Restaurant Review - Due South, Brighton Andy Taylor

Restaurant Review Due South, Brighton

The Bunn family have a strong association with Sussex life, as well as Worth. Douglas Bunn opened the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead back in 1960 and it has been a sporting and social fixture in the calendar ever since. His son, Charlie Bunn StB’05, is now looking to develop the family name into high end cuisine in the local area, and with this in mind has reopened Brighton restaurant Due South.

And so it was that I was invited to meet up with Charlie at the restaurant which is perfectly situated on the beach side of Kings Road, facing the sea. After a brief aperitif I was given a tour and introduced to the Chef and coowner, Mark Wadsworth, who started at the two Michelin starred Latymer Restaurant in Surrey. Having spent most of his career in restaurants around Sussex, Mark landed the Head Chef role at Riddle and Finns in Brighton and has now linked up with Charlie to relaunch Due South.

Mark has a passion for honouring wild food, the seasons and ethical farming, capturing nature in all its glory, focusing on every aspect of ingredients, from nose to tail and root to stalk. He also uses an ancient style of cooking over wood which is what has brought the restaurant back to life and having been shown into the kitchen I was amazed at the huge wood ovens preparing such things as Shitaki Mushroom & Truffle Sourdough (£6).

Being a beautiful sunny day, we opted to sit outside to look at the view. Despite the range of flavoured Jersey Oysters on the menu, I started with the Wild Seabass Sashimi with Wasabi Creme Fraiche (£9.50), followed by the catch of the day, which was Lemon Sole (£23), cooked in those wood ovens to perfection. A glass of deliciously chilled Pouilly-Fumé (£10) and lunch was complete for me. I might have been tempted to try the Wood Fired Cheesecake with Macerated Cherries & Hibiscus, or the Chocolate Marquise with Sea Buckthorne, Cocoa Nib & Fennel Pollen (both £7.50) but thought I’d keep those to next time.

We did have a lovely time, talking about family and weddings and chefs we liked in Brighton and football, of course, but all the time I just kept thinking about how perfectly that fish was cooked!

Andy Taylor Due South, 139 Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 2FN Tel: 01273 041667 info@duesouthrestaurant.co.uk