Location: 97-99 King's Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2FW
Overview: “I really hope that the food I experienced at The Grand is typical of the food available in the restaurant, because if the team can maintain this standard, then The Grand can finally take its rightful place at Brighton’s culinary top table.”
With its luxurious heritage and prime seafront location, The Grand Hotel in Brighton has been an iconic focal point for almost 150 years. However, while hotels such as Drakes and Hotel Du Vin have carved a reputation for great food, The Grand never comes up as one of Brighton’s most popular eateries. So when I was recently invited to a ‘Taste of the King’s Restaurant’ event at The Grand, organised to showcase to talents of Executive Chef Alan White and his team, I couldn’t wait to find out what the food was about.
I have actually been to a couple of corporate dos at The Grand in the past, when the food did little to spark the imagination as catering on masse often can. A shame really, as the King’s Restaurant is a beautiful and elegant space, with high chandeliered ceilings, marble floors and impeccably turned out staff. However, while it’s more formal than most restaurants, it’s definitely worth the extra effort of ironing a shirt.
Back to now, and adding to the ambience of the evening was a Marilyn Monroe-esque, 1920’s style lounge singer, whose dusky tones and sass seemed to fit well with proceedings.
On the menu was a selection of White’s personal favourites, each course accompanied by wine selected to bring out the best in each dish. Local, seasonal produce featured throughout the menu, including locally caught scallops, East Sussex rabbits, catch of the day from Shoreham Harbour and some renowned Casterbridge beef fillet.
Following a welcome glass of Elderflower Prosecco, it was time to get down to proceedings, with the first course of Brighton scallops with pancetta, Stornaway black pudding and cauliflower puree, matched with a 2009 Wandering Bear Chardonnay from California. I’m a huge fan of scallops and I have to say that this dish was spot on, with each of the constituent flavours shining through, yet combining well with the sweetness of the scallop stealing the show. An excellent start and I could have eating a dozen.
Next up - East Sussex rabbit spring rolls with apple, carrot, chives and a sticky ginger sauce which was skilfully made yet lacked the depth and impact of flavour of the opening dish, yet still very enjoyable.
Catch of the day was Shoreham caught John Dory, served with a perfectly seasoned pea sauce and garnish. This was one of the stand-out dishes of the evening for me, with the skilfully prepared fish, buttery pea puree and garnish - simply heavenly. The bone dry La Cote Flamenc, Picpoul de Pinet, J-M La fage Languedoc-Rousillion 2009 which accompanied didn’t impress on its own but matched with the fish was something very special indeed.
As if my evening couldn’t get any better, the next instalment in this thrilling gastronomic journey was the Casterbridge 28 day mature fillet of beef, with morels, baby garden vegetables, horseradish and potato puree and crisp beetroot shavings. Chef Alan White appeared to introduce the dish, explaining how the beef was slow cooked for days using a Sous Vide water bath, to ensure a truly melt-in-the-mouth experience.
A glass of Cabernet Tempranillo 2008 arrived to drink with this dish – the beef was beautifully tender and sweet and the dish as a whole was just sublime. If you enjoy your beef then I cannot recommend this dish enough.
And now for an interlude... and a palette cleansing Apple sorbet made from the owners own Sussex orchard. In some ways this was my favourite dish of the evening, with a nice slushy sorbet which delivered a really fresh apple taste, almost even applier than the real thing. Yet what really gave this dish its charm was the tiny toffee apple on a stick, made from an apple segment and glazed in sugar. This acted as the spoon with which to eat the sorbet – a great touch which certainly made me smile.
Panna Cotta with frangipane, raspberry and sugared almonds for dessert, alongside an easy going Stump Jump, Sticky Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Australia 2008. Here the wine and dessert really come together, with the sweetness of the raspberry and sugared almonds working perfectly with the juicy stone-fruit flavours in the wine. I could have eaten a dozen of these, but then that could be said of all the courses really.
As I was sat on the top table next to the deputy mayor Geoff Wells, who was excellent company and shared some interesting anecdotes and a lift home, when the cheese board arrived with quince jelly, plum chutney, grapes and sultana bread, Geoff did hog the board for the rest of the course.
Summary
Dinner at The Grand was a wonderful experience, which at times left me feeling like Leonardo Di Caprio in Titanic, when he gets to eat on the upper class deck of the ship, which is great as Brighton doesn’t really have a restaurant in this mould.
Considering the kitchen was catering for 100 plus, the food served was up there with anything I’ve eaten in Brighton. Every single dish demonstrated a broad range of culinary skills, delivering a broad range of sophisticated and pleasing flavours.
I really hope that the food I experienced at The Grand is typical of the food available in the restaurant, because if the team can maintain this standard, and offer menus which suit a range of budgets, then The Grand can finally take its rightful place at Brighton’s culinary top table.
For more information and bookings contact Th Grand by email at reception@grandbrighton.co.uk or by telephone on 01273 224 300.
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF JULIA CLAXTON PHOTOGRAPHY: http://photography.juliaclaxton.net/