A quiet revolution has been taking place in St James’s Street and, as all good revolutions should be, it’s fiercely red.
 
What was previously No Name Restaurant on the corner of the New Steine has evolved into Here Restaurant & Bar. Vibrant red paintwork catches your eye and the menu retains your attention. Entering the bar, you are greeted by exposed brickwork, wooden floors and leather armchairs, giving a simple, homely feel that continues into the dining room, fitted out with solid wooden tables and chairs. There is a robust, earthy quality to the food as well. I’ve paid several visits over the past few months and the quality and consistency has been spot on.

Starters

Starters range from big rustic slabs of game terrine with apple chutney, working down through a charcuterie to delicately seared scallops with prosciutto and pickled ginger. The scallops, which on my visit were served up with a cauliflower puree and smoked bacon, managed to be enormous without losing flavour and had been seared briefly enough to avoid the dreaded golf-ball syndrome. The menu itself is an easy read: half a dozen starters and roughly ten mains is a nice balance between customer choice and a coping kitchen.
 
Mains

For mains, the kitchen is equally adept at high-end offerings and more popular staples. The pick for me was an excellent quality fillet steak, a generous fist of meat from a Kemp Town butcher, pan-fried and served up with chanterelle mushrooms and red wine jus. Colour, texture and taste were all wonderful. I’m devastated to find this is now off the menu, replaced by sirloin au poivre. I’d bet that it’s great, but may I be allowed to abuse my lofty position as reviewer to petition for The Return of the Fillet?
 Other recent additions of belly of pork with sauerkraut, and lamb shank with apricots promise more winter treats, but old favourites also remain. The battered haddock and lamb burger both come with triple-cooked chips (no idea what this means in practice, but very good chips: fluffy inside and crispy out), with the haddock presented as two crisp, battered chunks with minted crushed peas. The lamb burger is an absolute winner – a thick, evidently homemade patty, well seasoned and non-greasy, complimented by a crisp mint salsa and vine tomatoes. If you think I’m getting a bit over-excited about a burger then I suggest you try it – calling it a mere burger doesn’t really do it justice.

Specials

Elsewhere specials include fish of the day (mackerel on my visit), which is kept simple, served up with new potatoes and dressed rocket. Soups veer towards the hearty – big bowls of big flavours such as a borsch-esque beetroot or tomato and red pepper come accompanied with chunks of homemade bread, perfect for autumn.
 
Pricing is competitive; a three-course meal for two with wine would be roughly £55. The house wines are a meaty Merlot and a crisp French Sauvignon, which I’ve not really had the need to look beyond. There is, however, a wide selection of wines, many under £20, and a great selection of soft drinks, the sparkling ginger and lemongrass water being just one.
 
The Sunday roasts are well worth trying too, ticking my personal criteria of having plentiful, thick gravy and cauliflower cheese, which should be mandatory in every restaurant. Weekday lunch deals also offer good value. If I’m going to be über-picky, then the main dining room can get a tad loud, as sound ricochets off the hard surfaces, but may God smite me down for finding fault with what is otherwise an entirely pleasurable experience. So, after you’ve got over the initial confusion (“Where shall we go?” “Here.” “Where?” “Here!” etc, etc) and made it to the threshold, I’ll venture you would return. In uncertain times where many places are here today and gone tomorrow, let’s hope Here is here to stay (that’s enough ‘heres’ I think).

Here Restaurant & Bar, 81–82 St James’s Street, Brighton 01273 693216

info@hererestaurant.co.uk 

www.hererestaurant.co.uk