insideKENT Magazine Issue 74 - May 2018 | Page 102

FOOD+DRINK
BRIGHTON
MARKET’s
latest incarnation
is its finest yet
LIKE A GIFT THE KEEP ON GIVING, MARKET – A BRILLIANT RESTAURANT PERCHED IN THAT TRENDY LITTLE
POCKET OF TOWN RIGHT ON THE BRIGHTON AND HOVE BORDER – HAS BEEN ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE
FAVOURITE BRIGHTON RESTAURANTS SINCE IT OPENED IN 2015 AND IS SOMEWHERE I HAVE NEVER HAD
A BAD MEAL. WHEN IT CLOSED TEMPORARILY FOR A SWIFT TEAM TURNAROUND, I PANICKED – IT ISN’T
BROKEN, WHAT ARE YOU FIXING? – I THOUGHT; WELL, MORE FOOL ME. SERVING UP AN INSPIRED RANGE
OF ANGLO-SPANISH TAPAS AND SMALL PLATES, MARKET WAS NEVER BROKEN, BUT AT THE HANDS OF
WILDLY CREATIVE HEAD CHEF, IAN ATKINSON, IT’S NEVER BEEN BETTER. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
Let me just clear up the use of ‘wildly’ –
Atkinson isn’t bonkers; far from it, but the
passion and imagination that oozes from his
every pore is evident in both his vibrant
conversation when he talks about ingredients
and in the glorious food that he puts on the
plate. Needing little persuasion to join the
award-winning restaurateur and
designer/chef duo of Kate Alleston and Neil
Mannifield, the combination of credentials
that MARKET now benefits from with Ian’s
expertise thrown in is evident immediately.
MARKET, like the kitchen team that run it with
encouraging confidence, is a little bit cooler
and even more sociable than its former
incarnation.
The name, inspired by the old Camden Market
signage that adorns the restaurant’s façade,
sets the scene for the entire dining experience.
The interior, a combination of traditional
butchers – blackboard banner; hanging legs
of cured ham; gorgeous Victorian metro green
tiles, and modern industrial – exposed copper;
powder-coated steel; and lots of leather-
topped stools to encourage countertop dining
completes the package. It is a marketplace: a
hub for great eating and great drinking, which,
wonderfully, you’re encouraged to do at your
own pace.
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A mixture of artisan deli, tapas and small plates
– all ideal for sharing – the menu, aptly divided
by subheads Greengrocer, Fishmonger,
Butcher, Mini Market and Sides is just insanely
appealing; driven by the restaurant’s suppliers
and seasonality, it sings with massive flavours
and unique combinations. Crispy olives with
spiced mojo rojo and Greek yoghurt are a
MARKET staple; I’ve never eaten a hot olive
anywhere but here because I know each divine
salty mouthful wrapped in tempura-light
batter will not be bettered anywhere else.
Following suit, the cauliflower with truffled
celeriac and cavolo nero, a heady mix of rich
truffle, boldly seasoned celeriac, cauliflower
with a subtle, sweet char to it and punchy,
slightly bitter cavolo nero is a triumph. Nobody
does vegetables like MARKET: fact – make
sure you order the padron peppers and the
spiced aubergine too.
The lemon sole special with samphire and a
glossy butter sauce made citrusy by hits of
lemon came a very close second for best fish
dish to Atkinson’s cuttlefish, which is fried in
light, crunchy batter and served with an ajo
blanco deeply flavoured with garlic, olive oil
and almonds, and a salty squid ink aioli. If
you’re a lover of meat, you must opt for the
beef cheek too – barring the use of some sort
of alchemy, I’ve no idea how they manage to
get that much flavour into the meat, which
melts in the mouth as though it’s been
prepared at some sort of Basque Country
barbecue and is really robust at first bite, then
lifted and made tangy with beets and onion.
I could go on about the food at MARKET for
days, but alas, space won’t allow it – this
restaurant just keeps getting better. The food,
the team and the atmosphere are faultless. Oh,
and if you don’t finish your meal with the
hazelnut and caramel parfait with dark
chocolate mousse, you’ll never forgive
yourself. Your waistline may not thank you,
but your sweet tooth definitely will.
MARKET
42 Western Road
Hove
BN3 1JD
www.market-restaurantbar.co.uk
dineatMARKET
dineatMARKET
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