THE restaurant bible SquareMeal announced its top 100 UK venues with Brighton and Hove picking up an impressive eight placings on the list, and Michelin-starred Gravetye Manor in West Hoathly also championing wider Sussex, writes NICK MOSLEY.

For almost 30 years, SquareMeal has been the market-leading independent restaurant commentator, with up-to-date reviews of over 7,000 UK restaurants and bars, written by a team of independent critics with the aid of comments from thousands of restaurant customers.

Alongside their website they also publish annual printed guides to quality restaurant and bar venues.

“It is great to be recognised with a national award”, said Raz Helalat, director of The Salt Room and The Coal Shed in Brighton.

“The SquareMeal top 100 is voted for by diners, so it’s amazing to see that so many people around the country are fans of our restaurants.

"It’s also great that all the Brighton restaurant offerings are so different and how lucky we are to have these restaurants on our doorstep”.

The spread of highly rated restaurants in the city ranges from larger restaurants including The Salt Room and Terre à Terre through to more bijou venues such as 64 Degrees, Etch and Cin Cin. For many, featuring in the top 100 was a complete surprise.

“We weren’t aware we were in the running and didn’t do any promotion around it to get customers to vote for us”, said David Toscano of Cin Cin on Vine Street.

“Being included is a big achievement for our little restaurant. It’s nice recognition for the hard work our team puts in”.

George Thomas, head chef of Isaac At on Gloucester Street, Brighton, agreed: “Being in the SquareMeal top 100 is a great achievement for the team. It’s an immense feeling to know that you are recognised for the work you do”.

As opposed to the revered Michelin Guide, SquareMeal tends to focus more on accessible and relaxed fine dining, which is a style of dining that Brighton particularly excels at.

“It’s not the usual suspects at the top”, George added. “Brighton and Sussex are definitely on the UK food and wine map. Sussex is going to become more competitive but subsequently we will see more and more accolades being awarded here”.

Other notable UK restaurants in the top 100 include those led by household-name chefs, including Alain Roux’s The Waterside Inn and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Berkshire, Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire and Tom Kerridge’s Hand and Flowers in Buckinghamshire.

Despite the success of Brighton in the SquareMeal top 100, restaurateurs have concerns for the challenges that the near future will present.

“Brexit, economic uncertainty and a serious shortage of chefs are concerns for our industry”, said Raz.

Despite enjoying the success of being in the SquareMeal top 100, David from Cin Cin concurs that the Brighton restaurant industry could be entering a particularly tumultuous period.

“I think Brighton and Sussex have been on the food map for some time now, as evidenced by the number of restaurants that have made this list, and others”, said David.

“But I would say that the city is going through a very challenging period. There are lots of empty retail sites across town, independents are closing, and there are a high volume of break-ins and thefts at restaurants across town this year”.

“Regular interruptions to the train service coupled with very expensive parking means people outside of Sussex probably wonder whether it is worth the effort anymore, and that is even before you mention what might or might not happen as a result of Brexit over the next few months.

"We cannot influence a lot of that so Cin Cin just focuses on what we do best: a consistently great, affordable dining experience for our customers”.

Listing number and What SquareMeal says:

No. 18 - 64 Degrees, Meeting House Lane, Brighton

“Like Brighton itself, 64 Degrees is edgy, hip, leftfield and idiosyncratic – a rockin’ modern eatery from veteran local chef Michael Bremner.”

No. 34 - Etch by Steven Edwards, Church Road, Brighton

“Unusually chef Steven Edwards doesn’t use any spicing in his food, instead choosing to increase flavour through reducing or enhancing the main ingredients on each plate.”

No. 42 - Terre à Terre, East Street, Brighton

“Serving vegetarian food with bags of flavour, Terre à Terre is proudly meat free. Expect delicious Asian-accented food and an imaginative wine list”.

No. 44 - Isaac At, Gloucester Street, Brighton

“This intimate Scandi-style Brighton restaurant serves a signature seven-course tasting menu, which is replete with genuinely local, hyper-seasonal food”.

No. 45 - Gravetye Manor, Vowels Lane, West Hoathly

“Surrounded by green fields and boasting its own gorgeous garden, this escape from London is right by Gatwick airport. Seasonally-changing menus are served alongside a set lunch menu, hearty Sunday roasts and traditional afternoon tea”.

No. 50 - The Little Fish Market, Upper Market Street, Hove

“Adding weight to the argument that good things come in small packages, this tiny restaurant seats just 20 diners and serves terrific seafood, found in the form of a constantly changing fixed-price tasting menu.”

No. 80 - The Salt Room, King’s Road, Brighton

“‘A real show-off place’ overlooking Brighton’s seafront, this sibling of the meat-tastic Coal Shed is a star in its own right. Located behind a sleek black facade, The Salt Room mixes exposed brick and bare lightbulbs with a menu that majors on grilled seafood and meat.”

No. 83 - The Coal Shed, Boyce’s Street, Brighton

“Beef-to-die-for is the big selling point. This place takes its protein seriously, with slabs of locally sourced fillet, rib-eye and rump sizzling on the kitchen’s Josper grill”.

No. 93 - Cin Cin, Vine Street, Brighton

“There’s barely room to swing a leg of Parma ham in this cute Italian restaurant, which seats just 18 diners at a U-shaped counter around an open kitchen and bar”.