It may have been wet and windy on the seafront at Brighton this week, but there was a taste of the tropics at boutique hotel Drakes on Marine Parade.
The hotel was partaking in the International Chef Exchange for the second time, and this year Drakes welcomed St Lucia’s top chef Craig Jones from Cap Maison to create a Caribbean inspired menu. In October Drakes’ chef Andy Mackenzie will repay the favour with a visit to Cap Maison St Lucia.
Photographs by Julia Claxton.
Craig made quite an impression with his dreadlocks tucked inside his chef’s hat and came up with three courses which included snapper ceviche, yellow fin tuna and fresh mango balsamic amuse bouche and a main course of pan roasted oxtail. curried pumpkins, caramelized plantains and crispy okras.
An aperitif of rum punch set the tone for a lively evening and a tot of Solera-blended rum finished the meal.
International Chef Exchange (ICEx) is an initiative created by the team behind the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival – one of the UK’s largest celebrations of local and international food and drink – to exchange chefs and cuisine between partner countries. The team also run major food events in central London, the Home Counties and the Channel Islands – each celebrating the hospitality and food offerings of the respective region.
Drakes’ intimate restaurant is already something of a local legend in Brighton, regularly being voted one of the city’s top in the Good Food Guide. The hotel, which has welcomed a stream of celebrity guests over the years, is housed in a lovely Georgian townhouse on the sea front with the iconic Brighton Pier to the west and the marina to the east.
Rooms feature free-standing baths in front of full length windows and a magnificent cantilevered staircase as you enter give a taste of the relaxed glamour Drakes has made its signature.
www.drakesofbrighton.com