» Sam’s of Brighton
Andrew Kay licks his lips in glee at Sam’s of Brighton
Paston Place is dead, long live Paston Place. Few dining venues have had so much written about them in the last ten years, mainly good, occasionally controversial but always passionate. We mourned when Langans closed then cheered at Mark and Nicole’s triumphant tenure, then when they retired we wept once more, only to find ourselves cheering for Francesco – wildly.
When last year the place closed again there was no immediate new tenant and things looked pretty bleak. Would Kemp Town get a replacement fine dining joint or not? We waited but not for long. Sam Metcalfe, chef and co-proprietor of the Sevendials restaurant swept up the option and in a short space of time has opened the eponymous Sam’s of Brighton.
“Sam is one of my favourite chefs. Responsible for cooking the best piece of lamb I have ever eaten’’
After a dignified couple of weeks I could wait no longer, it had to be tried. Sam is, and has been for some time, one of my favourite chefs. He was responsible for cooking the best piece of lamb I have ever eaten and his approach to food and to cooking is exemplary.
At Sam’s that passion is no less, but you may find that the prices are. The intention is to give the city a classic bistro which is affordable. So what is a bistro? Well dictionaries offer: ‘small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting’ as their description, hardly edifying. I guess that we have come to believe that what we might expect is simple French classics coupled with new ideas and a few inventions served without fuss at prices that will not break the bank. It’s seldom what we get. On the whole bistro is a mis-used term that means little to either the restaurant or to its customers.
Well Sam has changed that. To start with he has redecorated and reconfigured the room. It has a distinct French look but at the same time an Englishness. The menu is similar with classic French and English influences. But the main influence on the menu is the food that Sam finds available. The menu changes daily, in the way that many traditional restaurants would work. Sam will cook what comes to market and looks good, okay there may well be a selection of staples that remain on the list, but every day will see new dishes, new ingredients and new ideas.
I went along with the lovely Candy Macnamara, real name withheld for comedy reasons, on a dismal Wednesday in January. Traditionally the quietest month of the restaurant calendar, Sam’s had a few busy tables in and the atmosphere was good. The new décor works well – and so does the food.
We kicked off with a glass of champagne and pretty soon had a table full of excellent food. Candy started with some sweet and sour pork belly which came with salad leaves and apple. I stole a bit and it was divine, falling apart tender but creamily rich with just the right balance of tart to caramel. Being a Lancashire lad I could not resist brown shrimps and I was right to do so. These most flavoursome of crustacea came in a frisky tomato sauce on tagliatelle. The dish was bouncing with taste and despite it being a massive first course I threw caution to the wind and polished the lot off.
Candy moved on to a dish of rabbit, stuffed with black pudding and wrapped in prosciutto. Not only did she declare it extremely tasty it also looked sensational on the plate. I have to admit to feelings of envy, I love both bunny and boudin noir – a lot.
Then out came my pork, not on the menu, or indeed on the blackboard. Sam had some fillets, and he served it with sauté potatoes and spinach. It sounded like a bistro dish so I had it and very glad I am too. The fillet was rolled in seasoning, roasted and sliced, the potatoes where exactly right, fluffy in and crispy out and the spinach was dark, shiny and bitter. A creamy sauce was surprisingly light on the meat and it all warmed the cockles of my heart.
I had ditched the Skoda so was making light work of an excellent and inexpensive Rioja, all the time convincing myself that Candy was helping. She was not, a real lightweight Ms Macnamara. I was also worried that she would not make pud as she fell at the final furlong with her bunny. It turned out to be tactics, leaving space for a sticky toffee pudding, with which she declined either cream or ice cream. She scoffed the lot and pronounced it excellent. I was less frugal and made light work of a magic ice cream sundae which had ‘space dust’ in it. What fun, and delicious too.
Sam’s intention is to serve three courses for under £25 and he can certainly achieve that with his pricing as it stands. But what he also achieves is the same standard of excellence for which Sevendials has become known. Three hearty cheers.
Sam’s of Brighton, 1 Paston Place, Kemp Town, Brighton, 01273 676222 | Map
