Tom Flint: Fab French cuisine without the pomp

With everything from exquisite fine dining to simple rustic classics, French cuisine is always a winner.

Good French restaurants are hard to come by in this country, but Brighton has a new one looking to change that.

Petit Pois is based on the small sharing plate dining style. After perusing the menu online my hopes were high. Snails, frog leg goujons and duck rillettes all appear in the nibbles section, and steak tartare was also on the menu. These dishes would be disappointing if not executed properly. After I discovered that the chef, David Roy, was formerly head chef at Riddle & Finns, everything was looking up.

The diminutive restaurant is tucked away on Ship Street. The set lunch and early evening offer is hard to beat with three plates for a measly £13.50. As it was the evening I was going à la carte, and dining alone was not an issue as I don’t like sharing anyway.

I kicked things off with some snails (or escargots if you will) which you really should try. As far as I am aware this is the only place in Brighton you can get these, and if you love garlic and butter then you are in for a treat.

I went for three plates from the menu, which is separated into meat, fish and vegetables. I started with a fish soup, a steal at £6. This superbly flavoured soup had a depth and richness that instantly had me hooked.

Up next: the much-anticipated steak tartare (£9) and artichoke barigoule stew (£7). The tartare met my expectations with meltingly soft meat and a slightly acidic dressing. The vegetable crisps were a new addition and worked surprisingly well. The artichoke barigoule had all the hallmarks of French provincial cooking. A rustic and densely flavoured broth, rich with fennel, coated the savoury-sweet artichoke hearts; it transported me back to childhood holidays.

I sampled a little kintoa ham from the Basque region, a wonderful example of charcuterie at its best, intense in flavour and marbled with gorgeous fat. This was followed by some delightful cheese, including a shockingly indulgent Roquefort. I finished the meal with the café gourmand (£7.50) that includes a trio of dessert tasters. The standout was the pistachio crème brûlée, which was a surprise as I am not a nut fan. It was a delight and I ate it wishing I’d gone for the trio of crème brûlée option instead.

I had high hopes for Petit Pois and I left feeling satisfied and with plans to return. This quiet little restaurant may find it hard to attract attention in Brighton’s increasingly competitive dining scene, but I hope it gains the recognition my meal deserves. It serves excellent French cuisine without any of the pomp or pretence that can go with it. Go for the set menu, what have you to lose at that price? Then return for the full menu; you will not be disappointed.

Petit Pois

70 Ship Street

www.petitpoisbrighton.co.uk