Nutbourne game comes to Soho courtesy of the Gladwin brothers
Sussex, the fourth London restaurant from farming restaurateurs the Gladwin brothers, could barely be more different to the restaurant it has replaced at the top of Frith Street. Flavour Bastard was a concept seemingly dreamt up on an away-day gone awry – all global-fusion faddiness, with wines under headings such as ‘Smashable Bastards’. Smash it is exactly what the critics did, and it shut its doors after less than a year. Sussex might just be Flavour Bastard’s antithesis: earthy, unfussily elegant, with almost all of the produce coming from Sussex, and especially the Gladwin family farm and vineyard in Nutbourne, protected by the southern slopes of the South Downs. Restaurateur Richard, chef Oliver and farmer-supplier Gregory have previous experience when it comes to bringing their bucolic hamlet to London: Chelsea’s Rabbit, The Shed in Notting Hill and Nutbourne in Battersea have all become well-loved neighbourhood haunts. But opening up in Soho is different. And Sussex is the most grown-up of the four restaurants, with less of a farmhouse feel, encouraging classic dining rather than small-plate sharing in the wood-panelled, U-shaped space (decor-wise, it’s not a million miles from Arbutus, the buttoned-down fine diner that was once here). But the food is farmier than ever, underpinned by the ethos that what grows together goes together. Flavour Brothers, they could have called it.
FOOD
The mushroom-Marmite eclairs, a hit at Rabbit and The Shed, have made it onto the snacks menu alongside stone-bass croquettes and crab tartlets – but otherwise, the food is more dressed up here. Of the starters, the monkfish carpaccio most epitomises Sussex’s haute-forager vibe: silky slivers topped with puréed aubergine, pine nuts and poppy little amaranth seeds, with traces of lemon and chilli. A lot going on, but all of it good. The partridge saltimbocca is simpler, with gamey autumnal slices cut through with creamy smoked Gouda. For the mains, the fallow deer with chestnut and chocolate features various rich cuts of venison, including the ‘cigar’ served at Rabbit. But it is the specials for two which people will travel for: on our visit, a hare (recently shot by Gregory) and rainbow-chard Wellington, the tender pinkish meat baked into a golden-crispy latticed tube, served with gravy, quince squares, skinny chips and Nutbourne purple cabbage. Also on the list was a whole-roasted mallard for two, with the menu warning diners that game dishes may contain shot. The all-English cheeseboard is another revelation, including a smooth Isle of Wight blue and a buttery Red Leicester aged in muscat. There’s also an eight-course menu, served round a 14-seat kitchen table downstairs, which currently includes squirrel tortellini with lovage and bone-marrow pesto.
DRINK
Aside from one tequila, the cocktail list is all-English, with Suffolk-based Adnams providing gins, vodkas and even the single malt for the Old Fashioned or the Film Noir with banana and chocolate bitters. The house G&T twist is the Local and Wild (the brothers’ motto), with Sipsmith gin, pear, cinnamon, quince and tonka-bean bitters. Naturally, there are wines from the family vineyard, which is mostly run by Bridget, the brothers’ artist mother. Crisp whites including the Bacchus and Sussex Reserve recall the best Rieslings and go well with the monkfish. But while Nutbourne tends to produce whites and sparkling wines, there’s a long list of reds, heavy on full-bodied French classics to pair with the red meat.
VERDICT
It’s refreshing to see pure-bred British locavorism land in Soho, and without much attendant gimmickry. By Toby Skinner
Address: Sussex, 63-64 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 3JW
Telephone: +44 20 3923 7770
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