I’ve been so busy with hospitality and tourism events in recent months, I’ve not had time to sit down never mind consider a proper holiday this summer.
On a balmy evening last month, my mate Adam and I were scratching our heads as to where to go for a natter over an early supper where the vibe would be more Halkidiki than Hove. Thoroughly embracing the Greek theme, I suggested Nostos on the bottom of Holland Road which was rather convenient bearing in mind it was just a hop-skip-and-jump from Adam’s hotel gaff where I’d been quaffing delightfully dry Brighton Gin martinis most of the afternoon.
My last visit to Nostos was well over two years ago and I recall it was rather nice. Although the exterior is now painted in a striking blue, not much has changed within the airy and modern interior. With the French doors all flung open, there was a pleasant breeze and also a lovely dappled golden light from the setting sun. It was easy to forget that there was a Tesco Express next door.
Much like my recent visits to the seafood-led Copper Clam in the Kings Road Arches and Spanish-themed Market on Western Road, the menu is mainly small to medium plates priced between £7-10. To be honest, even the mains that hover at around the twenty quid mark are easy enough to share too.
I kicked off proceedings with ‘gigantes’ that are an all-time favourite dish of mine; beans in a home-made herb and tomato sauce. Its a wonder of simplicity but tasty as hell. Its the kind of hearty and authentic dish that I could eat for lunch several times a week without ever getting bored.
I also spied that the calamari was – joy of joy – marked as gluten free. Now anyone with a gluten intolerance will tell you that its not only bread that you fiercely miss but also decent fried foods. Its not rocket science to use cornflour, or rice flour, rather than wheat flour but that’s still lost on a lot of chefs. I could easily have shovelled down a couple of plates of this; a light crisp outer coated chunks of squid that had a really good balance of structure; definitely not tough or overly chewy. The accompanying chilli chutney offered just the right level of spicy punch to take the dish to the next level.
Adam, who has a somewhat more robust constitution than me nowadays – and seemingly, like many of my regular dining partners, also hollow legs – got his chops around a couple of feta rolls. Layers of thin crunchy filo pastry wrapped around creamy feta sheep cheese with a drizzle of Greek forest honey to bring the whole dish together. His pan-fried trio of king prawns on teeny-tiny orzo pasta with chilli, paprika and garlic looked as good as it smelled.
I have to say by this time I was feeling a bit stuffed so we downed cutlery for twenty minutes and had a catch-up chin-wag with the restaurant’s owner. Through my many Brighton endeavours, my path crosses with Nostos boss and serial entrepreneur Kyriakos Baxevanis regularly. I know he’s not only hugely passionate about the city but also a jolly nice chap who’s always first in the queue to support initiatives so it was good to hear about his involvement in projects that promote the wider restaurant scene, business networking and well-being in the workplace.
With forks back in hand, Adam demolished a tower – yes, a tower – of moussaka: layers of aubergine, potatoes, spices, mince and creamy béchamel. I’ve never seen moussaka presented in this way before but apparently its a homage to the famous White Tower of Kyriakos’ home city of Thessaloniki. I really enjoyed a pan-seared fillet of sea bream – the skin was perfectly crisp with the acidity of the lemon and mustard dressing being a smart accompaniment.
I was done by this point so Adam as a huge champion of – ahem – reducing food waste in the city graciously offered to eat two desserts. I have to say that the Greek yoghurt and fresh berry coulis did look rather tasty but my belt was disagreeing.
The food at Nostos is pretty close to perfect – I enjoyed my midweek supper so much I actually booked again for Sunday lunch with friends and family so I can also report that the hearty board of pork gyros is also a winner. And generous to a fault.
As with so many Mediterranean cuisines, its all about fresh, quality ingredients that are well-cooked and presented. Tried and trusted recipes handed down through generations of family that simply just work. Nostos is an impeccable example of that passion for great food, wine and hospitality. I reckon Dionysus, Demeter and Hestia would all feel very much at home.
Nostos, 63a Holland Road, Hove BN3 1BA
01273 713 059 • www.nostos-hove.co.uk
