From my nosying around of the streets of central Brighton earlier this week, I was quite depressed to see so many restaurants were shuttered having decided to reduce their winter opening hours or were forlornly open with bored staff twiddling their thumbs and scarcely a diner in sight.
Even though there are some really amazing and very pocket-friendly set menu deals available right now – more on those over the coming weeks – it appears the local hospitality scene is on the whole in the doldrums. Not unexpected for this always miserable month but also not welcome with increasing overhead costs to be heaped on wage bills and business rates from April.
But there appear to be some shining beacons within the city. Terre à Terre have invested in a long-overdue refurbishment of their dining space, The Reading Room has reinvigorated Black Rock and London’s Burger and Lobster is due to open in a fortnight.
However it was to Kindling on East Street that I was drawn on a chilly Wednesday lunchtime, and genuinely impressed to see a remarkably busy mid-week lunch service even without any explicit need for discounting.
Kindling originally opened in 2019 with a strong focus on local, seasonal dishes. I recall eating there back then but I’m now sorry to say it somewhat dropped off my radar. There was a brief closure post-lockdown when longtime Sussex restaurateurs Ramin and Jane Mostowfi – former owners of Food for Friends – joined up with Kindling’s founder Mindy Lee to reboot the concept.
Although provenance is still very much at the fore – Ramin told me that high quality ingredients are very much at the heart of the concept and the reason why customers return – without a doubt its now a meaty menu with beef cuts at its heart: ‘Simply Steak’ is the marketing hook. It’s a simple, fuss-free concept that I have to say they’ve done a remarkably good job with.
The focus of the menu is charcoal grilled meats – sirloin, ribeye and bavette are joined by lamb chops and also more hearty Côte de Boeuf and t-bone. Bavette is a real favourite of mine; also known as flank steak its a thin-ish cut with plenty of flavour and a coarse texture and when carved correctly is remarkably tender. Priced at £14 its also a complete steal on Kindling’s a la carte menu – that’s the same price as their burger.
As I was joined by two friends and notables from Brighton media for a new year catch up, we were drawn to the very well-priced mid-week meat platter that included the aforementioned melt-in-the-mouth bavette alongside, more rare than medium slithers of sirloin and – to my taste – the highlight of the sharer, lamb chops. These were exceptional – soft pink flesh and melt-in-the-mouth flavourful fat chargrilled to perfection.
Kindling’s head chef, Ewan Cullen, is clearly very confident with his open flame kitchen cooking as we weren’t asked how we’d like our meat prepared. I really like that. As a food colleague once told me, when asked by a waiter how he’d like his steak he always replied however the chef thought best. It’s a mantra I’ve taken to heart and has never failed me.
The platter also included skinny fries, a hearty macaroni cheese and creamed spinach with Parmesan crust – and three sauces – so the three of us were fed for £58. With a glass of house wine at £6 that meant we had a filling lunch for £25. The platter is also available Monday to Wednesday in the evening.
As you’d expect from the former owners of a vegetarian restaurant, there are a couple of plant-based options and its pleasing to see that most options are also gluten free.
Kindling does simple incredibly well. The menu offers enough options without being overwhelming, service is with a smile, the raw ingredients scream quality and the cooking is bang on. If you’re looking to choose your first restaurant foray of the year in Brighton, I really can’t recommend it highly enough.
Nick Mosley
Kindling, 69 East Street, Brighton BN1 1 HQ
01273 536 350 • www.kindlingrestaurant.com
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