Riddle & Finns

raviolli1

Tucked away 17th September 2008

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Riddle & Finns is a small and cosy little fish restaurant tucked away in the heart of the famous brighton lanes area. Whenever you walk by you are always hit by the delicious smell of freshly cooked food. The restaurant does front on to a busy little walk way, so during the day time do not expect it to be a quiet spot to dine, however the high seating and counter top style tables do make it look inviting. This place is not really for the non fish lovers out there, but if like my partner you are a confirmed fish a holic, then wow, be prepared to fall in love with this gem. Would we go again, well yes and so should you it may be small but it is perfectly formed.

mv_cummings

Fantastic food 14th September 2008

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Found this place when I was last in Brighton. It's tucked away in the labyrynth that is the famous Laines area but it's well worth seeking out. We spotted it because of it's fantastic looking display of fresh fish.
Inside it's very simple decorated with high counter style tables and stools. The tables seat about 8 and as it gets busy, which it did when we were there, you will end up sharing a table. However because of the counter style this isn't a problem at all and you don't end up feeling you don't have your own space.
The service is great but best of all is the food. Everything on the menu of fresh fish dishes sounds delicious, I went for the grilled mackerel and gooseberry sauce and it was absolutely fantastic. They also have a great wine and champagne selection. Prices are between £6-£10 for a starter and £10-£20 for a main course, which given the quality of the food is well worth it.
I wish I lived closer to Brighton so I could go back here regularly.

TimWIld

Oysters and Champagne, baby 7th March 2007

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I'm not old enough to know what a real oyster bar ought to be like. I'm presuming that such places catered to a dizzy crowd of bright young things,downing expensive bivalves and oodles of yummy champers, before driving Munty's new Alfa into the sea for a bet.

So as far as I'm concerned, Riddle & Finns (one senses the ampersand is important) does nothing to dispel this image – it's a lovely looking spot. High, marble tables, simple lighting, plenty of blackboards and none of what Anthony Bourdain memorably describes as the ‘Aye Cap'n, ahoy matey' kind of décor that inexplicably blights so many seafood restaurants. It looks the business, although members of a generation old enough to remember such things in their original form might think it no more authentic than a Berni Inn. No matter.

It was a quiet Wednesday, and we were almost the only people in there, so there was a bit of polite pressure to order otherwise they'd shut the place and go home. It seemed fair enough, so we set about being good customers. After the basket of fresh breads with aoli, mackerel pate and sauces was inhaled, a dozen native oysters were great - meaty, slippery and freshly saline. Champagne seemed the only proper thing to do, and Riddles is one of the only places I've seen Pol Roger White Foil by the glass, so we had a bottle of that too. Two,actually.

To further justify our presence, we then went for the seafood platter, monkfish cheek scampi and a whole baked crab served on the shell.

Seafood platter looks amazing when it's presented properly, as this was – a huge glittering bowl of ice laden with lobster, crayfish, mussels, cockles, winkles, prawns and more oysters. It was my first taste of winkles and cockles both – I'm not entirely convinced. But everything else was fresh, plump and delicious. There's something fantastic about just laying into the whole thing, tools in hand, shell and napkins flying all over the place. Posh and primal all at the same time.

The monkfish cheek scampi were amazing too – crisp batter without a hint of grease, containing perfect nuggets of hot, dense, meaty monkfish. They should call them something else, actually, as everyone's memory of scampi is now permanently scarred by pub chains. We wanted a whole basket of them, but we still had a crab to eat, so reluctantly put it off for next time.

Make no mistake – this was already a great meal, but the baked whole crab was spectacular.The sweet crabmeat was flavoured with chilli, parsley, lemon, white wine and vinegar. You might think something as great as fresh crabmeat needs no further work, but this really lifted it to another level. A beautiful piece of cooking.

To top the evening off, they even let us have a sneaky cigarette without having to go outside because we were the only people in the place. Riddle and Finns – I love it.