Sussex

Sussex, the first West End site from the Gladwin brothers, serves as a calming antidote to the hedonism that Soho is known for, instead offering up a rustic-looking setting and well-executed comfort food, made with proper ingredients and served with a smile.

While the name might make Sussex a challenge to find on Google Maps (careful you don’t end up on a trip to Brighton), it couldn’t be a more apt title for the restaurant. You enter via the bar – a mixture of high-back stools and copper surfaces – while the dining room round the corner aims to transport diners straight to the countryside, thanks to wooden furnishings, blackboard specials and flickering candles.

Much like the Gladwins’ other ventures (The Shed in Notting Hill, Rabbit in Chelsea and Nutbourne in Battersea), Sussex champions seasonal produce often sourced from the brothers’ family farm in Pulborough on the edge of the South Downs, although this is their first restaurant to ditch small plates in favour of a traditional à la carte format.

Things get off to a promising start with the snacks: a pair of venison croquettes is matched with a tart kimchi emulsion, while miniature savoury eclairs are filled with a creamy mushroom filling and the salty hit of Marmite.

For the starters proper, plump scallops arrive with crumbled black pudding and dollops of sour cream, with a few julienne slices of apple to cut through the richness. Sussex’s contemporary take on meat and two veg continues with the main courses, where smoky pork loin is slicked with an earthy miso sauce, and served alongside a lively medley of savoy cabbage and smoked cauliflower florets.

After such a strong showing, we were a little underwhelmed with our Magnum Viennetta dessert. It sounded fabulously kitsch, but was simply a layered slab of chocolate, vanilla and salted caramel ice cream, without any of the retro dessert’s fun presentation. Nonetheless, sweet and attentive staff, plus English wines from the brothers’ Nutbourne vineyard, helped to pull things back.   

Sure, Sussex might feel a little out of place in its setting, but it offers a welcome escape for when the bright lights and late nights of Soho all get a bit much.  

Sussex is the latest project from the Gladwin brothers, who already operate three London restaurants – The Shed in Notting Hill, Rabbit in Chelsea and Nutbourne in Battersea.

This is the family’s first West End site, taking up residence on Soho’s Frith Street. The dining room is spacious and elegant, with large windows letting in plenty of natural light, while contemporary artwork lines the walls. The restaurant’s kitchen is in the basement and features a chef’s table for up to 20 people that can be used for private dinner parties or butchery masterclasses.

Sussex ditches the sharing small plates approach seen at other Gladwin brother locations, instead honing in on classical dishes made with modern cooking techniques. Starters include the likes of hand-dived scallops with black pudding and Jerusalem artichoke, rabbit loin and carrot terrine, or aubergine and whey cheese roulade served with tomato harissa and basil dust.

Mains meanwhile feature the likes of pork tenderloin served with malted pig’s cheek, rainbow chard, lardo and hazelnut English miso, as well as roasted brill with Devon crab ravioli. For pudding, you can tuck into a dark chocolate and salted caramel Vienetta, or finish up with dandelion custard tart.

Many of the ingredients found on the menu are sourced directly from the Gladwins’ family farm, while a chunk of the wine list originates from the Gladwins’ Nutbourne vineyard in Sussex. If you want to enjoy pre- or post-dinner drinks, head to the bar area, where you’ll find a selection of cocktails, wines and beers. There are sophisticated bar snacks, too, including homemade truffled burrata and smoked trout ‘Cornettos’ with blood orange pearls.

The Gladwins will undoubtedly be hoping that they enjoy the same success as previous restaurants on the site – Sussex sits on the former home of Anthony Demetre’s Arbutus, and prior to that, the site of Bruno Loubet’s first solo restaurant, Bistro Bruno.