Review of English’s: English’s of Brighton has ‘je ne sais quoi’

Oyster specialist Jonathan Spiers and assistant manager Antonio Manno at English's of Brighton

If there’s one restaurant that can quite rightly claim the title of Brighton dining institution, it’s English’s in East Street, writes Nick Mosley.

The potted history goes something along the lines of this. When the doors first swung open way back in 1850, the building originally hosted a fishmonger then oyster bar before being taken over by Mr English in 1910 who expanded to a neighbouring property.

The current owners – the Leigh-Jones family – purchased the business in 1945, keeping the established English’s name and expanding to yet another building creating more dining spaces and the oyster bar that is still at the heart of the restaurant today. The current owner, Simon Leigh-Jones has been working there for over 50 years which surely makes him the grand-daddy of Sussex hospitality.

A couple of years back, the Leigh-Jones family thought it was time to hand over the business to a new generation but the outpouring of affection from the city – and no doubt the many thousands of diners from further afield who’d enjoyed the unique experience – changed their minds and they remain very much at the helm.

So today, English’s remains a proudly independent, family-owned seafood restaurant that has survived two world wars, ever-changing hospitality trends and the ups-and-downs of the local and wider national economy. Here end-eth my history lesson for the day.

Now I have to admit its been a while since I pulled up a seat at the bar to slurp on an oyster or twelve. With so many restaurants in the city, it had slightly slipped off my radar I think mainly because I 100% knew the dependable and reliable offering. So when I spotted they were offering a new small plates menu from noon until 4pm, I thought it was high time to dive back in for a refresh.

Tiger prawns in garlic butter with Lemon at Englishs of Brighton

I was joined mid-afternoon on a Friday afternoon in December but my Argus colleague Steve. I adore dining with Steve as I genuinely don’t think there has been – or ever will be – a person I know who is so excited about food. His face literally lights up as each and every dish is placed before him; he’s definitely the gourmand to my gourmet.

There are no prizes to guess what we began our English’s experience with; and you can’t have oysters without fizz. Having pulled up stools at the bar, our host Jonathan settled us in with a glass of Rathfinny Classic Cuvée wine. A traditional method English sparkling wine from just down the road in Alfriston, it’s consistently a favourite of mine. Crisp, dry with the classic notes of acidic apple and toasty brioche, its a perfect example of the very best of the south coast wine.

Jonathan served up a selection of oysters – and he should know as English’s serve over 50,000 of these tasty bivalves every year. Although they pride themselves on using as much catch from the Sussex coast as possible, when it comes to the very best seasonal produce that also means selecting the finest seafood from the wider bounty of the British Isles so we slipped down oysters from Suffolk and Mersea in Essex. Oysters come in all shapes, sizes and flavour profiles depending on where they are farmed or harvested, but I think the Mersea native oysters won the day with their firm yet creamy texture with an edge of sweetness.

Oysters at English's of Brighton

Half of the small plates menu is seafood, with the rest comprising of vegetarian and a couple of meat dishes. Priced at £25 for two dishes or £35 for three they reflect expressions of the a la carte menu and also represent impressive value. Hoorah – for me at least – the vast majority of plates are also gluten free making me a very happy bunny. I left the food choices to Steve whilst I had a nosey at the wine list where the South African Snow Mountain Chenin Blanc caught my eye.

Our knives, forks and spoons primed and at the ready, a classic moules marinières with a splash of cream to add a richness to the white wine, garlic and shallot sauce. These were whoppers and I must say on my next visit I’ll be ordering a great big bowl of these steaming, juicy beauties.

The trio of tiger prawns in a lemony garlic butter sauce knocked the socks off anything similar I’ve eaten in Brighton recently. Firm and fleshy, these were absolute beauts.

Cod cheek tempura with pineapple agrodolce and bacon crumb at English's of Brighton

I didn’t sample the half poussin chicken with chunky chips, primarily because Steve had already polished it off before I had the chance to but as there was nothing left on the plate other than a few well-sucked bones, I guess it was pretty good.

My hands-down highlight was the cod cheek tempura that was creatively plated over a pineapple reduction with a crumb of bacon. A triumph of sweet tangy sauce, perfectly light tempura coating firm cod balanced with a salty sprinkling of toasted pork. Its a dish that is definitely a keeper.

To finish a cheeky affogato pick-me-up of vanilla ice cream and espresso before we waddled off for a couple of cocktails in the Lanes and the 1X back to deepest, darkest Hove.

As much as the food and ambiance of English’s is superb, the service also makes the restaurant. Nick, Jonathan, Billy and Antonio really added that je ne sais quoi that takes dining out to the next level to create a genuinely memorable experience.

At at time when there are so many stress factors pressuring the hospitality industry, its reassuring to see a Brighton restaurant that hasn’t just weathered the recent storms but many, many before. English’s has proven that its consistently good offering – ingredients, cooking, dining environment and service – is both enjoyed and much-loved. I dare say they’ll still be dishing up fantastic seafood in another 150 years time.

English's of Brighton, 29-31 East Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1HL

01273 327980 • www.englishs.co.uk