Man behind The Salt Room opens new Brighton restaurant

Tell us a little about yourself

I have a background working in Brighton’s bars and restaurants. In 2011 I opened The Coal Shed restaurant in Boyces Street. The recipe was simple: great quality meat cuts cooked over charcoal on a Josper grill oven. It was a big success and was later followed by The Salt Room beneath the Brighton Metropole hotel, showcasing locally sourced seafood.

In 2017, I opened a second Coal Shed branded restaurant at One Tower Bridge in London, Burnt Orange is my fourth venue.

What is the concept behind Burnt Orange and what can guests expect?

Burnt Orange is an all-day and late-night hangout where we want to combine great food, music and drinks. When guests come to Burnt Orange, they’ll find somewhere where they can catch up with friends, hang out and just have fun.

Burnt Orange

Is it a bar or restaurant?

It bridges the gap between a bar and restaurant, so you can pop in for a quick bite or make a night of it and take full advantage of our cocktail menu.

It will have an informal vibe, offering all-day dining and yes, we take reservations.

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Hospitality has faced challenges over the past year. Why did you see the opportunity to open the restaurant now?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve had countless conversations with friends and loyal customers about the need for a totally new space.

Something different – not quite a restaurant, not quite a bar – but somewhere that bridges the gap with the right music, of course.

So, after the 18 months we’ve all had, it felt like the perfect time to open our doors.

Burnt Orange

How does Burnt Orange complement your other venues in Brighton?

As with our other venues, our menu is focused around high-quality seasonal ingredients cooked predominantly over fire, so regulars at The Coal Shed and The Salt Room will recognise the style of cooking that they know and love.

But we want Burnt Orange to be even more focused on the drinks, so it’ll offer more of a casual style of eating and drinking than the other venues.

Who is in the team?

Peter Dantanus, one of our brilliant chefs from The Salt Room, will be heading up the kitchen so we’re keeping it in the family. There’s a real focus on sharing dishes for casual grazing alongside a bottle of wine with friends.

Burnt Orange

Why do you think that Brighton is still the place to eat, drink and stay on the South Coast?

Brighton is so vibrant, multi-cultural and there is something for everyone – all ages.

We are also very lucky that it is a city that is “moving with the times and not standing still”. Culturally, there is a lot of investment happening, a lot of big London brands have their eyes set here.

Plus not many cities are able to showcase such diversity in music, culinary offerings and the arts as Brighton offers – I feel very lucky to live here and be a part of it.

Finally, what does the name mean?

Nothing in particular! We just liked it.