North Road, Brighton. 01273 671403

Open Tuesday to Saturday, noon-8pm, Monday 5pm-8pm. Denise also provides a catering service

Review: March 10, 2006

Proving the old adage that the best things come in small packages, tiny Caribbean takeaway Noir, on North Street, is a fast food dream.

Owner Denise Isaacs opened only recently, but has already cultivated a loyal and enthusiastic following.

So far she has been able to rely on word of mouth.

"Everyone who comes in is has been told about the place by a friend," she says. "I have never advertised and that seems to work well."

Her success is unsurprising. Denise cooks up a mouth-watering feast of Caribbean food daily from scratch. Jerk chicken, mutton, curry goat and saltfish are all marinated for 24 hours to let the flavours infuse and are served with rice, peas and coleslaw (£5).

Side dishes include fried dumplings and roti, Jamaican style flat bread, (£3/£3.50), and fresh lamb soup (£2). There is also a range of tropical fruit-flavoured soft drinks from D&G, rarely seen in Brighton, and Jamaican ginger beer.

So what kind of feedback has Denise been enjoying?

"Home-cooked food is so much nicer, and tastes so much better," she says.

"I've had people say you can taste the love I put into it."

It was after moving from London to Brighton last year that Denise decided on a change of career, and capitalised on her Guyanan heritage. "Someone asked me if I knew where the nearest Caribbean restaurant was, and I realised there wasn't one. There was a complete gap in the market for this type of food."

"I did my research and made it my goal to put Caribbean on the map in a place where there wasn't just a high proportion of black people buying it."

Now customers, from diverse cultures, regularly queue outside the door to sample her one-of-a-kind recipes.

"I have lots of regulars now, some even call me to come and get food when we are closed," Denise says. "I must be too nice, but I do get a real pleasure out of seeing people enjoying my food.

"People can always ring the bell if I'm not in the shop, as I'll be downstairs cooking!"

Review by Xenia Gregoriadis

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• If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk