Review of The Winkle

Tiger prawns at The Winkle, Brighton

I’ve had some glorious days exploring our city’s seafront food and drink offering this month, writes Nick Mosley.

Professionally – as I like a good ol’ nosey – one of my favourite areas of the city is between our two piers as its a good barometer of visitor numbers. When you can’t get a seat in one of the Kings Road Arches bars then you know them there tills are a-ringing.

I discovered a tasty little addition late last summer, The Winkle, and reviewed it within weeks of opening. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze, I thought earlier at the start of May that it was time for a return visit. As I needed to have a catch up with my mate Heather from Aluna rum, I invited her to join me although she was a little bit jaded following a day at the races. It goes without saying that Little Miss Greedy Guts shuffled along too.

For those with long memories, The Winkle is in the same arch that once hosted Due South. Its got a sizeable upstairs dining and event space, with much coveted first floor window tables, alongside what I’d say must be one of the best professional kitchens on the seafront. We sat on the terrace, shaded by one of the large parasols, and had a nosey at the menu that consists of five starters and desserts and six mains plus a catch of the day which on the day we dined was local boat sea bream that had literally been living its best life about three hours before.

Never one to miss an opportunity to share her excellent rums with hospitality colleagues, Heather disappeared to the bar to rustle up some rather excellent Aluna coconut rum and tequila blended margaritas with co-owner PJ whilst Greedy Guts and I talked tourism with his partner Owen. Its always fascinating to hear the grass roots experiences of independent operators, and it was pleasing to hear that there’d been a strong start to the summer season.

Calamari at The Winkle, Brighton

And so to our order. I was in my element as most of the dishes are – or can be adapted – to be gluten free. Options are somewhat more limited for vegetarians but are at least creative and I wouldn’t sniff at them if served to me.

Little Miss does like her prawns so her eyes lit up like a bunny in the headlights when she saw a plate of them heading to a neighbouring table. Served in a well-rounded brown butter, lemon, capers and parsley sauce, these were firm fleshed beauties and I knew too well to keep my porkies away from the plate as I dare say Little Miss would’ve snapped them off.

Heather dived into a creamy burrata topped with confit heritage tomatoes and dressed with a basil and lovage oil. With its celery-forward flavour profile lovage is making a very welcome return to the modern British kitchen at the moment so definitely a delicious ingredient to look out for.

Selection of starters at The Winkle, Brighton

For me, it had to be the calamari. Safe in the knowledge that the crumb and frying oil were gluten free, I was happy as a pig in muck. Rings of perfectly cooked squid in a crispy coating, creatively combined with honey, lime, surprisingly hot slivers of green chilli and a dusting of paprika. Heaven.

Our mains arrived promptly – the aforementioned catch of the day sea bream alongside haddock from the a la carte menu.

Catch of the day Sea Bream at The Winkle, Brighton

Although its always fun to see a whole cooked fish, if I’m in a restaurant then I can’t be faffed to lift the fillets so after the presentation, Billy the bream was whisked back to the kitchen for a rapid deboning. I have to say that this was one of the best things I’ve eaten this year; simplicity perfectly executed. Crispy skin, butter sauce, seasonal asparagus… it goes to show that the best food experiences don’t have to be complicated.

Similarly the haddock dish was exceptional, although I have to say the plating might need a little revision as it didn’t have the same visual appeal as all the other dishes we’d ordered. Nonetheless, as an aficionado of both peas and fish – as my partner can well attest – this was a supremely tasty and textured dish and there wasn’t a morsel left.

Chocolate ganache and Eton mess at The Winkle, Brighton

For dessert, we shared a delightfully rich homemade chocolate ganache with homemade granola and an Eton mess of meringue, red berry compote and what was described on the menu as whipped cream but had more of the consistency of crème anglaise. I particularly liked the latter; it did everything it needed to do in creating a memorable full stop to lunch.

Whilst dishes are ingredient-led and not overly complicated, the standard of cooking is very high and there are some wonderfully creative twists such as the charred lime with the squid and the finessed touches such as the Grenobloise sauce with the shrimp. The desserts alone are worth a visit as they are no afterthoughts. The kitchen, led by chef Nick, knows technique and how to make the plates sing with flavour and visual appeal.

The Winkle’s hands-on owners, Owen and PJ, have clearly put a lot of heart and soul – and I dare say blood, sweat and tears – into creating an effortlessly relaxed dining experience. Its undoubtably one of the best places on the beach to eat, drink and kick-back to enjoy our glorious seafront.

The Winkle, 135 Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 2FN

07804 643 159 • www.thewinkle.co.uk