Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
that still keeps going; and the
Ohso Social
(
&
01273/46067;
www.ohsosocial.
co.uk), a cafe/bar/restaurant with a terrace that has a driftwood feel and views over
the pier (great in the evening as all the lights go on). You'll find music pouring out of
bars, bands playing on the beach, rollerbladers whizzing by, and people just out for a
stroll.
SeaLife
AQUARIUM This was the world's first aquarium, opening as the
Royal Aquarium in 1872. It retains a
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas
feel,
thanks to its subterranean setting. Many of the tanks are under low, vaulted ceilings,
but the days of dolphin tanks are long gone, and it's now part of a major set-up. There
is plenty to see here: Rays, crabs, and other local sealife as well as exotic fish. That's
just the opener before you walk into a darkened Amazonia Jungle zone and eventually
emerge into a glass tunnel snaking through a massive tank alive with fish, sharks, and
a pair of magnificent turtles. (Lulu is 70-plus years old and weighs 152 kg/335 lb.)
You can then pop upstairs to see it all from above in a glass-bottom boat.
Marine Parade.
&
0871/4232110.
www.visitsealife.com/Brighton. Admission £16 adults, £11 children
3-14, £45 family ticket. Daily 10am-5pm.
Where to Eat
EXPENSIVE
The Restaurant at Drakes
MODERN BRITISH/FRENCH This is the
smartest and perhaps best restaurant in Brighton, combining contemporary British
style with French twists. The atmosphere in this basement is intimate and soothing.
Food is inventive (a starter of local scallops and black pudding purée with roasted
apples and beurre blanc, perhaps, followed by poached and roasted breast of Sussex
White chicken with pithivier of braised leg meat, cep mushroom purée, thyme cro-
quettes, and truffle sauce). Drakes may be best but you could be anywhere; if you
want true Brighton, go to the Regency (see below).
Drakes Hotel, 44 Marine Parade.
&
01273/696934.
www.therestaurantatdrakes.co.uk. Reservations
recommended. Set menu £30 for 2 courses; £40 3-course dinner. AE, MC, V. Daily 12:30-2pm and
7-9:45pm.
MODERATE
Due South
MODERN BRITISH Due South is under the arches, all woody
and warm and right by the sea. It's the perfect place for a perfect restaurant. Due
South boasts “organic, free-range, and biodynamic” ingredients. Most come from
within a 35-mile radius of Brighton beach. There is great seafood (sea bass, scallops,
a selection of oysters) but also dishes you wouldn't expect in a little seafront eatery
(South Brockwells Farm pheasant stuffed with wild mushroom, with game liver par-
fait, game spiced brioche, potted leg, and warm consommé jelly).
139 King's Rd. Arches.
&
01273/821218.
www.duesouth.co.uk. Reservations recommended. Main
courses £12-£18 (seafood is market price). AE, MC, V. Daily noon-3:30pm and 6-10pm.
English's of Brighton
SEAFOOD This is a seafood tradition, run by the same
family for more than 60 years, amid Edwardian style in the heart of town. You can
drop in for a glass of champers and a snack at the marble-topped oyster bar, or head
to the richly decorated Red Room for a full meal (in summer the terrace is very pleas-
ant). It's good English fare with starters such as potted shrimp or dressed crab. The
likes of Dover sole and lobster dominate the main courses, although you'll also find
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