New Neighbourhood Restaurant Amari Review – The masterminds behind Halisco and Anakuma have joined forces with chef, Ian Swainson and opened a third restaurant, Amari located on Baker Street in Brighton.
Previously head chef of fine dining restaurant Amarillo, Swainson now brings contemporary and original takes on Spanish classics to the new venue.
Amari Brighton promises ‘fun-dining’ as opposed to ‘fine-dining’ with affordable prices and a warm welcome. I was invited along to sample the food and incredibly excited at the prospect, being a huge fan of both Halisco and Anakuma.
The restaurant interior is immaculate with views into the well appointed kitchen. The vibe is cosy and modern with rustic touches that pay homage to a traditional Spanish taverna and the welcome was indeed a warm one.
We were seated next to the window and given menus to peruse. The layout is similar to the aforementioned sister restaurants and broken down into snacks, small plates and then larger tapas. All of which sounded delicious, with many dishes being what you would expect and others hinting at chefs imaginative flair.
Sangria was ordered and arrived toute sweet in Bordeaux glasses. The contents were ice cold, sweet and fruity with slices of orange and peaches. This is one of the best I’ve tasted in the city and is made with Crème de Mure and Triple Sec along with some decent red wine.
Chef presented us with some of his home made bread and olive oil which we could smell baking in the kitchen since our arrival. Baguette style rolls and a brown roll which was slightly sweet on top paired perfectly with the olives and padron peppers we also ordered. The peppers were charred to perfection with the usual rock salt but also a citrus flavour which was unexpected and delightful.
We saved some of the bread for our next dish, prawns cooked in garlic butter with bisque. The king prawns were plump and soft and the bisque sauce velvety smooth with a sweet delicate flavour making it perfect to mop up.
Next up, red wine braised rib of beef with tomatoes and chickpeas. The meat was so tender it literally fell off the bone, there was minimal fat and the flavour of the jus was rich, complimenting the sweet tomatoes and al dente chickpeas. A stunning dish.
Believe it or not we saved some room for dessert, which we shared. This one was new to me, cinnamon torrija (Spanish style French toast) with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. A generous slice of soft, buttery torrija arrived which our spoons cut through with ease. The caramel sauce had a delightful burnt undertone and the cold ice cream cut through the warm sticky gorgeousness like magic.
The owners say it isn’t fine dining, but I would disagree. All of the dishes were presented beautifully while delivering on flavour. There’s some alchemy happening in that kitchen and I advise you to book a table while you still can.
15 Baker St, Brighton BN1 4JN / @amaribrighton
