Fourth and Church
Hove, East Sussex
An ever-changing menu of imaginative small and sharing plates accompanied by a list of carefully sourced, exciting wines from small producers – that is what’s on offer at this smart-casual restaurant set in a parade of shops on a busy main road in Hove. Since refurbishment in 2019, when the exterior was decorated a very smart blue and yellow and the deli counter was replaced with a rather chic, stool-lined dining counter – ‘RIP the amazing sandwiches at lunchtime’ – the restaurant feels like a much more cohesive space, more suited to chef Sam Pryor’s imaginative and adventurous cooking. It still partly functions as a wine shop, however, so if you are sitting at one of the tables (or at one of the two window counters overlooking the Gothic concrete Brutalist edifice that is Hove Town Hall), expect to have customers or staff standing by your table at some point in your meal, peering at the shelves behind you. The menu is split into four untitled sections, falling roughly into the categories of snacks, small plates, larger plates and vegetable side dishes – all are suitable for sharing. A selection of the snacks alone, perhaps paired with a glass or two of sherry (a particular passion of co-owner Paul Morgan) would make an excellent lunch and give an indication of the kitchen’s freewheeling style that sees Padrón peppers served with curry salt and Middle Eastern-style pistachio dukkah flavouring a Sicilian caponata. But further exploration is highly recommended. A beautifully presented line-caught bass ceviche with sea buckthorn, compressed radish and tarragon oil, with blue corn tostadas on the side particularly impressed at a test meal. Prices may have risen post-pandemic, but ‘genuinely friendly, knowledgeable and efficient service, the great-value wine list and the knowledge that there will be something new and thrilling to eat would soon tempt us back’.
Dining Information:
Private dining room, Separate bar, Counter seating, Credit card required
84 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2EB
01273 724709
