Review of Anakuma

A selection of dishes at Anakuma in Preston Street, Brighton

As a dining destination, Preston Street has certainly seen its ups-and-downs, writes Nick Mosley.

Back in the day, it was the go-to place for food and drink but during the 2010s it really lost its way with boarded up shop fronts, dilapidated flats and a

general sense of malaise.

How things have changed as – due to the entrepreneurial spirit of young chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs and without doubt the inclusion of the street in the Brilliant Brighton business improvement district – as the economy recovered from Covid and the lockdowns it has rightly reclaimed its crown as the place to visit for those looking for truly creative and affordable dining.

With Chinese, Greek, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Turkish and Moroccan on offer, alongside some super watering holes including Medusa cocktail bar and The Brick craft beer pub, there’s literally somewhere different for every day of the month.

Probably at the fore of Preston Street’s reinvigoration was David Miney who opened Bincho Yakitori in 2016. Based around a traditional Japanese izakaya – essentially a post-work boozer where businessmen unwind with beers and bites, David’s grilled yakitori skewers rapidly became the darling of Brighton’s hospitality scene movers-and-shakers and he hasn’t looked back.

On the wet side, Julien Barnett’s Gung-ho bar quite rightly became the most acclaimed cocktail bar in the city. He also made waves nationally scooping multiple awards over the years, particularly for his passion for sustainable drinks made with locally foraged seasonal ingredients. Sadly, the doors to Gung-ho closed earlier this year but Julien can still be found running regular pop-up cocktail events in the city.

Corn ribs with paprika butter at Anakuma in Preston Street, Brighton

A more recent duo who’ve made Preston Street their home are brothers and business partners Ali and Mo Razavi who’s first venture on the road – Halisco – opened in 2017 and is a hot ticket for those in-the-know with its offering of well-priced Mexican small plates and tasty tacos. The venue itself is cosy although pared-back, but its constantly rammed at any time of the day which speaks for itself: you will need to book. The chorizo stuffed squid is delicious, and made even more so with a smokey Mezcal cocktail or two.

It might come as no surprise that these entrepreneurs who’ve found ongoing success in Preston Street didn’t want to look too further afield to expand their business so when the opportunity arose to take over the former Gung-ho they jumped on it. It makes perfect sense as it can act as an overflow for Halisco for those who want to enjoy cocktails before or after their meal. Hence the Halisco Margarita Bar was born this year and from wandering past numerous times this summer they’ve smashed it; why spend your guests to another bar when you can send them to your own?

Their recent expansion didn’t stop there though, as a year and half back they also took on a much larger unit towards the top of Preston Street, which is where I ate with a colleague about a month ago.

Anakuma – the Japanese word for badger – proclaims on its street frontage that its a ‘Mexican Asian Fusion’ restaurant whilst their website is simply ‘Asian Fusion’ which is kind of confusing as the menu features nachos, tacos and padron peppers all be it cooked with Asian ingredients. With the mention of Mexico, I was expecting a trendy pan-Pacific dining style but what we got was genuinely fusion.

The menu when we dined in mid August consisted of a selection of snacks, eight small plates and five tacos, with prices in the £6-12 range so very affordable and perfect for sharing. There are plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.

Crispy oyster mushroom bao bun and taco combo at Anakuma in Preston Street, Brighton

Hats off to our supremely jolly and professional server who informed us that the tacos would shortly be replaced by steamed bao buns so we could sample one if we liked. Presumably the kitchen were having a play around with ingredients so – as always – happy to assist. Nom nom.

The mushroom bao bun arrived alongside a soft taco with the same ingredients. Being vegetarian, my colleague knows a fungi when she sees one. These meaty mushrooms had been lightly battered and fried giving crunch. The bao bun itself was light and fluffy – that’s exactly what you want from one – and despite the moisture in the dish it held its structure well. A very substantial and filling plate.

I was pleased to see the bbq corn ribs on the menu. These are a Halisco classic and nobody does it quite like them. Get stuck in with your hands and bite into sweet, tender kernels drenched in paprika butter. It is absolutely heavenly.

I’m a huge fan of Korean food so the chicken thighs with black pepper mayo were next on my list. If you want moist chicken then always opt for the thighs, and these were spot on. Served with punchy black pepper mayo and red chillies, its was an wonderful plate of surprising yet complimentary flavours and textures. The homemade kimchi was rather special too; it had that lovely sweet and sour tang but was also rather refreshing.

Washed down with a couple of cracking spicy Mezcalitas, this was a lovely relaxed way to spend a leisurely late lunch. There’s nothing not to like about Anakuma’s creative, well cooked and also well presented dishes, accompanied by professional and knowledgeable service. I just feel it needs to play on its Asian fusion identity and let Mexico either take a back seat or get in the boot.

Anakuma, 50 Preston Street, Brighton BN1 2HP

01273 459 396 • www.anakuma.co.uk