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Riddle & Finns Champagne & Oyster Bar, 129 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AE

Riddle & Finns Champagne & Oyster Bar, 129 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AE

129 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AE

01273 721667

I’ve reviewed Riddle & Finns Brighton establishment before but they’ve recently opened a branch in Hove so I popped in. I’ll keep this review short since the general feel is similar to their Brighton place, but smaller.

We sat down and ordered a drink. ‘Does your Guinness come in bottles?,’ I asked the waitress. ‘Yes, I’m afraid so,’ she replied. Well, since I like bottle Guinness and not draught, this was good. It arrived already in a glass. ‘Did this come out of a bottle?,’ I asked the (different) waitress. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Then why has it got an inch and a half of head on it?’ I wanted to know. ‘We pour it so well,’ she said. I frowned. ‘Oh, and there’s a widget in the bottle.’ I smelt a rat and took a sip. It was out of a can or I’m a Dutchman. I returned it and ordered a Budvar, which – interestingly – arrived at the table in its bottle, just like all the other beer I saw that night. If it’s in a can, chaps, why not admit it, or better actually get a few bottles in. Some of us know the difference.

So, that put me right off. Nonetheless the clam chowder was hot and delicious and the six native oysters I had with some bread were excellent, beautifully presented on a plate of ice and seaweed. Maz had smoked cod and poached egg with some ham, and mashed potatoes with scallions. She pronounced it excellent. She also had some sort of pudding but I wasn’t paying attention so I can’t tell you what it was. Yet I can, I’ve just remembered, it was key lime pie.

All in all a pricey sort of evening. Food good/very good, ambience pleasant, service: needs a bit of help. And see if you can’t get hold of some real bottles of Guinness and allow the diners to pour it out themselves.

Perry Stalsis. Only OK on this occasion. 2008


www.riddleandfinns.co.uk
By Perry Stalsis at 03/04/2008 - 09:56 | 2008 | British | East Sussex | OK | Review | ££££/$$$$ | add new comment | 235 reads