64 Degrees - Brighton, Aug 2016 #BibGourmand

Down to drop my wife of at a hen do, I had the evening to myself. I chose to spend my time doing the thing I most love to do when in Brighton… eating at 64 Degrees!

My wife and I have visited 64 Degrees several times – one of the good things about it is being able to order the whole menu. Dining alone, I had to be more selective.

Sat at the kitchen table, I asked Head Chef Sam Lambert for his recommendations – to his credit he didn’t just suggest the most expensive items on the menu. I like this kind of probity.

What they say, “Tucked away in the Brighton Lanes, 64 Degrees is a small restaurant with an open kitchen where our passionate chefs concoct an evolving menu of tasty small plates using fresh, local produce. In 2014 & 2015 we were awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin and won Best Restaurant at the Brighton & Hove Food Awards. We were voted 16th in the National Restaurant top 100 list 2016.”

What Michelin say, “If you like things fun and fuss-free, then this intimate modern restaurant is the place for you! Menus are divided into four - 'Meat', 'Fish', 'Veg' and 'Dessert' - and each section also has four choices. Cooking is simple but well-textured and flavoursome; most of the dining takes place at the counter.”

What I love about 64 Degrees is that it indisputably gets better with each visit. The Mackerel which came raw with a zingy passion fruit ceviche, fresh passion fruit and fermented red gooseberries, was a particular highlight.

Another contender included the cashew crumb topped Duck leg, with alliums, ginger and a lusty blackcurrant purée. The dark meat and fruity undertones reminded me that grouse season is here.

Snack: Watermelon, caper, ginger

Mackerel, passion fruit, gooseberry

Clams, seaweed, vitelotte

Beetroot, grapefruit, walnut

Cauliflower, blue cheese, shallot

Broccoli, black beans, wasabi

Duck leg, black current, cashew

Ox tongue, pea, pickles

Cherry, pistachio, coconut

 Rum bear         

Apologies of some of the pics are poorly focused – I’m still getting to grips with my new camera. Kept the post short and sweet as I’ve written about it many times.

Tweet

Follow @HungryHoss

Follow @chef64degrees

Follow @samueljlambert

Burnt Truffle – Guest Chef Mark Poynton #MichelinStar

Lineker, Barlow, Neville, Oldman, Glitter… we all knew that ‘Garys’ can make talented footballers, musicians, actors and nonces but there is another Gary who deserves greater recognition… Usher.

Although not a talented footballer, musician, actor or nonce, Gary Usher has two main skills… firstly, he can cook and secondly, through the power of social media, he can inspire people, not least his own industry.

Starting out with the hugely successful Sticky Walnut (here), Gary went on to use the KickStarter crowdfunding platform to inspire 891 backers to pledge a total of £103,915 to help open Burnt Truffle. Partially funded in a similar way, his third restaurants, Hispi, is set to open in Manchester’s Didsbury this autumn.

Although opening great bistros is “doing good” in my book, with an air of Ty Pennington, Gary recently spearheaded a campaign to help fellow restaurateur Si Toft – whose small, family restaurant, The Dining Room, Abersoch is remain closed whilst he recovers from illness.

Initially hoping to raise £1000 to help out with a few bills, Gary inspired people so much that, at the time of writing, £11,677 has been raised to help pay staff, rents, rates and other costs so Si can take the necessary time to recover properly – it’s not too late to give (here).

Back to the food – Gary trained with some of the UK’s most celebrated chefs, including under Angela Hartnett and at Chez Bruce (here) and he is steadfastly committed to passing on to his skills and work ethic to his young staff.

The ‘Guest Nights’ at Sticky, Burnt and (soon) Hispi, provide a great opportunity for his staff to work alongside top established and young talents – of course, this is also great for the customers!

So far, chefs such as Aaron Mulliss (Hand & Flowers), Ben Spalding, Josh Kitson (64 Degrees) and Dan Dougherty (Duck & waffle) have all participated! (Upcoming nights include Steven Smith and Brandon Baltzley).

As chef/proprietor Cambridge’s Michelin starred Alimentum (here), to date, Mark Poynton is one of the most celebrated chefs to have participated in the Guest Nights.

Here’s what we ate:  

It was my birthday... July 5th! 

Tweet

Follow @HungryHoss

Follow @BurntTruffle

Follow @markjpoynton