The building came first. The Woolstore went up in the 1820s, built with recycled 17th century oak beams for the grading and storing of wool, a job it did until 1972. It stands on the foundations of the 14th century city wall, raised from reclaimed flints and ragstone that once ran along the riverbank from the Westgate Towers. In the early 1990s the riverside foundations were underpinned to stop them slipping into the water, using the same technique that stabilised the Tower of Pisa, and the roof was rebuilt in Welsh slate.
A converted woolstore on the river Stour, reached over a little footbridge. Mediterranean plates and pizzas from the wood-fired oven, wine by the glass, and a terrace made for sunny afternoons.
Café du Soleil opened here in 2010. The French-British team behind it added the entrance bridge across the river, an al fresco riverside terrace and a relaxed indoor room of exposed brick and oak beams, with a menu that is a reflection of the name: wood-fired cooking with the warmth of the Mediterranean.
We offer as much of our wine list as possible by the glass, using the Coravin system so every pour is in perfect condition. At the heart of the list are the award-winning wines of Domaine Gayda, made in the Languedoc by a Canterbury local and his partners, bringing a taste of southern France back home to the riverbank. Bottled beers too, if that is more your mood.
Menu and prices as in the restaurant.
The wine has a Canterbury connection too. Domaine Gayda in the Languedoc is the creation of Canterbury local Tim Ford and his partners, who set out to make modern, fruit-driven wines in the village of Brugairolles. The grapes are grown biodynamically, picked by hand and sorted by hand, and we are delighted to pour the results here by the river.
| Monday | 12:00 - 21:30 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 12:00 - 21:30 |
| Wednesday | 12:00 - 21:30 |
| Thursday | 12:00 - 21:30 |
| Friday | 12:00 - 22:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 - 22:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 - 21:30 |
The sharing feast comes up again and again: a generous, sociable way to try the wood-fired dishes, with the meatballs and Italian sausage singled out as favourites.
Guests keep writing about the setting: crossing the little bridge to get in, tables by the water, and an indoor room of brick and beam that holds its own when the weather turns.
Service is described as friendly and welcoming, and diners notice the care in how plates are built, with sides and sauces given as much thought as the main event.
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