The Salt Room

“A real show-off place” overlooking Brighton’s seafront and iconic West Pier ruins, this sibling of the meat-tastic Coal Shed is a star in its own right. Located behind a sleek black facade, The Salt Room mixes exposed brick and bare lightbulbs with a menu that majors in locally-sourced seafood and meat roasted over coal. ‘Whole fish to share’ is one of the standouts and fans rate the “outstanding” ‘surfboard’ piled with grilled shellfish from the south coast and Scotland.

Elsewhere, the Josper oven delivers some “exquisite steaks” for the red-blooded brigade and even a couple of options for vegetarians. Other notable fish dishes include lemon sole with spiced potted crab butter, cucumber and seaweed roasted potatoes, and Gigha halibut with fennel, samphire and kimchi hollandaise, though really you can’t go far wrong. The weekday set menu offers good value if you’re happy with a choice between two dishes for each course, while the Sunday sharing menu is more of a special treat (though kids under seven do eat free, if that sways it).

Desserts such as peach melba and arctic roll are pleasingly nostalgic, though we suggest you round off with 'a taste of the pier' – a chunk of West Pier driftwood brimming with delights such as doughnuts, fudge, pâte de fruits and chocolate ‘pebbles’.  The bar’s a good shout too with plenty of trendy wines, including fine wines by the glass, though it’s also worth noting the cracking BYO deal on Monday evenings (corkage £5). Slick, friendly service and a lovely terrace for ocean-gazing during the summer months add to the overall buzz of this popular Brighton restaurant.

Part of The Black Rock Group (that also runs the likes of Tutto, The Coal Shed and Burnt Orange) The Salt Room is highly regarded in Brighton for cooking local fish and produce over coals, as well as boasting fantastic views of Brighton seafront and the iconic West Pier. You’ll find the restaurant a short walk from Brighton Palace Pier, just by Brighton i360.

Inside, the restaurant has adopted a classic relaxed fine dining look - polished wood tabletops match a smart herringbone floor, and the colour palette is a mixture of rich blues and gleaming copper. A series of large glass double doors opens out onto The Salt Room’s expansive terrace, which is understandably popular in the summer months (though it is also covered and therefore fairly weatherproof all year round).

The Salt Room menu has something for everything, but undeniably, the focus is on quality seafood cooked over coals. Kick off with starters like tuna sashimi with truffle ponzu, barbecued mackerel with pickled cucumber and plum hoisin, and wild Argentinian red prawns with pil pil sauce and chive oil. The restaurant offers a handful of main plates, but the most popular items are the sharing platters, whether it’s the Surfboard of grilled and steamed shellfish with fries, or whole cuts of meat and fish to share, cooked over coals and serves with sides like french fries, seaweed salad or tenderstem broccoli.

The same seasonality and innovation that is applied to the menu finds its way into the cocktails, with a selection of drinks changing through the year. Cocktails that trend towards earthy herbs and sea spices, like the Mad Monks (benedictine, green chartreuse, Cocchi Americano, citrus and Peychaud’s bitters).