THE owner and chef of a leading restaurant says winning a top award for the second time was “completely unexpected.”

Duncan Ray, who owns the Little Fish Market and runs it with Rob Smith and the front of house team, picked up three awards at Brighton’s Best: Top 20 Restaurants 2019. The duo also claimed best chef and best front of house.

Rob said: “There are so many great restaurants in this city, so to win the title again was a really nice surprise.”

The Little Fish Market, a small 20-seat restaurant, opened six years ago in Upper Market Street, Hove.

When asked whether they had plans to expand the restaurant to provide more seating Rob said: “The building is lovely, it has dual aspect windows with brilliant lighting.

“When people come here, we want them to feel like they are stepping into their friend’s living room. Our focus is on fine food in a simple setting, if we moved we would lose that.”

Duncan, who worked with world famous chef Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck near Maidenhead, said he tries to provide a better experience for his customers through the ingredients used in each dish.

He said: “I’m not one of those people who will only use local products for the sake of it. I will always search for the best ingredients, wherever they come from.

“I treat the ingredients gently and deliver them to the customer in the best way possible.”

The fish-focused set menu changes every four weeks and features quirky appetisers such as bite-sized kedgeree served in eggshells.

The five main courses comprise steamed, raw, seared, grilled and pan-fried dishes.

Duncan said: “Within simplicity is a huge depth of complexity and that’s what makes it special.

“Some dishes are literally two components, fish and a sauce. But the sauce might take me three days to make.”

It is this dedication to creating a sublime dining experience, matched with modesty, that saw The Little Fish Market scoop the top awards this year.

The winners are voted for by experts including local food writers, chefs, restaurateurs and business leaders in the area.

Duncan said: “Brighton’s Best Top 20 Restaurants has done huge things for the city.

“It has helped to put Brighton on the food map of Britain.

“They really champion the food scene here in Brighton and create a close-knit community of chefs.

“There’s never any animosity between the chefs in the city, we all just help and encourage each other.”