I am going to start this off by saying I was not asked to write this. We paid for everything. Jesse bought me a voucher for my birthday which covered the cost of the food and then we purchased drinks and left a tip on top of that. Since opening Etch has been on my list of places to eat in Brighton & Hove. We finally got round to booking a dinner there, and then Covid-19 happened.
The week of our booking people had been advised to not visit restaurants or bars. However we weighed up the pros and cons and decided to go. I do not regret our decision one bit as less than 48 hours the Government announced that all bars, restaurants and several other places should close immediately. Then another 2/3 days later we entered full lockdown.
We went to Etch back in March. As I write this it is now July and they have only just been allowed to re-open.
Now onto the food. Oh my! This was probably the best meal I’ve eaten. We originally booked in for the 7 course vegetarian option, however due to Etch celebrating it’s third birthday we were upgraded to the next option which was 9! The menu gives very little away as to what you will be eating. It simply lists 3 ingredients for each course. Each menu is also designed using seasonal, local produce so it can change depending on availability.
I didn’t take photos of all the courses, or our drinks, and to be honest my photos do not do the food justice. The lighting was low and plus we were too busy enjoying the food to think about photos. I also cannot remember exactly what we had. I really should have written down each course, and this post sooner. On arrival we were presented with our menus. A member of staff went through each course with us as they arrived. A real highlight was the little mini brioche bread with a marmite glaze. I don’t even like marmite but it was tasty, especially with the seaweed butter.
Obviously I didn’t get a photo of the mini brioche loaf so you will just have to trust me on how good it was.
There wasn’t a single thing wrong with our meal, it was all absolutely amazing.
They can cater for both vegetarian and meat, but unfortunately it is not suitable for vegans. When we booked they asked us about any allergies and dietary requirements which was a nice touch.
I’m sure with all the rules and changes that restaurants have had to do they are fully prepared. It is definitely a restaurant that I would trust going to during these weird times. One thing that I do understand is that obviously people don’t have as much disposable income now and Etch isn’t cheap. We had a voucher for £150 and that just paid for our food. However if you can afford to support a local business like this then please do. It is worth the money. I still think about the food now and it was almost 4 months ago that we visited.
Now that restaurants and bars are allowed to re-open do you feel safe visiting them? Are there any that you cannot wait to visit? Let me know in the comments.