Pop down to Brighton these days and you’ll find that it’s awash not only with celebrities but, increasingly, with celebrity eateries as well. Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim has his own sushi bar, Okinami, the former Mrs McCartney, Heather Mills, has her own vegan café, and the queues outside Jamie Oliver’s new Italian place stretch all the way down to the seafront.
The latest star to swap Heat for the hot plate is Dermot O’Leary. Along with his friends and business partners Paul Shovlin and James Ginzler, the X Factor host has opened a restaurant called Fishy Fishy. As the name suggests, it’s palpably not a vegan café. Set in a three-storey Grade II listed Georgian town house in the heart of the historic Lanes, Fishy Fishy is, if you’ll excuse the pun, sandwiched between Pret A Manger on one side and LK Bennett on the other, and boasts the kind of discreet, intimate location that’s ideal for that clandestine meeting or an illicit rendezvous.
Inside, it’s welcoming and unpretentious, all Regency hues and subtle lighting. The majority of the catch is landed locally up the coast in nearby Shoreham from sustainable sources, and even the bubbly is local, hailing from a vineyard at the foot of the South Downs, Ridgeview.
To start, the squid stir-fried in Teriyaki (£6.25) came loaded with a bit of a kick, while the calamari (£5.95) was moist and just the right side of chewy. Next up came a perfectly-sized portion of grilled sea bass with mash and a pea puree (£15.95) that was light and flaky. My partner’s Lobster Thermador, meanwhile, was grilled to pink perfection, and, for once was sensibly-priced (£30). Chunky chips (£2.50) were, of course, obligatory.
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find the solid staples you’d expect like moules (£5.50/£10.50), fish pie (£9.95) and beer-battered fish and chips (£9.95), as well as perennial favourites such as the lemon sole (£16.50) and boiled Channel Crab (£12.50). There’s also some interesting ideas too, such as Brightonbaisse, Fishy Fishy’s take on the classic fish stew made with local catch. A chocolate and pecan brownie for dessert, meanwhile, was perhaps the only disappointment, being a little too dry even with the addition of a bit of cream and another glass of Chablis to wash it down. That said, Fishy Fishy is a welcome addition to Brighton’s eating scene, especially as, for the most part, many supposedly higher end restaurants in Brighton consistently fail to deliver.
Incidentally, we were told that Dermot would also be doing his bit when it came to front of house duties but if we thought we’d have our glasses topped up by the man himself we were wrong. Turns out he was busy. Some big Saturday night show or other he’s been working on for a while. But hey, it’s not like Fatboy Slim spins his sushi plates either…
36 East Street, Brighton BN1 1HL (+ 44 (0)1273 723750; fishyfishy.com)
