OctoberBest, the Brighton restaurant festival in which the city’s top restaurants offer hugely discounted menus, is back for a second year of food and fun. Read below to get all the details.
Words: Eamonn Crowe
Running from 1-15 October, Brighton’s OctoberBest is back for a second year. The festival sees the city’s top 20 restaurants (as compiled by Brighton’s Best Restaurants) offer limited-edition £20 menus. Alongside the special menus, the festival also features a packed schedule of one-off culinary events with guests including cocktail king Ryan Chetiyawardana (AKA Mr Lyan) and food writer Tim Hayward.
Brighton foodies enjoying the OctoberBest launch party
Among the restaurants offering special dishes or dining experiences is Isaac At, which is hosting a Brighton gin dessert bar, which will serve two cocktails and three Sussex-inspired desserts. Elsewhere, Fatto a Mano will offer up a one-off pizza designed by the public, and The Gingerman will present a selection of small plates, such as shellfish bouillabaisse, which showcases local suppliers.
Alongside the menus, there will also be a series of food-focused events. Highlights from the schedule include Claw and Craft, a night of seafood and craft ales at The Urchin (5 October), and a beer-and-cheese pairing event at the Brighton Beer Dispensary with Brighton’s Best Restaurant’s co-founder and cheese expert Patrick McGuigan (9 October).
This year, there are three new faces joining the festival. Casual Italian Cin Cin is offering a three-course menu, including reginelle pasta served with squash, wild mushrooms and sage (pictured). Meanwhile, The Urchin is serving up a platter of scallops, prawns and squid in a black bean sauce with sticky rice, while wine specialists Fourth and Church are matching three glasses from their extensive list with three courses that include red wine braised ox cheek, smoked parsnip and cultured leeks.
Other tasty treats you’ll find at OctoberBest include:
- A platter of fresh fish, curries, fiery snacks and tender coconut home brew at The Chilli Pickle
- Braised ox tongue served with grass-cooked potatoes at 64 Degrees
- Steamed rice buns stuffed with Szechuan-marinated halloumi and ginger bok choy at Terre à Terre
- A 20% discount on the cost of the menu with paired wines at Little Fish Market
SquareMeal is proud to be the 2017 media partner for Brighton’s OctoberBest Festival, which runs from 1-15 October. To find out more details or learn how to book, visit brightonsbestrestaurants.com
This article was published 29 September 2017