Last Updated on March 10, 2025
Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside…
The last time we reviewed Masterchef: The Professionals winner Steven Edwards‘ Hove restaurant etch. was in 2019. We were not long out of lockdown and Steven had used the downtime to refurbish and to add a new basement bar along with a private dining room.
We were very impressed with both the space and the food and beverage offer. But three years is a long time in a restaurant’s lifespan and I was intrigued to see how things had developed.
We slipped down into the dark, sexy basement bar for some cocktails. One glance at the drinks list told me that there was some high-level mixology going on .
I started with the Mi Dispiace, Negroni, a lighter version of the bitter Italian classic. A mix of Tom Cat Blueberry Gin, House Bitter Liqueur, a hint of La Fee Absinthe, and the acidity of Grapefruit and Orange Bitters. The spirits had been ‘fat-washed’ with Greek yogurt to create a silky mouthfeel creating a lovely blend of citrus and bitterness. The Figgy Pop – like its musical near namesake – doesn’t offer much in the way of sweetness but is instead a long, cool smokey concoction bringing together Tapatio Reposado Tequila, D.O.M Bènèdictine, Brandied Fig Jam with Lime Juice and House Fig Leaf Soda. It’s a perfect sophisticated summertime drink.
Then it was up to the restaurant to eat. The first thing you see is the theatre of the open kitchen with Head Chef George Boarer still at the helm. George is a real talent and I was pretty confident that with his brigade of three young chefs – all with matching haircuts looking like they played in the same band in LA c.1976 – we would be in for a great meal.
etch. used to be a pub and is as sophisticated a conversion – created by architect Akram Fahmi from London Design House – as you are lightly to see. With black and white walls and ceilings, organically shaped light fittings, light wooden floors and quirky 1960s influenced art you could be in East London. The waiters and waitresses glided around in ochre tops black slacks. We were having the 5-course winter menu which is a steal at £50. But being greedy we were also trying a couple of optional extra dishes and then with the snacks and bread courses as well it was a substantial offering.
There are not many better ways to start a meal than with a glass of local Nyetimber Classic Cuvee with its gorgeous pastry and caramel notes with a hint of yuzu for freshness.
Then out came the Snacks – a statement of intent. A beer batter crostade with truffled cream cheese pickled Shimeji mushroom and topped with mushroom powder was the essence of umami. with a soft melting mouth feel it packed a lot of savoury flavour into a small bite. A light cheese biscuit base was again smeared with cream cheese, then smothered with wisps of Twynham Grange parmesan, onion seeds and chives. This was another punchy mouthful.
Steven’s Marmite Brioche has become one of his signature dishes for good reason. The sugar-glazed bread is wonderfully light and flavoured with the familiar Marmite notes subtly interleaved. A whipped seaweed butter added another layer of flavour. The soup of the day was a rich aerated mousse of a cauliflower soup studded with the crunch of pine nuts with some chervil adding a vegetal note. A brilliantly cheesy cauliflower tempura came with a Twynham Grange crisp.
A perfectly cooked slice of crispy-skinned halibut was topped by the crunch of deep-fried tarragon vermicelli noodles and sat on a bed of parsnip cream and tarragon oil. Halibut in a Tarragon sauce is a classic French dish but this was a clever contemporisation of the combination.
Another Steven Edwards favourite is his Dippy Egg. A duck egg yolk is slow-cooked at 62 degrees then served with a pickled nasturtium leaf, nasturtium oil, Jerusalem artichoke cream and crispy onion on top. I love this dish, it’s baby food for grown-ups with pan-fried brioche fingers being the perfect ‘dipper’ for the congealed yoke and the tangy nasturtium leaf.
Sitting in a dish filled with hot black stones, slivers of scallops and a couple of mussels sit perkily in a scallop shell with a garnish of sea aster leaves and a sauce that blends dashi with aster oil. The dish is rich and savoury with the seafood flavours pumped up to reveal their true essence.
Another dish that features a savoury sauce and a pickled vegetable is the Stone Bass, with pickled celery, an onion jus, roast celeriac and celeriac cream. This was a perfectly composed and balanced plate of food.
The supplemental English cheese course took me by surprise. Tunworth, a creamy rich Camembert-style cheese from Hertfordshire, had been turned into a glorious ice cream. An astringent sour grape sorbet and raw chicory macerated in elderflower vinegar brought some welcome acidity to the proceedings and a salted sourdough tuille had some crunch. This was a brilliant way to serve cheese. I liked it so much I forgot to take a photo…
Dessert came in the form of a Granny Smith and thyme parfait and sorbet with a white chocolate tuile. It was an elegant finish to a great meal.
We finished things off with one more cocktail, The Mugen Train which features a Japanese whisky made by the father of the Japanese whisky industry who had studied in Scotland. Taketsuru Pure Malt, Hendricks Gin, the artichoke flavours of Cynar and Cucun vegétal De La Grande-Chartreuse all coalesced around an amazing feathered cucumber ice cube to create a refreshing drink that showcased the whisky without the heaviness that is sometimes associated with the spirit.
Sometimes you go to a restaurant and really enjoy it and then return to find that the initial experience isn’t replicated. I was very taken with etch. on my first visit three years ago, in particular with the regionality of the produce and the creativity on display. Returning to Hove, Brighton’s funky little brother, I was struck by how the concept had developed and how the quality of the offer had been consolidated. I would like to see the restaurant get a Michelin star as it would be well-deserved. If you can get down to Hove, which is easy by train or car from London, you should!
214-216 Church Road,
Brighton & Hove,
East Sussex,
BN3 2DJ
Looking for something different? We also recommend Nostos – a great little Greek Taverna in Hove
Lovely review. One clarification, the building etch was never a pub. It was the Zamdani Tandoori restaurant and prior to that a bank.