Riddle & Finns-The Beach

Wow, what an experience!
I went to Riddle and Finns for the first time last week, after being persuaded to give it a try by my friend Stephanie. I’m a complete novice when it comes to seafood, I’ve always been quite reluctant to eat shellfish… I don’t like the way it looks, plus I have had a couple of experiences where I have dared to try it and it has been of sub standard quality… Stephanie is a bit of a seafood connoisseur, so I decided to put my trust in her and let her order some dishes from the menu for us to try.
First of all we started with Champagne and Oysters! We went for a bottle of Court Garden Champagne. Locally grown and bottled in Sussex, it was delicious — not to try with a bit of sweetness, just the way I like it! As for the Oysters — I’d never ever had Oysters before so I was nervous to say the least. Steph ordered six Native Oysters (They are only in season in months that end with ‘R’ so I am told!) I particularly enjoyed the pickled ginger, spring onion, soy sauce and wasabi oysters. The flavour was incredible, the the oysters had a really ‘meaty’ texture to them. Not what I was expecting at all!
We also shared some Frito Misto with Basil Mayo, Mussels (yes I ate some Mussels and enjoyed it!), Braised Octopus with Potato Salad, Pan Fried Scallops with Lemon and Parsley and Tuna Tartare. If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted to try any of those things I would have told you to get lost! Especially Octopus! To my surprise, the Octopus was the dish I enjoyed the most! It was so tender, I didn’t want it to end! The warm potato salad complimented it perfectly. I would definitely eat it again. The Tuna Tartare had an asian vibe to it, again very enjoyable.
You’d think after all that we might have had enough but oh no! We had to get dessert (it would be rude not to!). We shared a mint and strawberry panacotta, quite possibly the best dessert I have ever had out! The flavour of the fresh mint really cut through and complimented the strawberry in the middle. I just want to eat it again right now.
To finish, we had a champagne cocktail, The Classic — brown sugar, agnostura bitters with courvoisier — perfection in a glass!
Overall my first proper seafood experience was a brilliant one, and I have no doubt that I wouldn’t get the same experience at other seafood restaurants. Riddle and Finns is the one to beat!

This review is so long overdue.
I first contacted the guys at Riddle & Finns back in May 2015 to ask if they already took bookings for NYE (I know) after another Unilocaler’s suggestion (thank you!) and they were very nice and accommodating despite my awkwardly timed eagerness.
Flash forward 7 months, on December 31^st, we walked along the beach and found Riddle & Finns. Our table was ready and waiting for us exactly where I was hoping it to be, in front of the window upstairs, with a view on the beach.
(Alas, there were some works in progress outside so the view wasn’t as nice as it could have been, but I guess even the beach needs maintenance: D)
The table (and the whole floor) were nicely decorated for NYE, and we had a basket of fresh bread to accompany an assortment of butters, sauces and horseradish. All of this would get automatically refilled every so often.
Our extremely kind waitress took our order immediately: we ordered 3 different starters to share, the best of which HAD to be scallops. I can’t get over how good they were, served in a shell with a very delicate sauce on top. Our main was a gigantic platter of fresh seafood, some of which I had never tried before, at the top of which was a delicious half-​lobster.
I had never eaten so much fresh seafood all at once before. I tried caviar too (I don’t think I’m a fan) and overdosed on oysters. God I love oysters.
OH AND BY THE WAY, I FOUND A FRIGGING PEARL IN ONE OF THEM. A TINY, REAL, LEGIT CUTE PEARL. And because the wine was also delicious and I might have been slightly tipsy, I forgot it on the table and it was trashed away at the end of the meal.
I’m a plonker.
Anyway, despite how good the food was (we also had the dessert platter at the end of it), I have to say, the best thing about this place is how kind and nice the staff is.
We were the last people that evening, and we had just finished eating 10 minutes away from midnight. The stuff invited us downstairs to have a drink and join the countdown with them, offered us a glass of bubbles and toasted with us to the new year. I found it so nice and welcoming and amazing. I couldn’t have chosen a better restaurant to spend NYE and I can’t wait to go back this summer and eat a shed-​ton of oysters and drink wine in the sun.
Oh, and all in all, we spent around £140, which is NOTHING considering how much we ate, WHAT we ate, and how much we drank.
Lovely place and lovely people.

Great seafood and a great location. This venue allows bookings and we had a lovely table by the great big arch window overlooking the beach.
Their ‘perfect G&T’ was strong and there are even some local wines on the menu which was very nice. I had a delicious fillet of seabass perfectly cooked followed by an amazing chocolate dessert with the best pistachio ice cream on top. Service was really friendly and non intrusive.
Very nice but yes, quite pricey but hey, it is fresh seafood so what do you expect?
(this used to be Due South and I think it’s the same people so if you went there you know what to expect).

Went here yesterday and enjoyed their lunchtime two-​course offer for £12.95 enjoying Tiger Prawns in a chilli dressing for starters followed by pan-​fried Bream fillet over crushed potatoes and Bacon and… something else (whoops, forgot!).
Portions were small however this is made up by the sheer excellence of the food which fills you up.
We enjoyed a glass of Pilpou wine each which was pricey but hey, when the food is this good.
The daily ²⁄₃ course lunchtime offer changes daily btw.
Overall I would give the place 4 stars however we were incredibly lucky to get one of the wonderful window tables upstairs which is why I give this 5* on this visit.
With this view my visitor from London could not stop watching the sea. However, if we’d had one of the tables inside towards the back, I would have taken a star off to make it three stars.
I recommend booking a window seat in advance after all, this place is on the pricey side.
If a view is not your thing (or it’s late) consider Riddle & Finns in the South Laine as the décor and atmosphere excels over this place.

Very disappointing and overpriced. Fruits de mer consisted of crab and langoustines straight from the freezer (definitely not fresh). The bread was sliced and obviously left out for a while before being served.
Beyond the sea view and drinks, not much else going for it.

When you see «champagne and oyster» you know it’s gonna cost you. It did.
And overall it was worth it.
Quality of the food: top
The way it’s cooked: for some dish it’s world-​class (scallops with lemon sauce… Putain, I can’t remember better scallops), for others it’s just average (lobster salad), hence the 4*. Cod with ink risotto was good.
Wine: the Chablis is good but 40£
Service: excellent (hard to judge though we were only 4 tables on the terrace)
Location: on the beach, dinner with the sunset in front of the sea… It does the trick.
Bill: 140 for 2 with starter, main, wine dessert and digestive.
I hope to come back to try the rest of the menu next time we have something to celebrate (and the budget).

Riddle & Finn was recommended to me by both friend Unilocalers and Brighton Unilocalers as that place on the water where you have oysters and champagne. I’m not particularly partial to champagne, and I’ve never tried oysters, but hell, live as the Brightonians, right?
I had bread and prosecco and one single rock oyster and battered tiger prawns with chilli sauce and the clam chowder, and all of it was quite good. In particular, the chowder was really nice, because it was quite cold that day. We sat outside, as my friend had her dog with her, and they were dog-​friendly, which was good. But, the service was a bit spotty, and there was nothing that really set it apart. It was a bit on the high end for a lunch, even though I hadn’t really ordered enough to fill myself up and the portions weren’t huge.
All in all, it’s certainly a unique experience to have in Brighton. I can see the allure, on one of those rare warm English summer days, of a few oysters, fresh seafood, and a glass of champagne as the sun goes down. If you can make that happen, Riddle & Finn is the place for you.