Dilsk is an intimate restaurant in Brighton, found on the lower levels of the Drakes Hotel, offering short and long tasting menus that champion brilliant local Sussex ingredients. The restaurant offers a refined dining experience with a focus on luxury and sustainability, taking care to source good quality produce that is ethically grown and local to the East Sussex area. The fixed menu has 3 options: set lunches, which consists of a three-course meal; the short tasting menu, made up of six-courses and the full tasting menu that includes nine-courses and a selection of snacks.
Chef Tom Stephens - who trained under Michelin starred Tom Kerridge and Steve Drake at Sorrel in Surrey - moved to Brighton in 2019 after spending time exploring Southeast Asia. He aims to take diners on a flavour excursion with each course artistically styled to excite your eyes and your tastebuds. This is the first collaborative venture for Stephens and front of house manager Madeleine Riches, who together have over 40 years industry experience. Dilsk embodies sophistication with its white walls, modest décor and the hum of up-tempo background music, keeping distractions at a minimum and allowing the food and wine to hold your focus.
Dishes on the tasting menu at the time of writing include oysters with trout roe, radish and dilsk custard (dilsk being a type of algae), squid with courgette, salted ricotta and sunflower, Sussex Tenor chocolate with smoked rapeseed oil and creme fraiche.
The courses demonstrate a modern spin on classic methods and can be served alongside specially selected wine pairings from across the globe, chosen by an in-house specialist. There is an alcohol-free pairing available and an extensive wine and cocktail list, including a honey wine, for those of you who wish to experiment with your own flavour combinations.