The Salt Room opens its doors...

There has been a buzz of excitement surrounding The Salt Room over the last couple of months, which is hardly surprising considering this is the sister restaurant to the very popular The Coal Shed and it is in a prime seafront location as part of the Hilton Brighton Metropole. After all the anticipation the restaurant offically opens its doors on Friday 20th February, but this week is the soft launch and so we were delighted to pop down and get a sneak peek.

Photo courtesy of the Brighton & Hove Independent

Inside the decor has an industrial feel to it with exposed brick and copper lampshades, these are coupled with vibrant cyan coloured banquettes so the overall affect is very inviting. Of course the main feature is the view and the floor to ceiling windows show this off perfectly. There is also a sheltered terrace which you know will be packed over the summer months.

Photo courtesy of the Brighton & Hove Independent

But what about the food? Fans of The Coal Shed will be relieved to hear that their signature 35 day dry aged steaks are still on the menu, however the main focus here is seafood. All the fish is sustainable and the menu will change regularly to reflect what's currently in season. After a bit of deliberation I opted for the Sussex Cod with braised octopus, sea herbs and seafood bouillon. In the wrong hands cod can be very bland but this had a delicate & light flavour complimented by the octopus and samphire. I couldn't resist having a side order of chips, which were very moreish having been cooked in rosemary. My colleagues opted for the Shrimp & Crab Burger; Halbut with Braised Oxtail and Cauliflower Cheese with yellow chanterelles.

Clockwise from Top left:
Halibut with Oxtail; Cauliflower Cheese; Shrimp & Crab Burger; Sussex Cod and Octopus.

The only problem we had was that we needed to get back to the office so we didn't get a chance to try any of the desserts, which did look delicious so we're alredy planning our next visit!

As mentioned the restaurant officially opens on Friday and to celebrate this The Salt Room are launching #SaltSearch - an interactive treasure hunt  across the city. Starting at 10am tomorrow (Friday 20th February) special prize cards will be hidden around the city with daily clues posted on The Salt Room twitter page. Prizes include £100 voucher; Sunday lunch; cocktails and more.

To be in with a chance a winning follow @TheSaltRoomUK and get ready to join the #SaltSearch

Charlotte

The most romantic thing to do in #Brighton is...

With Valentine's Day approaching rapidly people are getting into the mood for love and we were not surprised to see the city listed as one of the top romantic destinations in the UK.

There are lots of romanitc things to do, whether it's snuggling up in a cosy corner of an independent cafe; shopping through the twisting alleyways of the Lanes - possibly even for a piece of jewellery; popping into the Royal Pavilion to see where the Prince Regent enjoyed his romantic trysts or perhaps a stroll along the promenade as the sun goes down.

Apart from being by the sea, the city is also close to the countryside so you could hop on a bus to the Downs, enjoy a bracing country walk and then find a nice pub with a roaring fire to snuggle up together.

Naturally a break at a boutique hotel such as Blanch House would be high up on the list or romantic thigns to do, and now if you go to the hotel's Facebook page and complete the sentence "The most romantic thing to do in Brighton is..." you could win a box of luxury Hotel Chocolat chocolates. Feel free to use any of the suggestions within this post, as long as you share the prize with us ;)

Charlotte

Arcadia

When the weather turns bitterly cold as it is at the moment, I am always tempted to hibernate, simply popping out when I have to and then scurrying home. However I felt a Tom Stoppard play would be worth making the effort for.

Last year the English Touring Theatre company commissioned a survey to find the nation's favourite play and Arcadia was in at number 4 (The History Boys was number 1 & this will be on at the Theatre Royal next week). That said I was not familiar with the play but you know that you are in safe hands with Stoppard at the realm.

At just under three hours with only a 15 minute interval it is quite a long play but thankfully it didn't feel like it! For those who aren't familiar with the play it is split across two eras - 1809 and the present day. In 1809 we see Thomasina Coverly being tutored and the various other shenanigans taking place in a Derbyshire country home. In the present day a couple of academics are looking back at the Coverly family and trying to piece together what took place, each with their own particular areas of interest. I have to say it was a pleasure to see a play starring a female mathematical genius!

The scenes all take place in one room as the past and the present overlap with one another. The simplistic set worked perfectly as of course with Stoppard the play is driven by words rather than action. There has been a lot of praise for Dakota Blue Richards as Thomasina and while she was good, my personal favourite was Robert Cavanah as Bernard Nightingale in the present day scenes. He seemed to revel in playing the arrogant academic and while there were times you just wanted to give him a slap you still couldn't help liking him.

This new production is premiering at the Theatre Royal Brighton and is on now until Saturday, definitely worth braving the cold for so grab your hat & scarf and get down there!

Charlotte