Kujira Brighton
Kujira Brighton opened in the summer of 2018 adding to the set of bright young things rejuvenating the Preston Street area of the city. The design throughout is sleek and modern with the upstairs restaurant ideally suited to small parties of two to six persons.
Strong black and gold décor runs throughout with the large glass front allowing for plenty of light and preventing any overly formal atmosphere. At the heart of Kujira and dominating the small restaurant is the open plan kitchen and grill.
Not just sushi
Whilst for some Japanese cuisine begins and ends with sushi, Kujira Brighton is a Robatayaki grill restaurant; a style of restaurant that has been taking London by storm of late. Unlike the more familiar flame grills of Josper ovens and Persian grills, the robatayaki grill uses slow-burning coal or wood, without flame, to produce a much higher heat and ultimately intense flavour.
The Japanese grill requires incredible skill and knowledge to do well. Like sushi, robatayaki cuisine’s finesse is in the apparent simplicity in which a difficult thing is done well.
The Menu
The menu at Kujira Brighton is divided into Kobachi, small bowls or starters, salads, and small and large robata. The small plates providing an excellent opportunity for newcomers to this Japanese speciality to try several dishes, tapas style. The menu is also well catered for vegan, vegetarian and gluten free diets.
Japanese inspired cocktails
Kujira Brighton describes itself as an ‘izakaya bar’, this is a type of informal place to go after work for drinks and a little food. Kujira offers Japanese inspired cocktails invented by their mixologist and perfected through home made botanicals, juices and syrups, adding to the area’s growing reputation as the cocktail capital of Brighton.
Private Hire
As well as the small but sleek restaurant upstairs there is a downstairs lounge bar featuring a karaoke booth and games consoles. This space is available for private hire, but when not booked is a great place to unwind with some cool drinks and entertainment.
