What: A high-quality eating restaurant on Worthing Pier. Named after a sort of seabird, the 25-cover Tern is positioned on the primary ground of the Artwork Deco construction’s southern pavilion inside recently-launched restaurant and café Perch on the Pier. Going through north to provide spectacular 180-degree views of the shoreline, the restaurant presents an £85 seven course tasting menu within the night and a shorter, extra reasonably priced, menu at lunchtimes.
Who: The chef behind the venture is Johnny Stanford, who is maybe finest recognized for his stint at Brighton’s Pascere, which acquired a constructive assessment from then The Guardian critic Marina O’Loughlin. Born in Manchester, Stanford started his profession working with the late Paul Kitchin at his acclaimed restaurant Juniper in Altrincham, Better Manchester. He labored in quite a few different prime UK eating places earlier than settling in Sussex in 2012 initially holding the place of sous chef at The Go close to Horsham, which on the time was helmed by Matt Gillan and held a Michelin star. Because the considerably untimely closure of Pascere, Stanford has overseen the kitchens of quite a few Sussex eating places and pubs together with Restaurant AG at Alexander Home, No.1 Broad Road and The Half Moon Kirdford. Tern’s host venue Perch is owned by Alex Coombes, who additionally operates Perch-branded ventures in close by Lancing and Shoreham (he lately acquired a second Worthing premises for a pizza restaurant).
The vibe: The horseshoe-shaped area has a fully-open kitchen and bar space to the rear with tables dealing with inland generally to take full benefit of the view. Design options embrace chairs shod in inexperienced velvet, gray desk tops and a darkish wooden ground. The general really feel is relaxed-yet-professional with Tern’s eating room overseen by a younger however clearly skilled staff.
The meals: For probably the most half Stanford’s menus don’t characteristic very premium substances reminiscent of lobster, caviar and truffles with the chef saying that “taking one thing acquainted and reworking it into one thing particular is what excites me probably the most about cooking”. The coverage has additionally allowed him to maintain costs comparatively accessible. With a give attention to UK – however not essentially native – substances and a neat plating fashion, Stanford’s launch menu consists of razor clam with elderflower, crème fraiche, pea, lavender and Riesling vinegar served in an edible shell; Jersey Royals with smoked roe and wild garlic; lamb with turnip and nettle; and candy cicely with rhubarb and sheep’s yoghurt.
To drink: Tern presents an exclusively-English wine checklist that has been created – Restaurant understands – with enter from Alex Preston, who created what was claimed on the time to be the primary English wine checklist at soon-to-close Brighton restaurant Isaac At. Costing £45, the wine pairing is concentrated on wines made utilizing low-intervention strategies with the producers featured together with Bolney Wine Property, Artelium Wine, Biddenden Vineyards and Offbeat Wines.
And one other factor: Whereas claims of Worthing being a ‘foodie hotspot’ is likely to be a bit untimely, the hospitality scene within the West Sussex city is actually evolving quick. Certainly, Tern will quickly have some competitors with former Smoking Goat head chef Aaron Dalton set to open an bold tasting menu-only restaurant inside his residence later this summer time.