Pop-Ups & Supperclubs

Isn’t it funny, you can have a glimpse of something and form an impression of it almost instantly but that impression isn’t necessarily the whole story, as I discovered when I attended One Supper Club’s Thanksgiving meal.

There’s nothing quite like starting the weekend with a hearty breakfast – especially if Friday night involved a glass of wine, or four. Brighton has a host of great places to fuel yourself but in the main, you’re choosing between a typical fry up or the dish of the moment (and a favourite of mine) avocado toast.

I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, but I do believe when they’re done well, vegetable dishes can rival meat ones. In fact, we should all eat more plants because it’s better for our health and the environment. Planted, a pop-up restaurant set up by friends, Molly and Gabriella, is built on this belief too.

If you’re new to Brighton and looking to make friends or perhaps meet someone special, supper clubs should be on your to-do list. There are usually several happening each week in the city (check out Tabl.com for a list of them) and the organisers don’t tack on a single person supplement because they are designed as social dining events where you often share a table or course with other diners.

I’ve discovered some of the best restaurants in Brighton on the recommendation of chefs and restauranteurs. So when a friend, and the founder of Papa Pita, recommended a brand new pop-up, FOUR Sharing Kitchen from Chef Aaron Dalton, it had my attention straight away.

There are a select few Brighton restaurants that offer what I consider fine-dining. Those that do, carefully craft courses that complement one another and pay close attention to the quality of the ingredients used. The best also plate up the courses in a way that makes you want to eat a dish, even if it’s ordinarily something you would not like. MAW restaurant falls into this category.

It was a warm summer evening and the first week of Brighton Festival. People were tumbling out of pubs and onto the streets, but I was off to the quieter end of town, to Preston Road, home to Cafe Rust and regular restaurant pop-ups. My friend Catherine joined me for dinner and we made ourselves at home in my favourite spot in the window.

It was a lovely light evening as we arrived at H.en restaurant for the ‘Dumplings Around The World’ Polygon Pop-Up, perfect for food photography. As we took in our surroundings a member of staff explained how the evening would work; each dumpling course would be brought out in batches to share in clusters of tables, with up to 3 dumplings per course, per person.

If you’ve ever hosted a dinner party for more than two people, you’ll appreciate how much preparation and organisation goes into it. It’s not simply a case of deciding what to cook and getting on with it.

A Review of Flank Brighton A pop-up restaurant with a sustainable meat & plant-based menu There’s a new awakening happening amongst foodies – a conscience movement to more sustainable, healthier eating.…