Dirty Blonde

I’m giving this place four stars for its house favourite cocktail — Dirty Blonde. It was just my type of drink — slightly sweet with a pinch of honey but also adequately alcoholic. It was presented in a minimalist style, which I also appreciated. One potential area of improvement would have been that it’d be nicer served slightly colder.
The ambience was quite nice as well. My friend and I opted for one of the comfy couch tables, which felt more like a legitimate sit-​down bar rather than a cheap one or a club. Having said that, there also seemed to be a dance floor half floor down and an upstairs too, so who knows what this place turns into later in the night. As we were visiting during an off-​peak season, it got the job done for us with relative privacy and quiet for a catch-​up.

This nightclub has changed names and identity so many times in recent years it seems. I have been to Dirty Blonde twice on Saturday nights in recent months. Both late night till closing time (3am incidentally).
The décor is classy and funky. The bar staff are smartly dressed and efficient. The dance space isn’t massive but is big enough. I prefer the upstairs area to dance as you feel less in the way of a flow of people walking past. There are lots of smart booth type areas facing the upstairs dance area which is perfect for big groups. Bonus is even the toilets are clean and spacious for a small club. Should I judge a club by the state of its toilets?! Well yes it’s important when you want to give a classy impression. There is a bar both upstairs and downstairs.
Most importantly the music is really good and kept me dancing all night. A complete mix of tracks often jumping track by track from 1990s classics to very modern chart. Perfectly mixed. It’s the music that would draw me back here again.
The clientele was generally pretty good. Def a lot better atmosphere than the likes of West Street (avoid, avoid!). A good range of ages in the club too and I didn’t feel at all out of place being in my mid 30s. In fact, I’d say 30+ was the average age both times I’ve been (but maybe I just can’t judge ages).
The drinks prices are average Brighton nightclub prices. The door entrance fee is the only thing to let it down. It was £10 after midnight. Maybe I should get there earlier?!

I am giving Dirty Blonde 3 stars because they have a great concept, the venue itself is beautifully appointed and the food and drinks we got were very good (and they have some great American craft beer selections). However, there is still room for improvement in the pretty key areas of service and atmosphere. It did just open though, so I will cut it some slack and keep my fingers crossed.
TL;DR version straightaway:
Pros: Gorgeous décor, friendly and polite service from waitstaff, good food and good cocktails with lots of potential for getting even better. Not only would I be willing to go back, I would recommend it.
Cons: Where the hell are our drinks? Who thought this music was a good idea?
Long version:
Everyone in our group was quite happy with the food. We ordered the fried macaroni balls, lobster tacos, and ribs as starters, and then our mains were the sea bass over a crab cake and asparagus, the cauliflower risotto, and the New York dog. The fried mac & cheese was particularly addictive, because come on. Crispy fried cheese and carbs– duh. The lobster tacos were pretty nice too– the crème that accompanied them was sort of superfluous because, along with the flour tortillas in which they were served, it masked the sweetness and flavour of the lobster (I am a taco commando from LA, so it’s my divine calling to be picky about tacos), but they were affordable, and make a great order when a lobster craving blows through my life (which is often). I didn’t try the ribs, but was informed that they were very good, though the sauce maybe needed an extra kick.
My seabass was very good, if a bit oversalted. The skin could have been crisper as well, but it tasted fresh and was well-​cooked, and the crab cake it was served with was well-​seasoned and heavy on the crab.
My friend liked her risotto, which looked a bit gloopy, with its coating of melted cheese on top, but it had a really nice cheesy, lightly cauliflowery flavour. The New York Dog was also good, with an apparent snap to the skin of the hot dog. The accompanying sweet potato fries were damn good, with crisp outsides and a smoky ketchup.
OK, now for the problems: The bar situation is where the service hiccups appeared. The cocktails were all very good, and went down real easy-​like. The problem was, there was an issue with how the drinks orders were placed through a computer, and so orders were piling up and the lone bartender didn’t get them. So, when we ordered two bottles of beer and a glass of wine at the start of our meal, they did not arrive until our main plates had been cleared away. The server and bartender were both apologetic, and I imagine it must have been stressful for them, as we were not the only table waiting on drinks for ages. Also, one of the beers was comped for the trouble, so again, I am very appreciative. It did seem like there was a breakdown in communication somewhere, and I think it would have been the right time for the manager to step in, apologize, and ask customers how they can do better next time.
And then there’s the music. For the love. For such a beautiful venue, with so much attention to detail, ambiance and branding, *blasting* J. Lo and Fatboy Slim music circa 1999 is a bit… counter-​productive to the prohibition atmosphere. I’m really glad to see live music being listed on the events roster, especially considering that Brighton is a centre for musical talent. But seriously, throw on some Ella Fitzgerald, or Nina Simone, or some sweet 20s jazz, because the remixes went from «hmm» to «hmmm, this is a bit bizarre» to «ok, I am done with this music now, please. Mercy!» pretty quickly, because it just did not fit with the venue or ambiance at all.
For the negatives of the situation, there was a lot to like about this place. I really hope (and I believe) it is just growing pains. This place has the potential to be a much-​needed dose of boozy and foodie sophistication for Brighton. I would totally go back in a few months, to see how things are coming along.