Isaac At Brighton offers exception food, a great atmosphere and a meal you’ve never forget…

With such affordable high street chains and eateries popping up over the globe, eating out has become something less of a luxury and more of a norm. The luxury of such has become something fast forgotten, replaced by quick service, same-old menus and the mentality of “grabbing a quick bite.” This is all fine and well, but sometimes you want something a little different, yet that still won’t break that bank. Let us introduce you to Isaac At Brighton.

Nestled in a backstreet of Brighton, Isaac At’s location reflects the shy proudness of the brand itself. It is happy to sit back quietly and allow word of mouth to spread about the hidden gem in the city. For Isaac At is as far from the flashy, gimmicky, loud-mouthed chains as you could get; it is modest, it is proud and it offers a meal which is hard to rival. Run by 23 year old Isaac, it offers dining stripped back and brings back the quality to eating out. It is a location you can dress up for and a location you can head to for food which you know won’t let you down. It is a perfect date night restaurant and a place to take the in-laws for a birthday. For Isaac At isn’t somewhere to “pop in” it’s somewhere for an experience and a phenomenal one at that.

We headed down to Isaac At Brighton on a balmy autumn evening, the sun was already setting and as we headed inside we were enveloped by a cosy lighting and the smells of cooking. We were led to a table right at the pass, so in full view of the cooking action. The restaurant seats just a small number of guests and this intimacy is something Isaac wants to retain. If you are not sat up on the pass as we were, there are two digital screens on the walls meaning you can watch the kitchen action no matter where  you are sat. This small added touch makes you really appreciate the work which goes in to your food.

Our tables are beautifully set and includes a scroll wrapped with a bit of brown string. Unroll this and you can see the drink and tasting menus as well as a list of where all the food comes from down to the exact mileage – they are proud of the local sourcing of their ingredients.

The restaurant manager and drinks connoisseur seats us at the table at the Pass (£50pp) and a great spot for watching the chefs hard at work. He has a great personality and is very enthusiastic as he explains the wine menu to us.

Isaac At work by offering a seven course taster menu. This culinary journey began with an amuse bouche of grey mullet with rapeseed oil mayonnaise, pickled kohlrabi and sea purslane on rye bread croute. The chef placed them before us before explaining each ingredient – something they do for each course. It’s great to know exactly what you’re eating and also to know that the chefs here really do know their stuff. Isaac At is about so much more than just bunging ingredients to a pan, each step is taken with such precision, ingredients measured and tested for compatibility right to the core.

Once this has been demolished, we are offered a sharing board of breads – again, these are no ordinary white and wholemeal loaves. The first is a treacle and stout bread (absolutely divine) and a shallot brioche, accompanied by a smoked butter. We always feel you can tell the quality of a restaurant by its breads and this had us eagerly anticipating exactly what the rest of the evening had in store.

The next dish was as creative as it was delicious – roasted butternut squash with yeast extract, seed and a drizzle of rosemary oil. The presentation on the plate was effortlessly impressive and the spiraised butternut squash a unique way to enjoy the vegetable. The flavours and textures complimented eachother perfectly and it was a great dish to set pretence for the forthcoming plates.

Up next was Monkfish with cauliflower and a sauce vierge. The fish was soft and delicate and not overly fishy, the flavours soft upon the palette.

Following this, (you don’t go hungry at Isaac At Brighton) was a delicious pork belly with crackling and a side of smoked brocolli (a delicious accompaniment you need to try!) The second meat dish was a roast chicken breast. This was cooked to perfection, teeming with flavours and super succulent. The side dishes of celeriac and charred gem lettuce (who knew charred lettuce could taste so good?!) were delicious accompaniments.

If you have any dietary requirements be sure to let Isaac know and they can rustle up something tailored specifically for you.

For anyone who has a sweet tooth Isaac At does not disappoint. Your dessert begins with a light palette cleanser sorbet and is followed by a delicious strawberry dessert. The fruit was topped with honey pink peppercorn ice cream and milk foam – a unique yet divine way to end a meal.

Overall, we found it hard to fault anything at Isaac At Brighton. From the service to the wine, to each and every single dish we were enthralled by the tastes and the presentation and wanting to return.

Isaac At Brighton
2 Gloucester St
Brighton
BN1 4EW