Restaurant of the Week: Maré, Hove

While every working day in London might debut a new restaurant, in a town like Hove, a new opening is a bigger deal. And when its creator holds two Michelin stars, that deal looms even larger. Rafael Cagali – also the culinary power behind Bethnal Green’s fine dining Da Terra and its more casual sister Elis – is splashing Hove with a taste of the sea in a refined, shiny setting.

Riding Maré’s wave

There’s little about Mare that leans on stereotype. Cagali’s upbringing in São Paulo, his work in top kitchens across Spain and the UK, and his Italian heritage all play a part in a restaurant that feels both personal and intentional. Where there’s bold colour from Brazilian artwork on the walls, there’s understated, elegant crockery and neutral-toned furniture. Dainty tartlets freckled with caviar and edible flowers are followed by sharing-style wraps and large plates of steak with sides of generous cassava fries. Rather than a rigid concept, identity shines through.

Entering the restaurant, there’s a cosy nook in the corner – where one might like to sit and watch Hove life roll by. On our lunchtime visit, the main dining room glows with sunlight streaming through tall windows, anchored by a grand zinc bar running through its core, while a more intimate seating space opens up at the back. The space is sprightly and serene, with afternoon brightness catching on the pale wood tables and their slivers of flowers.

The Maré menu

Once it’s time to take ourselves through the menu, we begin with small bites of peppery chicken liver parfait, sweetened with cherries and bedded on crisp, oily toast – an infusion of textures and tastes, like a flawless orchestra you weren’t expecting. Next up is a fried oyster – taking away the customary clinking of shells and slugging down the sea creature whole – with a subtle heat turning it into more of a comfort food than a cultivated aphrodisiac.

There’s no slowing down of seafood, with immaculate lobster claw tartlets next, intensified with ginger and caviar – a dash of potency to the harmless fish. We wash these down with a sophisticated selection of light sparkling wines, including English premium bottles from Sussex’s Rathfinny and Dorset’s Langham.

To ease us into the larger sharing plates, a richly enveloped scallop – in both cream and colour – arrives, succulent and sparking with flavour. Once the mains appear, it's as if we've somehow swapped restaurants: immaculate bites are disappear to help-yourself-style wraps with shredded lamb, pickled onions and a bean puree, while lobster and wagyu steak arrive side by side for some surf and turf fun. The wraps in particular could stand out as a little out of place, but all the mains are as playful and heartening as the next – and we’re in the freedom of Hove’s restaurant culture, after all.

Bright ambitions

The restaurant is grounded in quality ingredients and innovative cooking, and rather than being a nice to have, it feels like a statement of intent in a town with no star-quality declared by Michelin inspectors yet. But that doesn’t mean its feet don’t touch the ground – the personal touches in the décor and the connection to the sea through the cooking bring a sense of comfort over any masquerade. And for Hove, that feels important.