TWO top chefs have teamed up with the ambition of creating one of the city’s flagship restaurants.

Semone Bonner and Dan Kenny are preparing to launch The Set, a small high-end restaurant at boutique hotel The Artist Residence.

The pair have some 30 years’ experience between them and have both been head chefs at the Ginger Group of restaurants, which formed in Brighton.

The small restaurant of just 16 to 20 covers will specialise in modern British food served in set menus.

An open kitchen will also service adjoining café The Set of Scales with what is expected to be reasonably-priced, quality fast food.

The Set has already made a series of pop-up appearances at Café Coho and Curry Leaf Café, before finding its permanent home at The Artist Residence, a 60-bed stylish guesthouse in Regency Square, also home to The Cocktail Shack.

While the food will be high-end they will aim for the atmosphere to be relaxed and inclusive.

Bonner, 31, former head chef at The Ginger Pig in Hove, said: “We want this restaurant to stand out and win accolades, and be a flagship for the city.”

“Our ethos is to make people smile and create that feeling when you nod at the person opposite and say ‘wow, how did they do that?’ “With 20 seats it will be quite personal, and diners will be right in front of chefs.”

There will be three four-course set menus ranging from £27-£35.

Simply described dishes include ‘duck egg, toast, truffle’, ‘potato, garlic, molluscs, dill’ and ‘venison, mac ‘n’ cheese, cabbage’.

The café menu includes dishes such as Kentucky-fried cod cheek burger, with ham hock rosti, avocado butter and Coca-Cola onions, with nothing costing more than £10.

Dan, 31, former head chef at The Gingerman in Brighton, explained: “It’s dirty food at the opposite end of The Set. He added: “A lot of our food is quite nostalgic with one dish like boiled eggs with soldiers.

“We’ve taken a lot of ideas from our childhoods. It’s serious cooking but it’s meant to be good fun.”

Bonner added: “It will be a relaxed environment.

“We want people to be able to chill out.

“It shouldn’t feel like fine dining, people can come in jeans and T-shirt and not feel out of place. “We want to break down the boundaries.

“People shouldn’t feel intimidated or put off if they don’t understand something.”

The Set will open on Saturday, March 7 with 50% off for the first week.