It’s a chilly winter’s evening as I step off the bus in Hove – my fingers are numb and it’s making me even more excited to head to award-winning, fine-dining restaurant Etch. Built in a former bank, the exterior of the building is dark and mysterious, while warm light from inside puddles out onto the street below. It’s beautifully warm and inviting and I can’t wait to see just what it has to offer.
etch. Restaurant Hove – What to expect
etch. A Michelin-recommended restaurant led by ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ winner Steven Edwards, and has built a reputation for creativity, precision and unforgettable flavour pairings. It’s regularly cited as one of the top places to eat in the city and I’m excited to see if it lives up to the hype.
Ink Cocktail Bar
Beneath the restaurant, you can find Ink, etch. ‘s basement cocktail bar. We’ve opted to head here for a pre-dinner drink and it’s the perfect way to set the pretence for the rest of the evening. The room is sultry, sophisticated and sexy, with a charcoal, graphite and soft colour palette lent a playful edge by vibrant pop art on the walls. Seating is low-slung and minimal with small round tables ideal for a quiet tipple before your meal. Their mixologists have created a menu that breathes new life into the classics as well as creating new and original serves.
Drinks include the “Plum & Plumber” which is a delicious blend of Akashi-Tai Umeshu Plum Sake and Saicho Jasmine Sparkling Tea, ‘Nuttin’’ but butter which is made from Cashew Brown Butter Washed Michter’s Rye Whisky, Pecan & Orange Peel Demerara and Walnut & Orange Bitters, as well as house martini and dessert cocktails. You can also opt for beer, cider, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic cocktails. The cocktails are crafted to precision, beautifully flavoured and you can tell the thought and care that has gone into every sip. Whether heading for a drink before or after dinner, or just as a standalone bar visit, Ink in etch. is a perfect choice for a drink with friends or your other half.
etch. The Dining Experience
Once we finish our cocktails, we head upstairs to etch. etch. specialises in seasonal tasting menus that change regularly to showcase the best local produce and these are cooked in an open kitchen which is mesmerising to watch as you eat. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful, with high ceilings and a mix of dark and muted earth toned decor. It’s simple yet refined and perfectly complements the overall atmosphere of the meal itself.
We sit down and peruse the menu, sipping a glass of local Sussex fizz. etch’s tasting menu is a celebration of British produce, delivered with precision and flair. Our meal starts with a ‘snack’ of Older Sussex biscuit, Billington mushroom tart and a Roscoff onion fritter. They are deeply savoury, comforting and something I could have eaten at least fifteen more of. Accompanied by Marmite buttermilk bread paired with seaweed butter, it’s a combination I never would have thought of but that works extremely well.
The courses continue with a Jerusalem artichoke soup with tarragon oil and beef tartare which is both delicious and very well portioned. The issue I sometimes find with tasting menus is that portions can be too small to really enjoy the impact of the flavour – not at etch. Next up is poached Newhaven Monkfish accompanied by buttered leek and caviar beurre blanc. The monkfish is melt-in-your-mouth tender, offset by the deliciously creamy sauce. What follows is an orkney scallop – an additional extra to the menu, but as we were feeling hungry (greedy) and wanted to really immerse ourselves in the whole experience, it was a no-brainer to add. And we were glad we did. Accompanied by smoked rice, cauliflower and brown butter, they were a real standout of the experience.
The main meat dish of the experience was South Downs venison saddle accompanied by walnut ketchup, oyster mushroom and celeriac. Smoky depth and gentle acidity are beautifully balanced and it goes down perfectly with a glass of red as chosen by our waiter. Longley Farm Creme Fraiche with clementine sorbet, clementine leaf oil and marigold provides a fresh, elegant finish.
Every dish on the etch. tasting menu is crafted around a few core ingredients, showing just how much you can do with the right flair, talent and execution. Edwards demonstrates his proclivity for marrying together ingredients that are incredible but unexpected. Playful and rich with delicate textures and explosive flavour contrasts, it’s a menu designed to delight, intrigue and stay with you long after the plates have been cleared away.
The Service at etch.
Food aside, service is absolutely fantastic. Staff are attentive and friendly without being overly in-your-face. Our waiter advises us on what to expect from each dish as it’s brought over, and is quick to top up our wine when needed (without making us feel like we’re being rushed through so we order more drinks)!
etch. is a restaurant that celebrates the best of modern British cooking, clearly showcasing Edwards’ talents at every turn. When combined with the beautiful decor, talented mixologists and overall atmosphere, it’s a restaurant you can’t just visit once. Perfect for date nights, meals with friends, or a family celebration, you will feel special from the moment you first enter until the moment you leave. Be sure to book a table ahead of time as it’s popular, particularly on weekends. Trust us, you don’t want to miss out.
etch.
214 Church Rd, Brighton and Hove, Hove BN3 2DJ
