insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 09 - November 2015 | Page 39

FOOD+DRINK

MARKET

B Y P O L LY H U M P H R I S

Boldly dressed in Victorian green tiling, new restaurant, MARKET, sits in the centre of
Brunswick Village – that trendy little pocket of town right on the Brighton and Hove
border. It’s a vision of classy and calm that lures you in visually before anything else.

Brought to life by established restaurateur
and designer/chef duo, Kate Alleston and Neil
Mannifield, the team behind award-winning
restaurant, Graze, which once stood in the
same spot that MARKET now graces, all of
their credentials are evident immediately. Where
Graze was a luxurious, unstuffy treat, MARKET
is like its more outgoing younger sibling,
equally unstuffy, but just a little bit cooler and
more sociable too.

listing a selection of dishes to pick from, aptly
divided by subheads including ‘From the Mini
Market’, ‘From the Greengrocer’ and ‘From the
Fishmonger’. You can mix and match smaller
plates with bigger plates, choosing to share,
or choosing to feast alone. MARKET rewrites
the etiquette on what to eat and when to eat it,
which is a very welcome touch.

The name, inspired by the old Camden Market
signage that adorns the restaurant’s façade,
sets the scene for the entire dining experience
at MARKET. The interior all at once says
‘traditional butchers’ - blackboard banner
listing specials; a cured ham leg poised on a
wooden stand; and, naturally, more of those
gorgeous green tiles, and ‘modern utilitarian’ –
exposed copper piping; powder-coated steel;
and lots of leather-topped stools to encourage
the ‘at the bar’ dining that completes the
package. It is a marketplace: a hub for great
eating, great drinking and great company.

I chose to share. From the mini market, we
ate crispy olives with kale pesto and yoghurt.
I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten a hot olive aside
from on a pizza, let alone one wrapped in
tempura-light batter, and each one was
divine. Especially when washed down with a
crisp, cold glass of Ridgeview Bloomsbury, a
sparkling white produced locally in Ditchling.
From the greengrocer more delights followed in
the form of broccoli, kale and tahini, a dish with
so much more to give than its name suggests,
and baby leeks and ewes cheese, a mixture of
sweet and tangy tones smothered in romesco,
a delicious Catalonian sauce of red pepper,
garlic and nuts.

Let’s talk about the food: I don’t know where to
start and I definitely didn’t know when to stop.
Progressing the restaurant’s theme seamlessly,
starters followed by mains are a bygone
notion at MARKET. Instead the supplierdriven, inventive menu promotes sharing,

F &