insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 22 - December 2016 | Page 82

FOOD+DRINK

Exceptional sharing plates
and fine wine at Fourth & Church
Brighton and Hove is a busy, popular place, so restaurants in Brighton and Hove tend to be
busy, popular places too – sometimes, though, you don’t want to have to book, or think about
what style of food you want to eat; sometimes you just want a really good glass of wine and
some delicious small plates to pick at while you catch up. Not a pub, not a restaurant, or even
a deli, but instead, a glorious amalgam, taking from each of those the best of what they offer.
Polly Humphris finally found that consummate combination at Fourth & Church.

Knowing that the Hove spot where Fourth
& Church now sits had once been a wine
merchant, for the past year I’ve often passed
it – spying the inviting wooden shelves stacked
high with glorious worldwide wines on one
side of the room, beside tables of happy diners
leaning back in their seats; content. What
exactly is it? I thought.
On closer inspection though, the clues are
crystal clear. Fourth & Church? Its location
on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Church
Road in Hove; a nod to its New York deli-style
counter that serves a menu of sharing plates
inspired from all over the world. The expertly
sourced wine collection? A careful curation put
together by the duo of enthusiasts that own it
– available to savour in house or to take away.
The content diners? A mixture of in-the-know
locals and curious passers-by who have just
chanced on some of the best food in Brighton.
Owned by Sam Pryor and Paul Morgan, two
cooks and wine enthusiasts who have worked
in food and drink businesses from Michelinstarred formal restaurants, to busy gastropubs
and Brighton wine shops for many years, Fourth
& Church is a wine shop and wine bar selling
delicious and exciting wines from around the
world produced by small, interesting winemakers.
“Before we opened, we talked about our own
great food experiences – places where we have
worked and places we have visited around the

world,” Sam told me. “Although some have
included formal restaurants, our favourites turned
out to be markets, tapas joints, diners and delis.
We thought it would be fun to reproduce the
atmosphere we had enjoyed in eateries such as
La Brunilda tapas bar in Seville, with delicious
plates in an unpretentious environment, and
the Russ & Daughters’ deli in New York, with its
exceptional offering of preserved foods to take
away and a busy eat-in counter.”
And that, they have done. The atmosphere
is upbeat, but intimate, and the menus are
inspired by European, North African, Middle
Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, with a
respect for ingredients and an emphasis on truly
great flavours. Our gastronomic journey began
with delicious pinchos of piquillo, feta, olive
and parsley, travelling onwards (and upwards)
through salmon gradvalax dressed with
marinated caperberries; corn-fed chicken terrine
with charred leeks; confit salt cod with chickpea
and kohlrabi; and braised lamb shoulder with
blacked aubergine, mint and sumac – each
packed with taste and paired with a glass of
wine, carefully selected in colour, aroma and
flavour to sing in unison with the dish.
“Fourth & Church is a home for people like us,
who love food and wine but who want to eat and
drink in an unpretentious, friendly environment,”
elaborated Paul. “We are passionate about
sharing our love of exceptional food and
wines, and by making sure we have wine at

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affordable prices in the shop, our customers are
encouraged to taste and try different varieties. We
also bring that spirit of exploration to the food with
small plates and selections designed for sharing.”
Honestly, each dish we devoured was divine.
But, in addition, I learned so much too. Both
Paul and Sam are veritable fonts of knowledge,
yet couldn’t be further from brash about it.
If you want to know what to drink with your
choice of food, just ask - I’d never thought of
drinking sherry until my night at Fourth & Church
and now I’m a convert. They also regularly work
with a variety of passionate wine producers
from around the world to host tastings on site
too, so budding wine buffs should enquire.
The wine, the artisan produce, and the Fourth
& Church experience speaks for itself. My top
tip? Leave room to finish with a crème Catalan
and a cheese plate – you won’t regret it.
Fourth & Church
84 Church Road
Hove
BN3 2EB
01273 724709
www.fourthandchurch.com
fourthandchurch
fourthandchurch
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