Disruptive innovation. It's one of those annoying 21st century buzz phrases which brings to mind a yobbo James Dyson, smashing up a Henry with a poly-indestructible vac-tube.

The term actually refers to radical, incomers like Uber, the scourge of black cabbies everywhere, gleefully messing things up for the old order.

And there’s no way the achingly fashion-conscious food world would just stand back and not get stuck in.

Deliveroo, the food ordering service for the perennially hungover, over-paid and agoraphobic, is one example.

Another we have form on is the trend of supper-clubs and pop-ups, with Brighton, aka Silicon Beach, even coming up with the first digital platform, Tabl, which hooks up foodies with the latest events.

Yet there’s nothing particularly aggressive about this disruption. It’s more of a coy caress; a soft suggestion of something different to do on a night of gluttony. The chefs behind are hardly out to destroy restaurants, and for young talent it's a way of affordably putting their name to something. Unconventional career paths will not worry The Waterside Inn or Gidleigh Park, but it makes for a dynamic dining experience.

Tom Griffiths, whose project Flank took up residency at the Royal Sovereign in September, is one of these chefs. While most recently heading up the kitchen just down the road at The New Club, he has made a name for himself with experimental pop-ups and private dining for generously-paying London clients. At this stage it is probably worth mentioning The Gourmand reckons Griffiths is one of the most exciting young chefs in the city right now. Pound for pound, it's hard to imagine anyone is packing in as much flavour into their food.

Take the Kentucky fried oxtail and partridge. Most right-minded meat-eaters know KFC and its miscellaneous chicken shop ilk taste wickedly good. But the torturous conditions inside the poultry gulags just leave a bit of a rancid taste. Flank upsells chicken for pink partridge breast, coating it in best-ever-Kentucky batter - crispy, spicy and right up to the edge of the seasoning threshold. The grapefruit on the side may have fruit and meat skeptics gagging, but really it's a familiar balance of richness and acidity, albeit a weird-sounding combination.

Another absolute standout is the short rib - a low and slow marvel of dexter cattle beef the size of a kids’ rounders bat, which despite its 72 hour cook is seductively juicy and pink. It comes minimal with a blob of nettle ketchup and a balls to the wall sauce of dashi, oysters and a lot of funky pan juices. That’s it - and it was one of the best things The Gourmand has eaten all year.

This being an Indigo pub, the beer choice is excellent, and Bedlam's porter was perfect match for the beef. With La Choza, Curry Leaf Cafe and Little Blue Smokehouse all doing residencies at Indigo pubs, the group is joining the dots between dining and drinking. The pub has had a lick of paint and rejig though retains its cosy boozer vibe.

There were more great touches. Bread is often forgotten, but we get a bouncy brioche minutes out of the oven. Pickled carrots, cucumber and fermented mushrooms were flushed with star anise and clove and about as good as it gets. Deserts were a work in progress, but complimentary lemon tartlets were as refreshingly tart as the best tarte au citron. (He should know, his mother is a pastry chef).

A presence throughout, bearded and tattooed Griffiths has no hipster pretensions. Endearingly modest he was still clearly confident in the quality of food. Its an undeniably meaty affair with a nose to tail worship of beef, though there's nothing preachy in the chef's presentation.

Only the triple cooked beef fat chips disappointed, the potato dry and musky.

With the reputation of Flank still spreading, Griffiths is virtually giving away food of this quality.

The occasionally complex descriptions aren't for everyone, leaving one punter to blurt, ‘why can’t you do shepherd’s pie?’.

Yet here is nothing tricksy or off-puttingly posh going on. This is brilliantly-conceived food which zeroes straight for the palate’s erogenous zones.

Flank at The Royal Sovereign, Preston Street, Brighton

Food - Five stars (out of five)

Restaurant/pub - Four stars

Service - Five stars