Set in East Street, Brighton you’ll find the restaurant Kindling, the brainchild of partners are Minky Lee, Ramin Mostowfi and Ewan Cullen, who is also the Head Chef.
As we walked through the door the restaurant was heaving and buzzing with the smell of great food and the sound of diners chatting happily.
Branches of green hops adorn the ceiling and other plants fall from high up the walls like green waterfalls which are, on one side, dark panelling and on the other pale wood contrasting with the steel surround of the open kitchen and its marble bar. This gives it a delightful ambient mix of a snug and the industrial which would be equally at home in trendy Shoreditch as here. The overall feeling is of relaxation, great food and a warm welcome from attentive and superb staff.
Minky Lee led us to our seats at the bar overlooking the ‘business end’ of the establishment where Ewan Cullen and his staff work flat out creating the magic over live hot coals.
We started with grilled chunks of focaccia, crisp on the outside and soft inside, served with the Kindling signature of coriander, lemon and garlic hummus which was smooth, light, fragrant and came with olive oil and balsamic mix.
My companion ordered the brisket and jalapeno croquettes which, he said were beautifully cooked and blended with spicy but not overwhelming jalapeno. The tomato and basil dip was to die for.
My choice of main was the halloumi and portobello burger with chimichiurri sauce, hummus, gem lettuce, grilled halloumi. Balsamic onion and beef tomato with a side of sweet potato fries perfectly tossed in just the right amount of sea salt and rosemary. A burger is just a burger right? Not in Kindling. Each part of the dish was cooked to perfection. The halloumi was the best I’ve ever tasted – firm and fragrant as was the portobello mushroom and a distinct lack of oil which you find with similar dishes elsewhere. This was encased in a delicious brioche bun which shone in the restaurant lights.
My partner’s 28 day dry aged 200g sirloin steak was cooked succulent, juicy and very flavoursome but not overly so as some steaks can be. It was served with a four peppercorn sauce and skinny fries. He mentioned that he didn’t order the tenderstem broccoli with parmesan, Caesar dressing and garlic crumb but seeing them being prepared he thought they were very inviting as he watched them being cooked in front of him. He commented that having an open kitchen makes for a more inclusive atmosphere and it is nice to see your food being prepared by people who care about their work. I agreed wholeheartedly.
Although fairly sated we had to try desserts. My chocolate molten cake with hazlenut ice cream was heavenly. The hot chocolate sphere with the ice cream melting over plus a dressing of nuts was a gorgeous mix of textures.
My companion plumped for the basque cheesecake as he’s rather an aficionado and he found it light, smooth, creamy, with a very subtle flavouring and set off with the tart cherry coulis and brandy snap.
The heavy, artisan pottery plates and bowls were a perfect design touch to heighten the food – hearty, down to earth with an artistic feel. One of my recurring complaints in many restaurants is the insubstantial cutlery but here it is perfectly weighted silver wear.
Friendly staff, great food and decent portion sizes. They have nailed it.