Andrew Kay remembers his very favourite dishes of 2011

Global recession may have been the main thing on everyone’s lips last year, and don’t get me wrong, I too was concerned about the financial downward spiral, but on my lips there was a lot of very good food. The world may be in crisis but somehow restaurants seem to have decided to buck the trend and stick with a positive outlook. Maybe that was because amidst the depression, we decided to go out for a meal to cheer ourselves up.

This week I have decided to look back over 2011 and pick out some of my best experiences, both here and abroad. And at the top of my list comes L’Eglise, a restaurant that has played a pivotal part in my life since meeting Mr R. It was there that we celebrated our wedding last year with a delicious meal of charcuterie, boeuf bourguignon and lemon parfait, all of which was perfection. I love it there, and I love proprietors Jean and Julia for making our day so very special.

The biggest story here in Brighton was the brave move from small to large made by The Chilli Pickle, but it was a move that has paid off manyfold. I loved the old restaurant but with a stroke of brilliance they have managed to turn around the space in MyHotel that had failed twice before. Proprietors Alun and Dawn have not only taken Brighton and Hove by storm but are also making a massive impact on the national restaurant scene with their excellent, regional Indian cuisine.

Earlier in the year I travelled to the Sussex Kent border, staying overnight at the delightful Gallivant Hotel in Camber Sands. Here I enjoyed a simply delicious dinner of quay fresh local fish and a breakfast of equal delight in relaxed and comfortable surroundings. I also enjoyed their excellent one day cookery course in the Rye Scallop Festival. I will certainly return.

The next day I drove to Bodiam, walked round the castle and then on to The Curlew. The Curlew was getting rave reviews and had won a Michelin star and the Sussex Food Awards ‘Best Eating Experience’ award, so expectations were very high. From the bread to the coffee it was easy to see why, herb infused dripping with the bread, an epic Sussex cheese soufflé, Jacobs ladder, fat chips and a mint choc ice… sorry, I needed to have a pause after writing that and gather myself.

Back in town, Plateau had opened and was serving very special food that broke down barriers between tapas and fine dining. Their wine list is superb, their cocktails classic, and the cheese platters truly delicious. With great lunchtime deals and a cool, late atmosphere, this has become one of the city’s most stylish places to hang out and dine.

Still in there as a fave place to eat is Moshi Moshi: great sushi and sashimi is produced with a strong food ethic that pays more than lip service to conservation. I was even filmed there eating hand rolls for BBC2’s Great British Food television series.

Brighton has very few Chinese restaurants but up there is Gars. For years now they have served excellent food in stylish surroundings. The kitchen adapts traditional dishes and embraces some modern Western ideals to create a menu that is inspired without getting silly. The service, too, is second to none.

Full marks for The Grand in 2011, who, after years in the culinary doldrums, has finally pulled out of their hat a menu that is both modern and affordable, including a great Sunday lunch.

Graze goes from strength to strength. Their foraging menu in the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival Spring Harvest was a revelation the renewed my belief that a tasting menu could not only offer flavours but also be satisfying as a meal.

The Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival has now won the Sussex Business Award for Leisure and Tourism, long overdue recognition for the scale and quality of this twice annual food extravaganza. The live food show managed to attract great audiences and this was in part due to the presence of Mr Mushroom himself, Antonio Carluccio, who braved my stage and made a perfect risotto. (I also had a great time in the restaurant that bears his name when they had an evening of food and opera.)

You will no doubt have noticed that I spent rather a lot of time in the Netherlands last year, the highlight being Maastricht, where my stay at the Beaumont Hotel was inspiration for my new project, the International Chef Exchange. Chef Audrey Eussen created a many coursed dinner with matched wines that thrilled me like no other meal last year. I was determined to find a way to share that excitement so the exchange was created and Audrey will be here in the spring to cook at the Restaurant at Drake’s Hotel. In return, the excellent Andrew McKenzie will be going to Maastricht to do the same and present the best of Brighton and Sussex to an audience of Dutch food lovers. Drake’s continues to produce great food and Andrew, I am sure, will have the same impact in Maastricht as Audrey will here.

So there you have it, a few of my favourites; apologies for any glaring omissions too. When people ask me about my favourite place to eat I invariably say Bardsley’s Fish Restaurant in Baker Street. It still is my favourite, because at the end of the day you can’t beat a nice plate of chips and haddock with a side order of mushy peas and a big cup of tea. Happy New Year!