Tonka

Kimberley Duke and San Seesarun cherish their customers and their intimate, contemporary Mauritian spot on the seafront with a care that is both endearing and welcoming. To be clear, Tonka is very casual, very cramped, simply and cheerfully decorated in a DIY sort of way, but the food on the short menu is delicious. Crab mac and cheese appears alongside tapioca fried chicken, and the repertoire also takes in tamarind pork ribs and skewers of black garlic aubergine or crispy cuttlefish. A wider commitment to the community runs to dumpling-making workshops and serving hot food and mulled drinks out of the window on Bonfire Night, which is a huge event in the town. The rose lemonade has been praised (as have the cocktails), and there’s a brief selection of wine, beer and Kentish cider. Good coffee too. Probably the pick of eating places in Hastings on current form.