Serving Up #6
The newsletter of Brighton's Best Restaurants
You will no doubt have seen the sad news that, after 28 years, The Gingerman will soon close its doors. In an Instagram post announcing the closure, owners Ben and Pamela McKellar wrote, ‘Like many in our industry, the rising costs of running a restaurant have made it impossible for our small 30-seater to continue. This decision has not been made lightly, and it comes with real heartbreak.’ The post has received close to 4k comments from devastated customers, former employees, local and national chefs and restaurateurs, and celebrities. No date has been given for the closure, but it is expected within the next few months.
It made me sad (although they are continuing with their other three restaurants, The Ginger Pig, The Flint House and The Ginger Fox near Albourne), but also angry. Why should it be impossible for a popular, high-quality neighbourhood restaurant to be profitable enough to at least keep its doors open? It’s criminal, and especially under a Labour government, which should be the flagbearer for small local businesses.
It’s not all Keir Starmer’s fault, of course; there are global forces at work on the economy that are beyond his control. But it feels like we are on the brink of a real catastrophe for independent hospitality businesses that put quality and integrity at the heart of what they do, and something has to be done by the government to prevent that from happening.
This isn’t a case of ‘use it or lose it’. It’s simply that the sums no longer add up for a neighbourhood restaurant like The Gingerman. As Ben McKeller says in the post, ‘There’s only a certain amount of money you can take in a 30-seater restaurant. With all the costs going up and the tax burden going up, it’s just not sustainable for small independent restaurants.’
The Gingerman set the standards in Brighton when it opened back in 1998 and nurtured the talent that has helped transform Brighton from something of a culinary desert (with a few honourable exceptions) into one of the top food cities outside London. We don’t just need places like The Gingerman to survive; we need a climate where lots of new places like The Gingerman can thrive so that local independent restaurant scenes all over the country can continue to build and improve rather than wither and die.
From a politician's point of view, restaurants provide employment, especially for young people; they generate tax revenue, and they support the numerous other businesses that supply them. From a customer’s point of view, chefs and restaurants that really care about what they do, that have real heart and soul and put personality into their businesses, are bringers of joy. There is no better reason than that to cherish them.
So it was a bittersweet occasion last night when Mrs BBR and I went for what will probably be our last dinner at The Gingerman. We ate and drank well: BBQ Squid with burnt scallion dressing and coral tuille, and a main course of roast lamb saddle, crispy belly, aubergine, pickle apricot, chickpeas and zhug were particularly banging and went very well with a bottle of Grillo, La Segreta from Planeta in Sicily. We were well looked after. The bill was reasonable. All was well with the world, for a few hours at least. Is that too much to ask for, Sir Keir?
A new era and a new look for The Salt Room
As previously reported in the last edition of Serving Up, The Salt Room reopens this month, although the date has been slightly pushed back from the 12th to the 22nd. The completion of a four-month renovation sees a new, brighter interior design with terracotta floor tiling, off-white lime-washed walls, a new bar, a weather-glazed year-round 60-cover seafront terrace overlooking the West Pier, and a new open kitchen and chef’s table.
The reworked, more flexible menu from Executive Chef Kim Woodward (ex Savoy Grill and Gordon Ramsay Group) means diners will now be able to drop in for oysters and a glass of English sparkling wine, or settle in for a full meal. A daily-changing fish board based around that day’s catch will include turbot, brill, John Dory and locally landed octopus priced by weight. A bespoke fish press will be used for a new turbot dish with the juices flambéed tableside.
It sounds like an exciting new chapter for the restaurant, which, incredibly, is entering its second decade. I remember being shown around the place when it first opened and interviewing the original head chef for a feature in the trade magazine The Caterer. I’ll be popping into the launch event over the weekend and hopefully getting some pics to post on our Instagram account, so do follow us if you aren’t already. You’ll find us at brightonsbestrestaurants.
The details
The Salt Room
106 King’s Rd, Brighton, BN1 2FU
01273 929488; saltroom-restaurant.co.uk
The Lowdown: Diego Ricaute of Palmito
What’s your favourite comfort food?
I really like my mum’s chicken soup. It’s very simple. It’s a clear broth. She puts potatoes in it that she boiled separately and adds them at the end. Everybody in the family learned to make it, and we all make it for our families as well. She makes a peanut chilli sauce to go with it. It’s a very traditional Ecuadorian thing, just chilli, peanut butter, a little cumin and some fresh coriander. I use that at the restaurant sometimes; some people love it.
Are you a coffee or tea person, and how do you take it?
I love tea. I think it’s gone out of fashion, but it should be coming back. My favourite shop is The Tea and Biscuit Club in Arundel. It’s owned by an old English boy; he’s amazing at mixing teas. It’s a hidden gem. I always have a different tea that I take to work from home. I love all kinds of tea, but I really love oolong tea.
What is the best thing about being a chef and restaurateur?
Seeing people happy on a daily basis. With food, you can connect to people in a way that is very personal and in a way that other things cannot do. Food is essential, but it can also be fun. It’s really good to be part of that; it’s basically what made me become a chef.
What’s the next restaurant on your hit list?
Legado in London, the latest restaurant from Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho. I like her other restaurant, Sabor. I like that way of cooking. The simple way is quite difficult to get right. I love the way that they bring Spanish food into the UK. They make it authentic, they source the best producers, and they keep it how it should be.
What is the best food destination in the world and why?
Galicia in Northern Spain. It’s super underrated. It’s undiscovered. Even within Spain, people don’t go there. It’s wet and cold but very beautiful, like Wales. A lot of Portuguese and Basque people go there. I haven’t had a bad meal there, especially seafood. It’s got the best seafood in the world, at least in the top three. It’s still very rustic, but there are upcoming chefs; there’s lots going on. I think in a few years you’ll hear about it in the same way people talk about the Basque Country and San Sebastian.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in a restaurant or cafe recently?
I had a chicken sandwich in Copenhagen at a place called Poulette. They’re quite famous; it’s an Instagram thing. It’s a tiny room and there are four people making chicken sandwiches with brioche, crispy chicken thigh, a little chilli sauce and pickles. It was perfect, it was so good it actually changed my mind about Instagram food. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
What would be your ideal way to celebrate your birthday, food and drink-wise?
My idea for next year is that I would like to go to Ntounias in Crete in the mountains. I’ve been there twice before, and it’s the best food I’ve had in a long, long time. The chef cooks from his farm on the side of the road. He’s got this little taverna. You’ve got to go there at midday. It costs about 25 euros. It’s slow food, and he cooks over wood. He makes cheese with fresh goat’s milk, then baby goat, and then a little bit of raki. The best thing is that he fries potatoes in olive oil over wood; the best chips I’ve ever had.
Diego Ricaurte is chef/director of Palmito restaurant
The Details
Palmito
16 Western Road,Hove BN3 1AE.
01273 777588; palmito.co.uk
What’s in Nick Karnicki of English’s Glass?
Lacryma Christi DOC, Villa Dora, Campania
‘An ancient legend suggests that God cried when he found a strip of paradise stolen by Lucifer in the Gulf of Naples, and where his tears fell, the vines grew. The Romans called it Terra Felix. The essence of fire and sea. Coming from Naples myself, this one hit close to home. Lacryma Christi bianco is born right on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, in those volcanic soils that give the wine its unique minerality and freshness. Every sip feels like a taste of the Bay of Naples; the crisp citrus notes, the hint of white flowers, the subtle herbs that remind me of home. That’s exactly why it’s perfect with simply grilled sea bass. The fish is delicate and clean, and when you drizzle it with a little olive oil and lemon, it sings with the wine, each bite and sip bringing out the other’s freshness. It’s effortless, honest food, just like we like it around here.’
Lacryma Christi DOC, Villa Dora, Campania is on English’s wine list for £66 a bottle. Nick Karnicki is the General Manager of English’s of Brighton
The details
English’s of Brighton
29-31 East Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1HL
01273 327980; englishs.co.uk
Brighton’s Best Cocktail Club:
Espresso Chai-Tini from Indian Summer
Enjoy at the restaurant or make at home
Indian Summer owner Rob Heasman says, ‘The Espresso Chai-Tini is our new Indian inspired twist on the legendary classic. We use 58 & Co vodka as a base for our homemade chai liqueur, which we then infuse with our secret blend of seven spices. We’ve focused on sustainability with this serve, 58 & Co being a certified B-Corp, and also utilising a new ultra-sustainable coffee liqueur called Maraba, which provides real, effective support for the Rwandan coffee trade. The two are a match made in heaven, shaken with a double espresso and served in the classic martini glass. A blend of cocoa and chai spice creates the beautiful garnish with the addition of a few Green cardamom pods (which may or may not be one of the secret spices!).
Ingredients for one cocktail
35ml Chai Liqueur
25ml Maraba Coffee Liqueur
X1 Double espresso
Method
Pour the liqueurs and espresso into a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes and shake hard for 12 seconds. Double strain into a martini glass.
The details
Indian Summer
70 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ
01273 711001; indiansummerbrighton.co.uk
Brighton’s Best Dish of The Month for April
Cornish mackerel with herb sauce at Stem
Congratulations to Brighton’s Best Restaurants follower Nadia Khiavi, who entered our Instagram Dish of the Month for April competition by nominating Cornish mackerel, herb sauce, horseradish, wild garlic butter and lemon at Stem restaurant in Hove. Nadia said, ‘Super fresh and punchy Spring flavours - exactly what you want to eat in April!’ Chef Anthony Raffo tells us that he even went the extra mile and foraged the wild garlic for the butter himself. The dish is still currently on the menu, so you can enjoy those lovely spring flavours in May too.
There is a bottle of Ridgeview Bloomsbury English sparkling wine on its way to Nadia, courtesy of Ridgeview . Follow us on Instagram @brightonsbestrestaurants for news of the May Dish of the Month competition.
The details
Stem
41 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2BE
01273 435582; stemhove.co.uk