Review: Flint House

I’ve walked past Flint House countless times and stared into the windows, reading the menu every time I go by. The pass is on the ground floor, more gorgeous tables on the first floor, not to mention a roof

terrace I’ve heard wonderful things about. It seemed like the perfect spot to start an evening off, yet worthy of being the event of the night. For us it was both, and once we stepped inside it was clear this was the right choice.

Having been open since April of 2019, Flint House has truly cemented its position as one of Brighton’s most well-known restaurants. Not only because of the food but the atmosphere, service, and my favourite part: the open kitchen. An open kitchen will never get old; it was fantastic being able to watch the chefs at work, communicating with one another, getting to see food go from their hands straight onto our plates. This added immensely to the atmosphere, spotlights on the kitchen while the dining room is  lit dimly with lamps and candles.

If you take a look at the menu, you’ll notice there isn’t much emphasis on cocktails, but we couldn’t go into a meal without starting with something fun. The hibiscus margarita and peanut butter old fashioned took our fancy but regretfully neither wowed us. I’m getting this out of the way now because the rest of the meal was incredible so don’t let this put you off. That’s not to say they were bad at all, just not particularly noteworthy. I will say, the peanut butter old fashioned almost turned me. I quite enjoyed it considering I’m an old fashioned hater- a hint of sweetness mellowed out the typical bitter flavour I usually wince at.

Now, on to the good stuff. Any sort of mushroom dish is a must have for us, so no debate on the tempura oyster mushrooms. In the weeks leading up to our visit I kept coming across the sweetcorn fritters which seem to be a staple item on the menu at Flint House. Both came out looking delectable, the chipotle aioli under the fritters was reminiscent of elote. Texturally, they were perfect. The corn wasn’t obstructed by the batter, each kernel popping with every bite and contrasting wonderfully with the smoky aioli. Tempura oyster mushrooms are always a hit in my books, especially when paired with some sort of creamy sauce. In this case, a miso mayonnaise brought a welcome umami hit to the crunchy mushrooms. I noted the long strands they were presented in, a different shape to what I’ve previously encountered. This was a good way to make sure the entire mushroom didn’t pull out of the batter as they may have done in bigger chunks.

Most often when ordering broccoli in a restaurant you’ll be greeted with tenderstem. However as some of you may have noticed, there’s a big trend these days of serving a whole head of whatever vegetable can be found, be it cabbage, cauliflower, or in this case, broccoli. I was pleased about this firstly because it was a nice change but secondly, it allowed for far more crispy florets than one would find with roasted tenderstem. The broccoli was accompanied by almond tarator, pickled red chilli, and sunflower seeds, all of which kept it light and allowed the broccoli to have its moment. We also decided to go for the butter roasted celeriac just to broaden our horizons a little, and this came with a pretty traditional combination of garlic, parsley, and hazelnut. Once again and rightly so, the celeriac was the star, the rest of the elements amplifying its flavour and texture from the background.

I almost forgot to snap a photo of the squash tortellini with sage crumb & Gran Levante, can you believe it. Another very quick yes when we spotted it on the menu, especially after we watched a chef directly in front of us rolling out sheets of pasta so thin you could see light through them. The quality of the pasta itself was the first thing we noticed, cooked perfectly so it still had a bite. A rich filling of squash, a topping of crispy sage and a delicate dusting of cheese, this dish was rich in the best way. After our first mouthful we agreed we could’ve eaten an entire bowl of this each.

No, we didn’t stop there. Fried sprouts with pancetta, balsamic glaze and toasted almonds were the next thing to grace our palates. The description had us thinking they would be deep-fried but they were pan-fried; a moment of relief because this was the point at which we started to become full. The pancetta was smoky and sticky, cut into the right sized cubes for a moreish chew. This plus the sugar coming from the balsamic glaze helped bulk up the sprouts enough that we couldn’t finish them, as desperately as we wanted to. Last but by no means least, confit potato with a black pepper aioli. You can tell just by looking at them these potatoes were meticulously layered and fried to golden, crispy perfection; I would choose these over chips any day. Black pepper aioli was something I had never come across but this one was delicious, the flavour had an excellent balance of both pepper and citrus, brightening up the potatoes superbly.

Now, we had a feeling we’d forgotten something and thank god we remembered because this next dish was the highlight of the whole meal for me. You might see 'raw courgette' and think it sounds absurd but that’s the exact reason I wanted to try it. After everything else had arrived and nearly been finished, we ordered the raw courgettes with crispy garlic & pine nut dressing, seaweed, and basil. When I say this was exceptional, I mean it with all my heart. What really took me by surprise was the sauce the courgettes had been neatly curled up on. The seaweed and basil were so prominent, this was by far the best thing I ate all night. Natural, earthy olive oil, salty, creamy sauce, and crunchy courgettes, this was most definitely a dish to remember.

I think I’ve made it quite obvious; Flint House is the ideal place to begin a night with a glass of wine, some delicious food, and a great show if you’re smart enough to choose counter seating. The recent announcement of their new set menu is even more reason to go back and try everything we missed.