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Tag Archives: West Hill
Gull About Town: May 2025
The Gull has been hiding her beak under a wing lately as climate change soars spring temperatures into summer-style heatwaves, and the hoards head to the beach. Her vision of Brighton and Hove barbecuing locally caught fish on the promenade, whetting the whistle of the tourists and locals alike into the finest selection in the country of restaurants serving locally, seasonal, ethical meat, vegetables, fruits, dairy is dimming by the year. Money talks, and it seems that the human foodie is less discerning than your average scavenger, having very little beef about the source of a steak, however it spent its life. Look at the recent clutch of awards celebrating the Best of Brighton to see where the votes go. It’s enough to make a Gull very glum indeed.
But there’s work to do, and up on that thermal hops your Gull for another swoop around the restaurants which go the extra mile to serve the unparalleled flavour of uncaged meat and to seek out the fruit and veg grown on organic or regenerative farms which put life back in our soil: Amari, Dilsk, Flint House, Little Fish Market, Furna, Palmito, 64 degrees, Wild Flor, Oeuf – just some of the best of the bunch doing the right thing for your Gull’s wider wildlife community.
A quick ask will sort the meat from the cack. The kitchen crew at The Reading Room, led by former Junk Food Project chef, Karen Lloyd appears to have taken a leaf out of your bird’s (bestselling) A Gull’s Guide to Scavenging. Its latest supper menu is plucked from the best of the Sussex larder, and your Gull could barely decide between the early asparagus with wild garlic mayo or confit Pig Cheek with broad beans, apple, caper & lovage dressing. Ever the pro, she manages to find room for both.
Flying west down the beach, she swerves onto Food Street where the high priests of hospitality at No No Please, Ewan and Mel tell her that they buy their meat from Rogmans Butchers in Hove, all of which is free range, apart from the chicken which is grown in barns. A quick pop around the bins for a little pick at the belly pork leftovers, and your Gull soars up the West Hill happy in the knowledge that her porcine pals have enjoyed a happy life.
Hovering for a quick peck at the brand-new Canopy on Dyke Road before the sun sets, she finds the King of Cuisine, Michael Bremner himself swapping his kitchen blow torch for hammer and saw as he puts the final touches to his latest offering in her very own backyard.
His first Brighton restaurant, 64 Degrees still sets the gull world a-squawk 13 years after it opened in The Lanes, but your Gull is still mourning the more bird-friendly outside seating at Murmur where genuine food fans could watch the sunset while the local pest control hoovered up the occasional pickings on the patio.
Now the former home of Coggings and Co, Atelier Du Vin and Brighton Cocktail Company, , this ‘community café’ in Seven Dials, Michael’s home for 12 of the 20 he’s been in Brighton, will be bringing ingredients from 64’s suppliers to Dyke Road.
Your Gull has watched many a shifty cocktail bar coming and going in the time it takes to catch a thermal, but this co-working, dog and baby friendly cafe with yoga in the garden and plants by Between Two Thorns, interiors by the good folk at Café Rust and coffee from Skylark, the non-profit which supports coffee farmers, all served up on tables made from the recycled wood yard just down the road, might be just what the neighbourhood ordered. As the sun sets over West Hill, your Gull whistles her way home, beak happily now under wing, dreaming peacefully that her vision of Brighton may just come true.
Gull About Town: September 2025
It’s Tourist Time and your Gull’s favourite season when we birds get busy and clear the streets of the best leftovers we can find. Leaving the chips and kebabs for the teen gulls, your Gull has swooped down to Seven Dials in search of richer pickings at pop ups at The Canopy and Puck.
Now, the gulls were all a-squawk when word got out about the closing of 64 Degrees with its superior snacking opportunities for the more discerning scavenger. So, to find the Great British Menu winner himself popping up at The Canopy in our very own Dials this late summer was greeted with the loudest of caws. This man can cook! Your bird is waddling in his wake as he plans his next restaurant experience later this year.
Popping up at Puck, Marc and Amy at Sedap are following the London trend of excellent Malaysian street food with tofu satay, nasi kerabu and oyster mushroom rendang giving a modern spin on the traditional fare. Your gull can report that the kuih dadar, the rolled crepe infused with pandan juice and filled with grated coconut in Gula Melaka is the kind of dessert to make a bird’s spirits soar. Expect regular pop ups there throughout the autumn.
With a taste of the East in her beak, your Gull catches a thermal over to The Lanes, stopping briefly to sniff out Patio, the new deli/wine bar/café/’cool place to hang’ replacing Grocer and Grain on Upper Gloucester Road. Opening at the end of September, it promises to be a much-needed tasty space to meet by the train station.
Landing in Ship Street, your Gull finds Bookie, founder and executive chef at Namo Eats at The Eagle and junior co-owner at No No Please has just finished a stint at The Sidewinder and opened her own restaurant, Namo at 24 Ship Street. On Thai small plates with seasonal ingredients woven into the dishes, the menu is largely from her home in the north of Thailand and reflects more of who she is than she’s been able to show under the wing of the previous establishments. Your Gull was particularly pleased to hear that she plans to bring her Thai cookery classes to Ship Steet, making it a place where people can enjoy good Thai food and share stories of the culture and roots behind it, just as Great Uncle Gulliver used to do for us young gulls on the back of his travels.
A sated bird, full of excellent scraps and meaty stories of culture and enterprise, your Gull glides home against a setting sun, tucking a happy head under a weary wing. The tourist season may soon be winding down, but the scent of Octoberbest is already nestling in her nostrils and feeding her dreams.
Gull About Town: March 2025
Your intrepid gull is back from her spot of winter sun to fly high and sniff the latest flavours rising from the streets of her hometown.
Gliding through Hove’s Church Road, the aroma of short rib with Mayan red chocolate and salsa criolla wafting from El Bolillo takes her straight back to the taquerias of Mexico City, the first stop on her winter break. Perching on the back fence to get a bird’s eye view of the kitchens, she spots none other than chef Greg Clarke searing some prawns in pimiento salsa, yuzu, sesame and sorrel.
She immediately recognises his Michelin-starred hacks from his stellar work at Restaurant Tom Aikens, Midsummer House and The Ledbury. El Bolillo is his new venture with mate, Matty Salvetti, and has filled the boots of Hove’s much loved Mexican, Los Amigos where generations of gulls have tucked into tacos for 27 years until it closed in 2017. It was, according to the word on the wing, where the son of Mexico’s president once dined. Pecking at a large slice of tres leches flan with tepache caramel, lacto raspberries and herbs handily left by the compost, your gull suggests that a Michelin star may finally soon shine on Hove.
Catching a thermal on the seafront back to Brighton, your gull checks out the latest on the poor old i360 which went into administration last year, and finds plans being drawn up by big bar business, Nightcap. The owners, a Kemptown couple who starred in TV show The Dragon’s Den, have scooped it up into their portfolio of London bars, and will apparently share 1% of future revenues with Brighton and Hove City Council.
Following the unmistakable aroma of Sussex Wagyu, your gull glides down the beach to Kings Road where Pearly Cow, the new in-house restaurant at GuestHouse, led by the Guest brothers, Tristan, James and Tom, has brought its locally sourced policy to Brighton from York and Margate. Popping round the back, your gull eyes up a delicious choice of leftover bavette, fries, herb-crusted bone marrow and glazed onion; grilled cauliflower, miso butterbeans and pomegranate or rolled porchetta, crispy ratte potatoes, roast apples, fennel and cider sauce.
It seems to your gull that Sussex Wagyu is having its day, as she picks up the scent and soars over to Market Street, just off the Old Steine where London’s Burger & Lobster have opened its first UK restaurant outside the big city. Famed for its Rock Oysters with tabasco, fresh lemon, shallot vinaigrette and its Lobster Roll with lemon mayo, toasted brioche roll, lemon and garlic butter and fries, it’s a welcome addition to this buzzing new culinary quarter.
With a belly full of scraps and nibbles from the best of Brighton and Hove’s new eateries, she waddles back to West Hill to rest her head under her wing and dream of tomorrow’s rich pickings. It’s good to be home.
New England House deadline looms By Tyler Burgess
Brighton’s cultural identity is rooted in its people. A city full of artists, musicians, and small-business owners, Brighton is a hub for creative visionaries. But as closures mount and rents soar, the city’s identity feels increasingly under threat.
In March, Brighton and Hove City Council announced plans to vacate New England House, an eight-story commercial building near Brighton Station. For years, it has been home to some of the city’s most vital creative artists, photographers and performers who rely on its affordability and collaborative atmosphere to sustain their work.
The building opened in 1963, described as “the world’s first high-rise industrial business centre,” and is home to over 100 different enterprises. It is owned by Brighton and Hove councils and is one of the few publicly controlled workspaces in a city dominated by private rentals.
The decision to close its doors was made after serious fire risks were identified after months of deliberation. A fire safety report identified severe issues, inadequate fire protection, insufficient fire detection and no accessible evacuation options for disabled people. The required renovations would be extensive, and with no clear timeline, tenants have been told to vacate by September.
In March, a group of 11 business owners from the House submitted a deputation to the council’s cabinet, appealing for a more generous notice period. Along with assistance in finding a suitable alternative, the council has maintained its deadline.
While it is difficult to contest decisions concerning fire safety, particularly in the shadow of the Grenfell disaster, the impact on Brighton’s creative community is undeniable. As affordable industrial and commercial spaces become rarer, many of these tenants will likely be pushed further out of the city. And a closure such as this is sure to devastate the creative industry Brighton is known for.
Cllr Jacob Taylor, Deputy Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said:
“We inherited a nightmare situation with New England House, a creative hub for decades, which unfortunately is having to be evacuated because of fire safety issues. But we are determined to help rehouse tenants where we can, and are exploring using other council buildings to do so. Looking to the future, I’m determined to recreate the spirit of what we had at New England House in a new or refurbished building.”
New England House is not an isolated case. The City has seen a rapid decline in commercial spaces. Independent cafes, art venues and longstanding local businesses have all quietly disappeared, being replaced by big chains, Airbnb and high-end flats.
Beloved Shops like Hisbe, Gak and Dockerhills were all important local businesses that have shut their doors. Venues, cafes and community hubs have disappeared, often replaced by big chains or luxury flats designed for investors, not residents.
“One of the things that makes Brighton & Hove so special is its creativity, and the vibrancy of small business in the sector. But – we should be honest – this is under threat, because of unaffordable housing and a lack of light industrial and creative space in the city. We need to build more affordable properties, and we need to ensure new developments have affordable and appropriate commercial space for our industries,” Cllr Taylor added.
A decision on the future use of New England House is expected to be made in the summer by the council cabinet. However, tenants will now be looking to move their business elsewhere as the September deadline looms.
The Whistler 