Fusion Food

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m finding it pretty tricky to keep up with the new openings and reopenings in Brighton, which is why I’m so late updating you on Circo – down by Preston Circus.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. The ones that when you hear them have you saying, “why didn’t I think of that?” Doughbo is one such idea.

There’s been an influx of burger restaurants and pizzerias in Brighton of late and whilst I enjoy both, they aren’t in the least bit healthy. So, the discovery that a brand new noodle bar had popped up in September, had me very excited. Noo Noodles sits on Cranbourne Street, just on your way up to Churchill Square and is independently owned, with two branches in Brighton and Southend-on-Sea.

Walk along Western Road and it’s pretty hard to miss Market Restaurant with its bold Victorian green metro tiled walls. Go inside and you’ll find the gleaming green tiles continue, alongside ceiling-hanging filament lamps and bevelled mirrors. The best seat in the house is up at the high-top bar, which allows you to watch as the chefs prepare your food.

Tapas bar Señor Buddha on Preston Road, has dipped its toes into new waters with ‘Fish Thursdays’, widening its appeal to the foodies of Brighton. A six-course menu, entirely of fish (with the exception of dessert), for a very reasonably priced, £30, is offered on an ad-hoc basis.

Preston Street is generally somewhere I avoid like the plague, owing to its reputation for greasy takeaway joints and poor scores on the doors. But a few doors up from The Royal Sovereign pub, is a spot that makes me break that rule – Bincho Yakitori, home of authentic Japanese/Korean street food.

As a Brighton resident for almost three decades, I remember SIX before it was The Good Food Club, Hove Kitchen and Barneys. Before all of those, it was Richards and it was “the place to been seen”. On a sunny afternoon, it wasn’t uncommon to see Mercs, Audis or BMWs parked out front of the five-shop stretch on double yellows, unconcerned by a guaranteed parking fine.

Do you remember Graze Restaurant on Western Road? It was a 2AA rosette restaurant serving modern British cuisine, recommended by both the Michelin Guide and The Good Food Guide. Well, it’s recently had a big old revamp (in September) and hell does it look good. It’s now known as MARKET and is a gorgeous green colour, both inside and out.

I was always told “never judge a book by its cover” and this is my advice when it comes to Señor Buddha – another new restaurant in the London Road area, tucked amongst the fast food outlets and just opposite The Joker pub.

This restaurant has now closed and become Trading Post Coffee Roasters. Tonight I had the pleasure of dining at Rickshaw Oriental on Ship Street in Brighton – a Thai, Chinese,…