East Street eats: Brighton's Best Indian Food

Veggie Thali at Indian Summer, Brighton

Opposite the Mod shop on Brighton’s East Street you’ll find the gorgeously vibrant Indian Summer restaurant, an award-winning independently run candlelit idyll.

Ska and reggae in the vein of Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff make for a super-chilled ambience with relaxed, friendly service and plenty of space for groups of all sizes.

We were just in time to try their brand new paneer pizza naan bread which was heavenly, combining crunch and warmth in equal measure.

Chicken tikka is my staple starter so I had to give it a try. Fresh from the charcoal grill, this was plump, juicy, and not shy on spice.

As it’s haunted season, we went for the veggie Frankenstein’s Feast, consisting of sweet potato pakora starter, with tandoori paneer, tamarind syrup samosa chaat, corn cob, salad and chutneys followed by a regal thali of paneer butter masala. Perfect for sharing with my writer friend and discussing the In Crowd (1958-1966) exhibition at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery (until 4th Jan), where the mod theme continues.

I’m not much of a daytime drinker but it was gone 5pm and I couldn’t resist a Jungle Bird cocktail with Elephant Gin, Campari, lime and mango purée, which was seriously refreshing.

Wish I’d had time for boozy kulfi…alas, my Vespa awaited.

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