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Twenty years ago, there were a lot of reasons to visit the English seaside resort of Brighton. Gourmet cuisine, however, wasn't one of them. If your definition of culinary excellence was soggy fish and chips and a stick of rock, you'd have been fine, but otherwise outstanding restaurants
were thin on the ground.
Thankfully, that's all changed. Since combining with neighbouring town Hove and being awarded city status in 2001, Brighton has experienced a surge in popularity. Hordes of Londoners have realised they can have all the benefits of living by the coast and yet still get to work in less than an hour.
With increasingly discerning palates to satisfy, restaurants have been forced to up their game, and the results have been impressive. In 2006, Brighton scooped 13 awards and nominations in the Observer food awards. Last year, it won best bar and best restaurant in the south-east. Today there are more than 400 restaurants in the city (more than anywhere else outside London), and, says the 2007 Remy Martin Restaurant Awards, Brighton is the second most culinary city in the UK. It seems the days of surviving on soggy fish and chips are long gone. So what exceptional eateries can you expect to find in London-by-the-sea? Here are four of the best.
Terre a Terre
Started 15 years ago by classically trained chefs Amanda Powley and Philip Taylor, this Brighton institution has consistently raised the bar for vegetarian cooking.
Back then, you were lucky to find a menu with a vegetarian option, let alone an entire restaurant dedicated to meat-free cuisine.
Overcoming the deep-rooted and, to be fair, sometimes justified prejudices against vegetarian cooking has been Terre a Terre's biggest challenge. For a lot of people, the very term vegetarian option conjures up an image of a dish that's been lovingly prepared but is about as appetising as an old boot.
I visited the spacious, buzzy restaurant on a typically busy weekday lunchtime, and from the outset it was clear that this was not your average vegetarian fare. The 11 bite-sized morsels on its signature tapas-style sampler plate included cheese bon-bon on a beetroot pickle pave, polenta plumps with warm caponata and tandoor spice-loaded haloumi kebab with pink onion and green mango sas.
Mains are similarly imaginative: the huge portion of potato rosti had been sauteed in creamed garlic and nutmeg and came with buttered spinach topped with a poached egg.
After a rich, warm chocolate and chestnut frangipani tartine for dessert, I was ready to explode. When the cooking is this good, who needs meat?
71 East St, Brighton
Phone: +44 1273 729 051
www.terreaterre.co.uk
Due South
Due South enjoys an unrivalled position on Brighton's seafront with gorgeous views out to sea, and since opening in 2003 has championed the cause of using locally sourced seasonal produce.
Its menu changes monthly to incorporate the very best products available locally at that time and it aims to source at least 80 per cent of its food from within a 55km radius. Such an admirable stance sounds like it should come at a cost to quality, but Due South has won recognition nationwide. In last year's Observer food awards it picked up best restaurant and best location in the south-east.
Sadly, I visited on a typical English summer's day - overcast and raining - which didn't really allow the venue to shine. The food, however, was fresh, filling and beautifully presented.
While I couldn't finish the 21-day hung beef main course from nearby Castle Farm, I did manage to find room for a serving of creamy home-made strawberry icecream. Both were delicious.
The biggest shock was the wine list. Anyone who fancies a Marlborough sauvignon blanc with their meal will have to think again. Only English and European wines are served in order to minimise the distance bottles have to travel, and so it was with some trepidation that I tasted my first English wine (Plumpton Estates 2006 Cloudy Ridge Dry). The verdict? Not bad at all. The winemakers at Oyster Bay needn't worry just yet, but watch this space.
139 Kings Rd Arches, Brighton Beach
Phone: +44 1273 821 218
www.duesouth.co.uk
Pintxo People
Fortunately, I was spared the embarrassment of having to ask directions to Pintxo People by virtue of it being located on Brighton's most popular shopping street, Western Rd. I'd been cheerfully calling it "Pint-oh People" for days whereas Pintxo is pronounced "Pincho" and is a Basque word meaning bite-size portions. Since opening almost two years ago, the restaurant has created quite a stir by bagging a swag of awards.
It has won two consecutive AA Rosettes, was the 2006 Independent food critics' choice of the year, and last year's the Observer food awards crowned it the UK's best bar.
After poring over the impressive six-page cocktail menu (which has 11 types of martini and five types of sour), I opted for a Francavilla Martini. Created by the Spanish poet Stefano Francavilla, this simple mix of dandelion and burdock, gin and citric acid was the perfect palate cleanser before dinner.
Although the restaurant was inspired by the rustic local tapas bars in Barcelona, it has an intimate fine-dining atmosphere. The emphasis is on sharing a selection of dishes and the knowledgeable staff's recommendations and wine matching were spot on.
Of the five dishes I tasted, the highlight was the melt-in-the-mouth creamy grilled foie gras with mango French toast and coffee syrup. A close second was the seared rare tuna fillet with basil cheese and tomato marmalade.
Pintxo's head chef, Miguel Jessen, is clearly a man to watch. With food like this, Michelin stars can't be far away.
95 Western Rd, Brighton
Phone: +44 1273 732 323
www.pintxopeople.co.uk
Bill's Produce
You'd need impressive willpower to walk past Bill's Produce and not be drawn in by the colourful array of fresh vegetables and flowers bursting out of the front door. Delve in further and you'll find a greengrocer specialising in insecticide-free fruit and veggies, as well as a cafe and a catering and delivery service. It'd be hard to imagine a more convivial, relaxed spot for lunch or a catch-up coffee with friends. The cafe specialises in traditional favourites, such as boiled eggs with soldiers and fish-finger sandwiches, alongside daily specials such as quiches, salads and some of the most impressive desserts ever to grace a plate.
Bill's is as much a visual treat as a dining experience. The walls of the cafe are covered in shelves packed with home-made marmalades, jams, chutneys and sauces. Handwritten chalk boards advertise the specials of the day and cheerful staff buzz between the tables in a modern warehouse.
The idea behind this fusion of high-end greengrocer and cafe is that you can pop in for lunch and then buy the ingredients to go home and whip up a similar creation yourself.
After sampling a selection of the incredible desserts, I have a feeling they may be out of my league.
The portions were impressive: a single slice of the pavlova almost covered a dinner plate and was piled so high with fruit that I was scared to touch it.
100 North Rd, Brighton
Phone: +44 1273 692 894
www.billsproducestore.co.uk
* Rob McFarland was a guest of Air New Zealand and Visit Brighton.
IF YOU GO
Air New Zealand flies to London twice daily via Los Angeles or Hong Kong. Phone 0800 737 000 or see the website www.airnewzealand.co.nz
Brighton is just a 50-minute train ride from London's Victoria station.
Drakes of Brighton is a stylish 20-room boutique hotel with sensational sea views and an award-winning restaurant onsite. For details and prices, see its website, www.drakesofbrighton.com
For more information on Brighton, see the website www.visitbrighton.co.uk