insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 08 - October 2015 | Page 41

FOOD+DRINK

DINING AT THE VIEW

BY MAZ OGDEN

A short walk along Hove beach takes you to aptly named restaurant, The View. Well-known
amongst locals as the ideal place to stop for a pint and Sunday lunch, or to sit outside and just
enjoy ‘the view,’ the restaurant is situated directly on the sand for a tropical island feel. As well as
exotic burgers and gourmet pizzas, it also specialises in fine Persian cuisine.

My friend and I chose a table inside that
overlooked the windsurfers out at sea. Opting
for a Persian starter, I chose the mirza ghasemi
– a name which I couldn't pronounce, but it
looked delicious; while my friend chose the
vegetarian dolmeh. The menu stated that the
mirza ghasemi had been recommended by J.
Oliver; I could only presume this meant that
Jamie Oliver loves it, and now I know why!
Described as an “amazing mixture of BBQ
aubergine, garlic, egg and tomato, served
with naan bread,” the portion was the size of a
main course, and the naan was freshly made,
thick and perfect for scooping up the mixture.
The dolmeh consisted of tender dark green
vine leaves, wrapped around a rice-based
vegetarian stuffing and it suited my friend very
well.
The View has a good selection of sparkling,
rose, red and white wines. To complement our
food my friend chose the Merlot Los Espinos
while I preferred the Los Espinos Sauvignon
Blanc; both Chilean wines.

For our main course, we sought the assistance
from the waiter, as we could not choose
between the Persian grills and specials. My
friend chose the sultanee, which consisted of
one of the finest skewers of lamb fillet and one
of minced lamb kebab served with a grilled
tomato and rice. Forget the kebab shop, this
was the best kebab we've ever tasted! I was
torn between two dishes: the joojeh torsh – a
skewer of tender chicken fillets marinated in
aromatic mixed herbs, walnuts, onions and
sour pomegranate sauce, and the fesenjan,
which was recommended by the chef. On the
advice of the waiter, I chose the slightly sweeter
fesenjan, a creamy walnut chicken stew, slow
cooked with sour pomegranate juice. I would
really recommend this dish if you are looking
for something different; I've tried a lot of things
but this was a totally new taste to me. The
pomegranates gave it its sweet taste and the
dark sauce had a chocolaty after-taste.
Despite both of us feeling full, we knew we
could not leave without tasting something from
the cake display. We chose the homemade

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chocolate mousse and the chocolate soufflé.
The chocolate mousse was the best I can
ever remember having – and I've had a lot
of chocolate mousses! Served as three large
balls with some chocolate sticks, it melted
perfectly in my mouth. My friend felt the same
way about his chocolate soufflé and despite
my uncomfortable stomach, I had to taste it.
The ice cream complemented the hot soufflé
perfectly. Watching the sun set as we started
the short walk home along the beach, we
decided we would have to do this again, if only
to sit and stare at the view again.
The View
Western Esplanade
Kingsway, Hove
BN3 4FA
01273 207100
www.viewhove.com
/ViewHove
@viewhove