It’s been a long winter in much sunnier climes for your Gull as the British rain proved just too much even for this feathered old bird. But as she returns to Brighton and takes flight across her favourite old paths from West Hill to the rich pickings of the beach, what a joy to find such a vibrant food buzz along the way.  

Once upon a time, Preston Street was almost too overwhelming for your Gull’s discerning beak with aromas of oyster sauce and sriracha fighting for favour. Only Bincho Yakitori, with its award-winning grills transporting us to the back streets of Tokyo, was worth the wait for the end of the night’s bin pick. So what a delight to return from the warmer coasts to a smorgasbord of flavour.

Your bird was thrilled to spot a young cocktail crowd, probably fresh from two weeks in Cancun, pop in for a Margherita and gasp instead at the queso beef cheek birria tacos with dipping broth and oyster mushroom tacos.  And the pleasure was not just on the plates. 

Halisco has ramped up its style since your bird first pecked on the windows, and is about to celebrate its seventh birthday with a much groovier vibe than when it was just a chicka. And with Michelin-starred Ian Swainson  now head chef in Halisco’s tiny kitchen, it’s going to be a glorious summer.

Just across the road, owners Mo and Ali Razavi’s Asian alter ego, Anakuma, launched last year as a tribute to their late mother Lindsay. It’s already a hit with this bird’s family favourite, Seagull winger Solly March who was one of the first to feast on its delicious small plates just weeks after opening.  The fried baby octopus with squid ink and pink pickled onion your Gull managed to scavenge sent her soaring. 

In a road dominated by Asian offerings, your Gull pottered down to Big Bowl for a Vietnamese ramen, which came highly rated from her feathered foodies. But the squawk on the street is all about the new fire and ice at No, No Please. This food-loving Gull has spent years fluttering around those good folk at Brighton Best which has been rating Brighton and Hove’s top 20 restaurants for the last decade. Now Euan MacDonald, one of its four founders, has launched his own Asian small plates and cocktail bar with sister Mel and Namo Eats’ Bookie, again in Preston Street. 

Your bird didn’t have to take flight once as she tottered down, belly already full, to peek in through the steamy windows on a Saturday night in late spring. Popping round the back for a peck of leftovers, half a larb roll, a filo cigar filled with spiced chicken, and an iconic sesame toast finger with salted boiled egg was all your Gull needed to know that this is very fine food indeed. And despite being a scavenger, she even spotted that there’s nothing on the menu over £10 a dish.

Finally, it was time to fly, and to rest her head at Drifter, the vinyl, sea and food bar from the original team at Due South. Regular readers of this column will know that the Gull is all about local, seasonal food, and Drifter has developed a mainly vegetarian, small plate menu with natural wines and cocktails that Brighton’s beach has been screeching for. Like your bird, this is about dropping in, having a plate and moving on. But not before chilling out and listening to some very cool sounds as the sun sets.

It’s good to be back.