Located in the Lanes of Brighton, Chilli Pickle is a modern Indian restaurant with a bustling atmosphere. The menu is authentic Indian, we have visited numerous times over the years and are yet to leave disappointed, it’s always refreshing to see that authenticity remains well and truly alive.
We started our evening with an aperitif, two glasses of Bloomsbury, Ridgeview, Sussex, England. A delicious light sparking wine with subtle brioche and honey notes.
To begin, we ordered the Masala Pappad whilst we browsed the menu. This comprised of fried pappad with chopped onion, red chilli, coriander, chat masala and fresh lime, a perfect choice to stimulate the palate for the flavours to follow.
For our first course, we shared the Masala Dosa, which is housed by its crispy rice pancake and filled with spiced potato and peas, complete with sambhar vegetable curry, coconut chutney and mixed pickle on the side. Every dish we’ve ever tasted at Chilli Pickle has been packed rich in flavour, we absolutely adore this Dosa, it’s wonderfully authentic and cannot be faulted.
“The food is authentically superb, and a must visit.“
For our main course, I ordered the Tellicherry Chicken Biryani, which is served with delicious chicken pieces with basmati rice, brown onion, mint, garamasala, and served with kolombu gravy, riatta, pickle and dates. The basmati rice was very fine and aged for maximum flavour, and the flavours in the dish were well executed. My partner ordered the Sri Lankan Fish and King Prawn Curry, the fish is sourced locally and the dish is prepared with a fragrant and spicy coconut curry, with jack fruit, served with tempered rice pawa and chutney. Absolutely superb, again the flavours are rich and delicious, the dish looked great, and with a side of cachumber riatta completing our choices perfectly..
To drink we ordered a bottle of 2012, Varvaglione Vigne e Vini, 12 e Mezzo Primitivo del Salento IGP, Puglia, Italy. A bright red Italian wine with plenty of fresh fruit on the nose and a medium body.
After overindulging in the superb cuisine throughout the evening we had to pass on dessert, but we do hope to return again in the near future to explore the dessert offerings. As always, we left Chilli Pickle more than satisfied, the food is authentically superb, and a must visit if you’re in Brighton.