BEST SMALL PLATES
FOURTH AND CHURCH
Winner
This stylish wine bar, restaurant and wine shop has garnered local and national acclaim for its globally-inspired inventive, fresh small plates. Stop off for just snacks and drinks, or enjoy a set or a la carte lunch/dinner, where you can expect such dishes as harissa and pomegranate glazed aubergine with cauliflower puree and pine nut dukkah, or mackerel with kohlrabi and golden beetroot.
The excellent wine list and wider drinks offering are also unparalleled, and it has bagged this year’s Best Drinks List for the second year running.
84 Church Rd, Hove, BN3 2EB
01273 724709
NO NO PLEASE
Runner up
This stylish, friendly lounge-bar and restaurant just off the seafront boasts a South East Asian-inspired menu of plates to share (or not), categorised by headings like ‘fry’, ‘flame’ and ‘simmer’. Highlights include spicy dry fry (warning: contains a “staggering amount of chilli”), sesame prawn toast fingers with cured egg yolk (pictured) and whole prawns in a spiced butter. Order a round of small-batch cocktails served straight “out the traps” or “out the barrel”, meaning there are no lengthy waits for your drinks to arrive.
30 Preston Street, Brighton, BN1 2HP
THE FLINT HOUSE
Runner up
Located in the heart of the Lanes, and a great pit stop while shopping in town, the Flint House offers counter-level dining and an open-air roof terrace where you can enjoy inventive small plates and a huge array of fantastic wines by the glass. With a menu divided into raw/cured, fried/toasted, meats, fish and veg, there really is something for every mood. The ham and cheddar croquettes are a must with a cocktail while you peruse the menu, and the blue cheese crumpets with honey have become something of a signature dish.
13 Hanningtons Lane, Brighton, BN1 1GS
01273 916333
Med.
Small plates with a creative twist are the draw at this cool, buzzing spot in the heart of Brighton’s Lanes, which has an open kitchen where you can watch chef Will Dennard at work. Dishes range from simple, classic combos such as burrata with truffle honey to innovative, fun pairings, like fried chicken with fish sauce caramel and melon salad. Their legendary beef tartare a la Big Mac comes and goes from the menu, and is a must-try if it features on your visit. Keep an eye out for Will’s occasional solo pop-ups at The Well and other venues around town.
2-3 Little East St, Brighton, BN1 1HT
01273 076548
Voya
The food at Voya is a curation of styles adapted from the team’s collective years in the restaurant industry, and their constantly changing menu never fails to surprise and delight.
The menu is small but perfectly formed, and we’d recommend you just order the lot. Dishes may include lamb shish with winter tomatoes and pistachio; oyster mushroom yakitori; scallops with chilli and spring onion; or saffron arancini with aioli. Flavours smack you between the eyes here, and you’ll wish you’d ordered two of every dish. Don’t miss the now-signature sweetcorn ribs with habanero butter, and the most buttery, flaky parathas in town.
34 North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YB