Brighton’s Best Dish: Onion Ring Chaat at Kitgum

Kitgum opened in their new home in Hampton Place, just off Western Road, at the beginning of July. We gave them a week or two to bed in, then couldn’t resist booking in for lunch. They’ve done a great job with the place, with a bold purple colour scheme, smart bare wood tables and a large dining counter. There is also a DJ booth, now seemingly obligatory for all new Brighton restaurants.

From the concise menu of six snacks and eight plates, we enjoyed the crispy puris (£4 each) stuffed with tender pigeon peas and topped with either whipped cod’s roe or tahini (we’d recommend one of each, they are both ace); some excellent K.F.C. (which we assume stands for Kitgum Fried Chicken) with a spicy karahi sauce and mixed pickled salad (£14); a very tender bavette steak with an addictive scotch bonnet butter with a rounded fruity heat that won’t blow your head off; some fantastic Gujarati spiced potatoes and, just so we had enough carbs, a plump disc of pav (soft and fluffy Gujarati milk bread.)

We couldn’t miss out on the onion ring chaat, two of our favourite things brought together in a mad stroke of culinary fusion genius. About the size of a lifebuoy, it was a crunchy tamarind-tangy delight. We’d rush back for it, as well as the awesome-looking grilled lamb chops with kalio sauce. Owner Fayaz tells me that kalio is a meat curry, traditionally eaten at Ismaili weddings, and flavoured with saffron, yoghurt, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and burnt onion paste. I haven’t come across that dish before but can’t wait to try it.

‍The details
Kitgum, 3 Hampton Place, Brighton BN1 3DA
01273956751; kitgumkitchen.com‍