Yorkshire-born Kevin Mangeolles began his career in the kitchen as a teenager. He did an apprenticeship at The Dragonara Hotel in Leeds, which is now a Hilton Hotel. He then worked for a short period as a fish chef at La Tante Claire in London. The restaurant gave Mangeolles his first taste of working in a Michelin-starred establishment as chef Pierre Koffmann had been awarded two stars at La Tante Claire.
Kevin Mangeolles
Other jobs included being a chef at Michael’s Nook Hotel in Grasmere, where he started in 1989. The place is now closed, but he was promoted to the position of head chef only 18 months into his time there, and his work was rewarded by winning 3 AA rosettes.
In 1995, he left the mainland behind for the Isle of Wight and The George Hotel in Yarmouth. It was here that he won his first Michelin star, which he held for over 10 years, and another three AA rosettes.
After reaching the peak of their success at The George, Kevin and wife Jacki, who works as a manager for his restaurants, started to look for another challenge.
In August 2007 the couple left the Isle of Wight and together set up and opened their own venture, The Neptune Restaurant with Rooms on the Norfolk coast. The Mangeolles purchased the struggling pub and entirely revamped it, reopening the establishment as a fine dining restaurant. The picturesque setting was not the only draw, as by 2009 the restaurant had won a Michelin star and was known for the quality of the food.
The former coaching inn, which dates back to the 18th century, offers six rooms for guests, has a very inviting fire for those colder seaside days and alfresco dining during the warmer summer months. Interestingly the wine cellar is actually an old smuggler’s goods store and there are secret passages that lead down towards the beach.
Food style
It is one of only two Michelin-starred restaurants on the Norfolk coast, along with Galton Blackiston’s Morston Hall 20 miles east of The Neptune. Mangeolles tries to source as many of the ingredients that he uses in the kitchen from local producers, including seafood caught off the coast and lamb from a nearby farm, and he has built close ties with the suppliers.
He has also tried out foraging for wild ingredients but asserts that he will only use the best food stuffs and will never compromise on taste or quality. Dishes have a modern British and European feel, and there is a tasting menu, a la carte options and a Sunday Lunch menu as well.
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