Dog days and outside falafel

A guest review by anonymous

Since owning a dog, a lockdown puppy who is now nearly two, life requires significantly more planning. And by life I include falafel eating.
So a weekend involving a beach walk, nosing around a few junk shops, examining fascinatingly historic artefacts in a local museum.. and dropping into a cafe or restaurant for lunchtime falafel .. all now require forethought. No more spontaneous heading off.
Most pubs do allow four legged companions but very few allow falafel on their menu.
Dogs are a no no NO on most beaches in spring and summer. But luckily September to April is a free for all.

So, this brisk sunny January day we visited the vast Sandy beach and harbour of the rapidly-up-and coming, and very trendy, former Georgian and Victorian beach holiday hotspot that is – Ramsgate. Queen Victoria took her hols here as a princess, and the Royal Victoria Pavilion marking her reign is now the most enormous JD Wetherspoons. Very posh sea view apartments are springing up on the site of Ramsgate’s old train station which used to deliver holiday makers right to the sand. And lo – right beside that we found A la Turka restaurant with Falafel on the menu. We tried to get the dog in, but understandably that was not allowed. They had some outdoor tables so after going back to the car for another coat, my lunch of a delicious falafel meal was secured .. as was the dog who was leashed to the table. The restaurant kindly had little water bowls under each one.
The falafel meal, at £14 was enormous even before bread, salad and chips were produced ( I could have had rice or bulgar instead of chips ). The salad was delicious with pomegrate seeds and the main came with plentiful hummus and a delicious aubergine saksuka. I had to ask for a take away box. Very nice staff. All in all very satisfactory and we even found a huge junk shop emporium that let the dog in.
As life with dog continues I will have to contend with takeaways and outdoor falafel eating as standard it seems. A word of warning though. Don’t give the dog falafel – chick peas are fine but they can’t tolerate the spices. At all.