Brighton isn’t exactly short of Indian restaurants, writes Nick Mosley. From the more traditional British curry houses through to the somewhat more authentic and creative street food style venues, there something out there for all tastes and budgets.
For years rumours swirled that Dishoom would be opening in the city – something that struck more than a little fear in some of the less confident Indian food operators – but rather than their full restaurant offering that sees lengthy queues out of the doors of their London sites they opted for a more informal café-bar style.
Having recently celebrated its first anniversary, The Permit Room – wedged between English’s and The Sussex pub in East Street – is all about curry and cocktails. Despite the cocktails being pre-batched, they are genuinely some of the best to be had in the city and I often pop by for a cheeky signature clover club cocktail at the bar. They’ve made this cocktail classic their own with a pokey slug of gin and raspberry liqueur topped with a truly delicious foam of cardamom and coconut. I’m obsessed with it!
That said, I hadn’t actually eaten at Permit Room since the start of this year so when the opportunity arose to sample their festive menu, I messaged my Argus colleague Arron and we made a date for supper and a good old chinwag about all things Brighton; and boy was there a lot of gossip at the end of November.
The Christmas menu is £37 per person including a starter, main, side and dessert. Not only is the cooking top notch, the portions are also generous so it represents genuine value for money. We dined early doors at 5.30pm but by the time we left at 7pm the place was packed, which is a reassuring sign for any hospitality business in these challenging times.
The centrepiece dish is a turkey biriani – layers of spiced rice and tender turkey with cranberries for bite and colour, topped with a puff pastry lid that you peel back to reveal the goodies. Now I think this was a dish to be shared but Arron easily polished it off… I do sometimes wonder where he puts it all.
I went off-piste and ordered a half tandoori chicken with the utterly moreish black daal from the main menu. This is the very same order that I enjoyed on my first visit to The Permit Room back in November 2023 and the quality is still absolutely there. The lightly spiced chicken literally falls off the bone and at £13.90 you’d be clucking mad not to try it. Although I don’t often think ‘oh, yum, lets have some daal’, Dishoom’s black daal is rightly renowned. We have their cookbook at home and make a couple of kilograms of it a few times a year and freeze it. Why? Because it takes about a day to cook; you don’t get flavour and texture like that in half an hour.
For dessert, Arron squeezed in a boozy milk-based dumpling soaked in rum with pistachio which was a rather sophisticated end to our supper. There are also a selection of retro ice cream and wafer sandwiches – mango, rose, Tutti Fruitti and chocolate and butterscotch – that are a fun crowdpleaser to finish on.
As you’d expect from the Indian kitchen, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan offerings. Whilst they can’t guarantee an allergen free kitchen, scan the QR code on the menu for a guide. I’m somewhat gluten intolerant but I’ve never had an issue with dishes. The staff are also very knowledgeable about the menu so are happy to recommend based on likes and needs.
Particularly with multiples, once the magic – and resourcing – of the launch period has dissipated standards can often slide but The Permit Room has kept its sparkle and remains a ruby in Brighton’s restaurant scene.
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