The Frog and Scot, Deal

3rd September, 2023

It would be lovely to sit here and write another post about a wonderful venue, fantastic food and a well behaved dog sitting relaxed by our feet… unfortunately, as much as we adore our little Bailey, sometimes he has other ideas.

Surprise surprise, today was one such day.

We could tell his ‘stress bucket’ was a little fuller than we’d like as we set off on the short train ride to Deal, but hoped a quiet beer garden or gentle walk around a park would see him right. Unfortunately though, this was not to be.

Having eyed up the Frog and Scot on our previous visits to the town, we walked past today and noticed a lovely quiet side street where we may just be able to get away with a meal before whisking him back home. The setting was idyllic, and very French. Beautiful tables on a quiet street in Deal, with the September sun warming our backs, we had to chance our luck!

The genuinely lovely team gave us a warm greeting as he let out one of his high pitched barks. They smiled through the noise and sat us down outside. To be honest, on a day like today, despite the interior perfectly suiting their modern bistro vibe, and the sort of place we could see ourselves returning to again and again, it really was a sitting outside kinda day anyway.

We ordered some focaccia, scallop ceviche, a delicious tomato panzanella, patatas bravas and some goats cheese dumplings (all delicious, far exceeding expectations!). The service was pleasantly brisk and always very friendly, however four of these eight legs just wasn’t having it! Everytime they came near our table, he let out a bark (nothing aggressive, just that of a grumpy 3 year old dog who wanted nothing more than to be left alone to bask in the warm sun).

This resulted in the team finding almost ninja-like methods to bring us our dishes, so as to avoid unsettling him further. This was above and beyond. Not only did it make us all smile, it really showed how much they cared about not upsetting Bailey. It's little things like that which makes a place really stand out - and to be honest makes it a place we will definitely return to with and without Bailey as they clearly believe in going that bit further to make sure their guests are looked after.

And if your four legged friend is a little more reliable than ours was today, we noticed they were setting up a DJ booth for their monthly Eclectic Beach Sundays, where “relaxing house, world disco and balearic beats” can accompany their great food, along with local beers and organic wines.

Pints and Paws overall summary

• What did we have? Focaccia; Patatas Bravas; tomato panzanella with olives, feta and marjoram; Goats cheese dumplings with chilli honey and scallop ceviche with a lime dressing, roe aioli, chilli and radish; sparkling water

• How much did it cost? £52 for two people with service, worth every penny!

• How would we describe it? A great modern bistro with an unpretentious and welcoming vibe. The sort of palace you’d be equally happy to visit for a special occasion or just a quiet Sunday afternoon glass of wine.

• Did Bailey enjoy himself? Well yes and no. The way the staff went out of their way to make sure he did enjoy himself meant a lot, but ultimately this was a day where he just wanted to be curled up next to us, under his blanket on the sofa (no prizes for guessing where he is right now!)

• Venue Website: https://frogandscot.co.uk