Welcome to
Flame Grilled Brighton
Open-fire and live fire cooking
One blazing trend that has significantly shaped the restaurant industry over the past decade is the rise of open fires and live-fire cooking, seen in various formats across Brighton and Hove restaurants and there are new restaurants favouring this theatrical approach. This ancient yet modern style of cooking has become a hallmark of diverse restaurant styles, all sharing one key element: the use of an open grill. This method imparts a smoky flavour to the dishes and provides customers with great theatrics, adding a new and exciting dimension to the dining experience.
Embers
At Embers, the style of open fire cooking is both rustic and refined, delivering a unique setting for Brighton. The heart of their kitchen is a roaring charcoal-fired grill, where Dave Marrow and his team use live flames to create a variety of dishes with a distinctive smoky depth. Embers takes pride in sourcing local charcoal, local high-quality ingredients, and their menu showcases the versatility of open fire cooking.
Signature dishes include charred meats like succulent, flame-kissed steaks and perfectly grilled chicken, infused with the rich, smoky essence of the fire. Seafood lovers can indulge in grilled fish, offering a delightful blend of crisp skin and tender, juicy flesh. Vegetarians aren’t left out either, with an array of fire-roasted vegetables and innovative plant-based dishes that capture the essence of live-fire cooking.
The open fire not only enhances the flavours but also provides a captivating visual experience, making every meal at Embers an absolute pleasure.
The Coal Shed
The Coal Shed has a flaming hot menu under Executive Chef Lee Murdoch at their new North Street location. Known as one of Brighton’s leading steak restaurants, The Coal Shed focuses on over-fire beef cooking, while Murdoch extends this method to a variety of meats, hearty vegetables, and vegan dishes. The menu is enhanced with robata oven-cooked fermented breads, snacks, and small plates. With a strong nod to its seaside setting, the restaurant also offers an impressive selection of raw and flame-cooked seafood, promising an elevated dining experience.
The menu features a range of prime cuts of meat and fresh seafood, including perfectly char-grilled steaks that benefit from the robata’s ability to sear the exterior while maintaining a tender, juicy interior. Seafood options, such as grilled whole fish and shellfish, showcase the grill’s smoky touch, enhancing the natural flavours of each dish.
Even vegetarian dishes are treated to the robata, with seasonal vegetables and plant-based options infused with rich, smoky notes. The Coal Shed’s commitment to premium ingredients and expert grilling techniques sets it apart in Brighton’s competitive dining scene.
Kindling
At Kindling in Brighton, the style of open fire cooking is both artful and elemental, focusing on sustainability and the natural flavours of high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant’s culinary approach revolves around the use of a custom-built wood-fired grill, which imparts a unique smoky depth to their dishes.
The menu at Kindling showcases a variety of expertly crafted dishes that celebrate the essence of open fire cooking. Signature offerings include chargrilled meats such as tender, flame-kissed steaks and juicy, signature house burgers, each cooked to perfection with a rich, smoky flavour.
Kindling’s dedication to sustainability and open fire cooking creates a dining experience that is both authentic and memorable, making it a standout in Brighton’s vibrant food scene.
Pearly Cow
The kitchen at Pearly Cow is headed by exceptional Executive Chef Andrew MacKenzie. Formerly of local landmark The Salt Room, and household name Soho House, Andrew is a Brighton-boy through-and-through is fond of a flame and a fine cut of steak. Generous cuts of Sussex farmed 45-day salt-aged steaks, Fillet, Ribeye and Sirloin, are masterfully cooked and caramelised over an open fire, creating a depth of flavour that is both rich and satisfying.
Fresh fish from the south coast day boats are cooked simply on an open wood flame – scallops, lobster, octopus and langoustines are all enhanced with a lick of fire.
Locally sourced vegetables are fired through the seasons to bring layers of flavour to the simplest of dishes. When a restaurant famed for meat and seafood caters to the vegetarians too, then you know it’s a recipe for success.
Chef’s favourite is the Sussex Wagyu Short Rib – add flame to that sensational cut and it’s a melt in the mouth delight.
Burnt Orange
Burnt Orange, a multi BRAVO award-winning restaurant in Brighton, is renowned for its sophisticated use of the Josper grill. This method ensures dishes are cooked to perfection, with a rich, smoky flavour that enhances the natural taste of high-quality ingredients.
Burnt Orange offers a diverse menu that focuses on small or sharing plates, allowing diners to experience a variety of flavours and textures. The Josper grill plays a pivotal role in creating their signature meat and seafood dishes. Highlights include succulent chargrilled lamb chops, tender beef skewers, and perfectly seared steaks, all boasting a beautifully caramelized exterior and juicy interior. Seafood lovers can indulge in grilled prawns, smoky octopus, and whole fish, each dish capturing the essence of the Josper’s unique cooking style.
The Salt Room
The Salt Room in Brighton is celebrated for its innovative use of the Josper grill, a sophisticated cooking appliance that combines the intense heat of a charcoal grill with the precise control of an oven. This method locks in the natural juices and imparts a deep, smoky flavour to their dishes, making The Salt Room a culinary landmark in Brighton for well over a decade.
The menu at The Salt Room is a testament to their expertise in cooking both steak and seafood. Signature seafood dishes include whole grilled fish, such as seabass and turbot, cooked to perfection on the Josper, and succulent shellfish platters featuring lobster, crab, and prawns, all enhanced by the distinctive smokiness of the grill. For meat lovers, the restaurant offers expertly chargrilled steaks and lamb chops, each dish showcasing the Josper’s ability to deliver a perfectly seared exterior while maintaining a juicy, flavourful interior.
The Salt Room’s commitment to quality and their mastery of the Josper grill has established them as a leading force in Brighton’s dining scene, continually setting the standard for exceptional meat and seafood dishes.
Bincho Yakitori
Bincho Yakitori, a cherished hangout for chefs, offers an authentic Japanese dining experience in Brighton. The restaurant’s hallmark is its traditional bincho grill, a unique cooking method that uses binchotan coals. This technique imparts a delicate, smoky flavour to the dishes, making each bite a taste sensation.
The menu at Bincho Yakitori showcases a variety of skewered delights, including chicken thigh skewers (negima), succulent pork belly (buta bara), and grilled shiitake mushrooms. Each skewer is meticulously prepared and cooked to perfection, highlighting the natural flavours of the ingredients. Other notable dishes include tsukune (chicken meatballs), yakitori don (grilled chicken rice bowl), and grilled asparagus with soy sauce.
The venue itself exudes a rustic, izakaya-style atmosphere, characterised by its warm wooden interiors and intimate seating arrangements. The open kitchen allows diners to watch the skilled chefs at work, adding an element of culinary theatre to the dining experience.
Bonsai Plant Kitchen
Bonsai Plant Kitchen, a multi BRAVO award-winning venue in Brighton, is celebrated for its innovative vegan cuisine with a Japanese twist. The restaurant uses a specific Japanese-style grill called a “bincho grill,” where dishes are cooked over binchotan coals. This method imparts a delicate smoky flavour while maintaining the integrity and natural taste of the plant-based ingredients.
The grill menu at Bonsai Plant Kitchen features a variety of expertly crafted dishes that showcase the versatility of vegan cuisine. Guests can enjoy grilled vegetable skewers, marinated tofu steaks, and tempeh yakitori, each offering a unique combination of textures and flavours. The menu also includes miso-glazed aubergine, shiitake mushroom skewers, and grilled shishito peppers, all perfectly charred and seasoned to highlight their natural goodness.
In addition to the grill items, Bonsai Plant Kitchen serves small plates such as crispy gyoza, tempura vegetables, and refreshing sushi rolls packed with fresh vegetables and plant-based proteins. The restaurant’s use of the bincho grill and binchotan coals elevates the dining experience, making Bonsai Plant Kitchen a standout venue on Baker Street in Brighton, plus restaurant reviewer Grace Dent has praised the venue in national press giving Bonsai Plant Kitchen national acclaim.
