An artsy British seaside town so hip that Madonna just dropped by for the local creative scene; Margate has been making it’s mark. For chef Aleksandar Taralezhkov, the town isn’t just a home and backdrop, it’s more of a creative partner. Food and design collide perfectly for this Central Saint Martins design graduate. Hailing originally from Sofia, he’s also witnessed an evolving local foodie scene take shape over years in the Bulgarian capital. And as a judge on MasterChef Bulgaria, he championed culinary authenticity with the same disruptive flair he applies to his food.
In London, Taralezhkov consulted for hospitality outfits like Alan Yau’s Busaba Eathai, and setup his own hospitality design studio. But by 2019, after a chef’s residency at trendy local wine bar Urchin, he traded the suffocating city rents and repetitive demands of the capital’s hospitality scene for Margate’s softer tidal rhythms.
Here the culinary creative found his voice on the windswept Kentish coastline, with a daily ritual dictated by the tides: a bracing morning ocean swim or visits to his allotment. In 2021 opening (the now closed) Dolma Bar – an intimate, rug-dotted sanctuary that reflected his design background that became an unexpected bridge in Margate’s evolving social tapestry, connecting the influx of creative “DFL” (Down From London) arrivals with the town’s Balkan community: signature dolma and sarma, dubbed “Balkan dim sum”, a hit paired with natural wines.
Favourite local restaurants in Margate?
It is probably the no-reservations Dory’s overlooking the main sands, sister restaurant to Angela’s. They are going through a bit of transformation and are due to merge soon into one new site nearby. The sunsets at Dory’s are iconic paired with a nice local white wine, crab tart and smoked Atlantic prawns. You still have time until March to visit the OG site.
What makes this town feel like home now?
The creative community in Margate for me is unmatched. The talent dotted around this small town is an endless source of inspiration. I’ve made some lifetime friendships with the most inspiring individuals. It is also the place that has truly enabled me to act and be brave and try new things, which makes it extra special. Also I bought my first home in Margate. Any foreigner, who’s adopted the UK as their country, will know how important that is.
Local hidden gems?
The snooker bar at the Lido is a vibe. Breakfast at the Dalby Cafe – small breakfast, white bread and butter, half and half tomatoes and beans, extra slice of black pudding and brown sauce. I always say that if this cafe was in, let’s say Japan, purely because of the context, the breakfast plate would be considered a masterpiece.
Scott’s for random antiques, it used to be an ice storage supplied with Norwegian glacial ice – wild. Now it houses treasures unknown even to the owners themselves. Shell Grotto where there’s 4.6 million shells and a quirky iconic attraction that’s considered one of Margate’s many mysteries. It’s hard to explain this out-of-this-world space, but its given its name to one of Margate’s iconic drag queens Miss Shelly Grotto.
Best local bars in Margate and why?
I love Off Licence just across from the iconic Lido spire in Cliftonville. Deke who runs it has an amazing eye for hospitality, it is subtle with a fine attention to detail.
Spa, health or wellness routine you swear by?
There are a few things I would consider wellness which perhaps could seem a little less orthodox than a massage or a facial. Working the land, I lucked out with an allotment in recent years. Encouraged by my horticulturist allotment buddy Chantell, I’ve been getting my hand dirty and my fingers green. She always reminds me of the mood enhancing bacteria hidden in the soil. I strongly second that.
Cold water swimming/dipping peaked during lockdown but it would be a shame not to take advantage of The Walpole Bay tidal pool – the largest one in the UK . The real treat is that we also have a free community-ran sauna parked right by the edge of the pool. It is fantastic, curtesy of Dulcie, our very own local seaweed powered skincare brand.
Tell us about being on Masterchef Bulgaria.
The MasterChef experience allowed me to spend more time in Bulgaria and reconnect with my country, since I’ve lived abroad for the past 20 years. Also serendipitously I found myself suddenly in quite a powerful position as judge on the show, and it was fascinating how people’s perception and expectations of you change. The truth is I loved working in TV, I though it easy and enjoyable. Would love to do more of it in the future. Perhaps a third career after design and cheffing.
Tell us something we wouldn’t know about Balkan cuisine.
Often Bulgaria and the Balkans get grouped up with the general perception of Eastern European. By that, I mean potatoes, meats, dumplings. But Balkan cuisine has its own flavour, somewhere at the crossing point of Central European and Mediterranean. Balkan food is fresh, rich, close to the earth. Contrary to perception, it isn’t always meat heavy, we have wonderful postni (animal product free) dishes. Salads in Bulgaria reign supreme in spring and summer and are the centre of a meal. It is a very very good cuisine.
Favourite restaurants in Sofia, Bulgaria?
Perhaps because I work with food and design I look for places that are the least designed and pretentious. Lunch at Fantasia for the chicken hearts, tripe soup and homemade garlic dill crisps/chips. For vibes and a few small dinner plates I like SOL, on Vrabcha Street, that has only four things on the menu that change daily. It’s tiny and relaxed. For something more elevated go to Komat at DOT: the food is good, the building has beautiful contemporary architecture and you can see some art as well.
How has the Bulgarian and broader Balkan food scene evolved in the past few years?
There are many changes happening. I feel lately New Balkan Cuisine has been trying to settle in the region, akin to the path of New Nordic. I would love to see more concepts beyond that coming through, that explore processes and culinary traditions, with the way Balkan people experience food everyday. There is power in that. Some changes I’m comfortable with others, less so. Recently a journalist friend of mine was fascinated with a Bulgarian word I mentioned. “Chuzhdopoklonnichestvo,” meaning “you’re welcome”. But it roughly it translates to “bowing down to the foreign” and it means valuing the other more just for the sake of it. This has led to a lot of bad copies and erasure of local culture.
As a chef, tell us about your signature dishes and what makes them special?
With sarmas and dolmas, cutting corners aren’t really an option. It becomes almost a meditative state. I like making these gentle parallels like substituting sauerkraut for kimchi. With the kimchi sarma, for example, one must tessellate a great amount of wrapped parcels to be ready for service. Since they require so much prep, when they’re gone, they are gone.
What would your own ideal restaurant look like?
Something that feel incredibly intimate and cosy. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to bring to the world lately. With all the uncertainty bubbling up everywhere, I would love to provide a refuge and escapism through hospitality; a place that doesn’t demand of the guest but comforts. A no urgency space, where the world becomes smaller and kinder, and just enough. Dim lit, wood panelled, stone paved, curtain draped and wood fire illuminated.
Most inspiring city for food you’ve visited recently?
These days I really love Athens. There’s something in the air and I can feel a special energy building up. The place is very much alive. It’s a city that combines grittiness and refinement with the perfect Daoist sensibility. I always leave very inspired and well fed.
Your top 3 museums in the world and why?
I must say a fairly quiet museum is what I long for. I like to have museums to myself, to dive in, to stand quiet and discover as little or as much as I fancy. Competing for window real estate isn’t enjoyable for me, too many are ruined by crowds. So, the first is a pairing: the John Soan Museum and Huntarian Museum in London. They sit opposite each other on the same square behind Holborn station. The former is the house museum and legacy of London’s architect John Soan. The latter is situated in Royal College of Surgeons described as a “grisly history of surgery and medicine with gruesome instruments and preserved specimens.” I find fascination and immense beauty in that.
In Bulgaria, museums are very very quiet, which makes them wonderful spaces to relax. All the house museums in Plovdiv Old Town are like that. And I also love the hard-to-ignore. frescos at the Rila Monastery by Zahari Zograf. There is so much wondrous iconography.
Last but not least the Crab Museum in Margate. It is a must as it blends a solid socio political stance with incredible marine life facts. Also home to my favourite Margate merch – the Crab Museum t-shirt is designed by the man who designed the Metallica logo.
Where do you go when you need a creative reset?
Somehow it might be the Bulgarian Mountains. Maybe it is the attitude that delivers the clarity as I can fully physically and mentally get away from things there. The smell of the mountain air itself resets something in my brain. I always have the wildest dreams when Im there.
Where do you go for pure escapism?
Between Margate and Botany Bay there’s a long wide sandy beach backed by stunning chalky white cliffs. Making myself a little fire and cooking my lunch there is how I escape. There is no phone reception either, which is God’s gift.
Where do you go for stimulation and creative energy?
Well I guess Margate would be my creative mecca. We’ve just had the second year of Off Season. All the creatives get together for this one dark weekend in January and illuminate the town with over 300+ exhibitions and events. Its incredibly grass roots and the energy is palatable. Madonna visited this year, which is crazy.
Also I find giving back to the community incredibly stimulating and rewarding. The Perfect Place To Grow at Tracey Emin’s Studios is the perfect example. It’s a community cafe and training kitchen in Margate supporting 18-24 year olds facing barriers into sustainable employment. They also organise local chefs to teach the young apprentices some of their specific skills. We had a wonderful hand stretched filo pie weekend workshop then fed the visitors.
Favourite hotel, anywhere in the world?
A friend of mine has been working on a sustainable hotel in Norway called The Svard, which is located on a fjord by a glacier. I think it’s opening soon. Fingers crossed I get an invite. I would love to visit the Arctic Circle.
Dream vacation, not yet fulfilled?
Vietnam. My partner is half-Vietnamese so I’m really longing for an extensive culinary trip there together. The entire length of the country, no rushing, savouring anything and everything.
