfussy yet well put together, Seabird Margate retains all the elements that made it a hit in Ramsgate. Grab yourself a cocktail and say hello to an old friend.
Seabird Margate, 12-13 The Parade, Margate CT9 1EY, seabirdflyhome.com/
