Fishy Fishy

It was a combination of their love of fresh local fish and their experience of bad service in Brighton that inspired James Ginzler and James Shovlin to open their own restaurant.

“Paul and I were sitting in a restaurant picking up on the same things,” says James, whose parents were in the restaurant trade.

He has returned to the industry after ten years running his own gardening business.

“We bonded over the bad service. Paul had come down to go mackerel fishing – we cooked what he caught later that day on the barbecue.

We just came to the realisation that there was a possibility to do a fish restaurant in Brighton.”

The pair’s hunch was clearly right, as more than 2,000 diners have already passed through Fishy Fishy’s doors since it first quietly opened three weeks ago.

Television presenter Dermot O’Leary came in as a mutual friend and equal partner, and has been making regular appearances front of house.

“He always wanted to be in the restaurant trade,” says James.

“He said if he hadn’t gone into television he would have been a chef.”

Fishy Fishy, which has taken over all three floors of the old Al Forno building, aims to be a middle point between the champagne and oyster market and the seafront fish and chip cafe.

The menu is seasonal, according to what the fleet at Newhaven and Brighton bring in, the prices are affordable, and the general atmosphere both inside and outside on the pavement dining area isn’t stuffy.

Food is served on uncluttered dark wood tables, with standard cutlery and paper napkins rather than fish knives and forks and cloth serviettes.

The interior has been restored sympathetically to reflect the building’s history, which was once home to dipper Martha Gunn, who was paid to dunk Brighton visitors into the sea.

James’s wife Alice Rivers Cripps, of Posh Totty Designs in Brighton’s Bond Street, and Dermot’s girlfriend Dee Koppang scouted the city’s antiques fairs and markets for frames and mirrors to go on the restaurant’s blue walls.

And both James and Paul have gone out of their way to make sure their staff are knowledgeable and friendly.

“We wanted guys and girls with personality,” says Paul, who previously ran restaurants in Manchester.

“They spent two and a half weeks before they got on site in the classroom, learning about wines and fish.

They are here to sell fish, so if they don’t know anything about them they won’t sell any!” As well as serving seasonal local fish to a maximum of 80 diners inside and up to 60 outside, the restaurant has looked to local suppliers for their non-fish dishes, with both meat and vegetable dishes on the menu.

The wine list mixes bottles from Europe and the New World, plus Ditchling-based winemaker Ridgeview’s award-winning sparkling Cavendish and the bar also serves Horsham’s Hepworth beer.

But with a name like Fishy Fishy it is obvious that fish is at the heart of the restaurant.

“We wanted something for the people of Brighton, where they can get fresh local fish,” says James.

“It is interesting that across the country the perception of fish and seafood is that it is expensive because it has to be transported, and that it has a limited shelf-life.

“We are by the sea so it doesn’t have to travel that far, and we get deliveries every day on a seasonal basis.”

At the moment the restaurant is serving some top quality local lobster.

“In June and July the lobster are pretty much leaping out of the water,” says James.

“We only use 600g to 800g lobsters, which we are getting in regularly at the moment – we are having to change the size of the plates to accommodate them! “They are pulling out lots of Dover sole this week, and last week we got some great turbot. Next week it could be sea bass.”

Sample the menu

Starters
Smoked salmon with rye bread and horseradish sour cream – £6.95
Half tankard of prawns with garlic mayonnaise – £5.25
Local calamari deep fried with lemon creme fraiche – £5.95
Sussex smoked mackerel pate with toasted croutes – £4.75
Brightonbaisse garnished with croutes, Emmental, rouille and garlic mayonnaise – £5.50
Shellfish
Dorset organic rock oysters – from £3
Mussels served with fresh bread served either mariniere, Thai style or provencal – from £4.95
Boiled Channel crab – £12.50
Boiled or grilled local lobster – £30
Mains
Fishy Fishy fish and chips – £9.95
Skate wing roasted with brown butter and capers – £13.50
Crab, chilli and basil linguini – £8.95
Wild seabass pan fried (when landed) – £16.50
Pan-fried plaice – £10.95
Sussex ribeye steak, hand-cut chips, vine cherry tomatoes and peppercorn butter – £15
Caramelised shallot tart tatin – £8.95
Salads
Buffalo mozzarella with charred beetroot salad – £9.50
Crab and lobster nicoise salad – £12.50

Open daily, noon to 11pm