Repurposed interiors and British, seasonal tapas make a smart choice for dinner in Brighton.
The Set’s name could be inspired by a lot of things. The trendy Brighton 'set' that congregate in the halls and around dining tables, may well have been the inspiration. And while the place is rammed on a Saturday night, the restaurant’s not named for the customers, rather for its premise around set menus, which earnt it a nod in the Michelin guide.
Found in one of the old townhouses on Regency Square, The Set combines undone and reused with modern and snappy. As part of the very pretty Artist Residence Hotel, the venue is the sort of place that usually only exists in magazines, accompanied by long, lustful descriptions of each design feature. A bar, painted in matte grey and lit by a neon sign, separates the two parts of the restaurant: The Set (with the set menus) and The Set Bar, with each side filled with rickety wooden chairs and unique pieces hanging on the walls. We visited The Set Bar which served a long list of easy and affordable tapas, perfect for a quick to bite, rather than the full shebang.
The food menu is written up on a whopping chalkboard, and is split between cold, hot, British cheese and Moon Green Farm charcuterie. As with tapas, it’s always hard to gauge how much you actually want, but with this seasonal menu, I would say the more the merrier. Lamb meatballs (£4) were sprinkled with a salty anchovy crumb and goat’s cheese, while crab croquettes (£4) were stuffed full of warm white meat, and placed on top of a squid ink taramasalata. The burrata (£5) had a fresh summer taste as roasted British rhubarb cut through the soft white cheese with a zingy tart flavour. If you still have room, opt for the cheese board (£8), which comes with three British slices, including my absolute favourite, the soft Devon Blue.
