HE HAS worked for some of the industry’s finest talents.

And the words fed to Duncan Ray, head honcho of the Little Fish Market in Hove, by the likes of Marco Pierre White and Heston Blumenthal still shine through in his work to this day.

His restaurant, one of the most revered in the city, was voted the cream of the crop at the Brighton’s Best Restaurant awards last month, with Duncan scooping the accolade of Best Chef.

Tucked away from the flow of Western Road’s pedestrian traffic in Upper Market Street, Duncan’s place has truly earned its stripes with a top chef at its helm.

“You learn things from everybody you work with,” Duncan said.

“Take this as an example: everybody I have ever worked for has cooked beans, but each one has cooked it slightly differently.

“As a chef, you have to do what you are told in this environment, and the end result of that is you are going to use whichever you have learnt best and feel is most useful to you.”

Duncan, 40, certainly holds that analogy dear to his heart at his fish restaurant.

“Fifteen seconds is a lifetime,” was the mantra of White, Duncan’s first boss at Criterion, his former London establishment, about the cooking of a fish.

“That saying is one that has stuck with me.

“That can be the difference between something that is amazing and something that is not.”

It was his time spent working under some of Britain’s finest which gave Duncan the taste of wanting to run his own high-end eatery.

Four of his 25 years spent working in a kitchen came at Blumenthal’s world- renowned Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.

Duncan, originally from Woking, Surrey, set up shop at the former fish market site in 2013, his passion for seafood the catalyst in his move.

“I could cook fish while doing other things like meat,” he said.

“But you are always stuck to the oven.

“It would be a lot harder to do starters and other dishes if it was like that.

“Everything in my world is about fish – I fish in my spare time, and I have since I was four. I have a natural connection to it.”

Our seaside city provided the perfect platform for Duncan to open the Little Fish Market.

“I wanted somewhere along the coastline to do it,” he continues. “I have always loved Brighton. It is an epic place with lots of cool people. There is so much independence here and everybody helps one another, it does not matter what industry you are in.”

Duncan’s high-end restaurant, though, aims to appeal to everybody.

He wants to rid the stigma surrounding the restaurant industry so that everybody feels welcome.

He said: “It is all about your environment, I think.

“We want people to feel comfortable.

“Sometimes, by no fault of staff, some people in other restaurants feel as though they should not be there because of the culture of fine dining, but it should not be like that.”

Inside the restaurant is a rustic decor, while a classic British chip shop tiled floor reminds you of its fish market heritage to produce an intimate atmosphere.

Dishes on the menu at the Little Fish Market have a life span of four to six weeks, with Duncan consistently keeping things fresh.

There is one set menu, which will cost you £65 – but it is worth it, insists the man behind the magic.

“You pay for the quality of the produce,” Duncan said.

“If you go somewhere that is cheap, it is because the produce is cheap. That is not the case here. But some people like cheaper food, there is nothing wrong with that.

“My parents look to get more food for cheap, whereas I am the opposite.”

The Little Fish Market is open from Tuesday to Saturday, with Duncan closing on Sundays and Mondays.