The top line: Da Terra chef Rafael Cagali has taken on the former El Bolillo site in Hove. Taking its name from the Italian word for tide, Marea by Rafael Cagali is positioned somewhere between the chef’s two-Michelin-star flagship and the more casual Elis, which is also located in East London’s Bethnal Green Town Hall. The kitchen at the Church Road restaurant is headed day-to-day by former Da Terra sous chef Ewan Waller, who has recently relocated to Brighton and Hove. Front-of-house operations are being led by co-owner Charlie Lee, Cagali’s partner and the general manager at Da Terra.
On the menu: Marea offers a tight à la carte menu that can be broadly split into snacks, small plates and larger sharing dishes. There is also a daily-changing Chef’s Selection menu priced at £85 per person. Dishes explore Cagali’s Italian and Brazilian heritage with options including deep-fried oysters with hot sauce; tartlet of lobster claw with ginger and caviar; mussels with puttanesca sauce and bottarga; langoustine, beans and moqueca stew; and choux bun, fig leaf ice cream and Pedro Ximénez. As advertised, the food is pitched neatly between the hyper-creative cooking of Da Terra and the more laidback, everyday style of Elis. Overseen by Da Terra’s talented sommelier and wine buyer Maria Boumpa, the wine list is concise and eclectic with a focus on premium English still and sparkling.
The vibe: With El Bolillo having only traded for around six months, it would have been wasteful to rip it all out and start again. Instead, the 38-cover space has been carefully tweaked, often with the aim of softening the overall feel. Changes include the rear private dining room becoming part of the main restaurant space; the removal of the concrete table bases to allow the space to be reconfigured when needed; and the addition of colourful artwork from Brazilian artists.
And another thing: The arrival of a two-Michelin-starred chef is a big deal for Brighton and Hove’s restaurant scene. But to his credit, Cagali hasn’t gone in all guns blazing. While it’s not exactly cheap, the à la carte menu has been carefully tuned to allow more budget-conscious diners to get out for well under £100 a head including drinks and service. At the same time, the £85 chef’s menu stands up well against the city’s most ambitious top-end restaurants. Cagali and his backers are clearly hoping their new restaurant will also attract its fair share of high rollers — one only needs to look at the wine list for evidence of that — but either way, Marea is a major addition to the city’s restaurant line-up, and one that underlines its status as a serious dining destination.
60 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FP