Wild Flor, Hove restaurant review

Wild Flor. Noble Rot.

They’re two restaurant names which are peas in a pod.

It’s not the only similarity between these gaffs; one of which is located in the heart of London and the other in the charming seaside resort of Hove.

Both unsurprisingly have a wine focus, with interesting selections by the glass as well as rare bottles tucked away in their cellar.

And both serve gutsy classical cooking which pays little regard to the latest fads.

So, it was no surprise when we were told during our meal at Wild Flor that its four owners decided they were going to open a restaurant together whilst enjoying a meal at Noble Rot.

Another similarity between the two places is that they’re both very much up my street. Because our leisurely lunch at Wild Flor is already an early contender for my best meal of 2023.

From the moment we were welcomed by the charming front of house team (this year they were named the best in Brighton) and took a swig of our excellent glasses of wine – a highly neckable Von Hovel Riesling (£7) for me and a decadent Schloss Gobelsburg Renner Gruner Veltliner 2014 (£15) for Mrs G – I knew we were in very safe hands.

Seriously rich and cheesy Old Winchester beignets were balanced by the unmistakeable intensity of pickled walnut puree. But, £8 for two dinky cubes was arguably a bit punchy.

A good wodge of crisp-crusted pate en croute (£13) was stuffed to the edges with meat and contained a core of juicy ham hock. It was lovely to see an additional dollop of wobbly meat jelly piled on top; whilst pork pie jelly polarises opinion, I’m very much team aspic. A pot of textbook sauce gribiche provided both acidity and the brightness of green herbs.

First class sourdough was accompanied by golden butter which was a touch fridge cold but still very slatherable.

Fish mains were both exemplary.

A whole plaice (£24) nudged away from the bone with ease and was coated in a thick and buttery seaweed sauce with wild mushrooms.

A tranche of turbot (£32) lived up to its billing as the king of the sea. Meaty AF, it was accompanied by vibrant ratatouille and sauce armoricane – a silky hollandaise taken to the next level by the intensity of seafood bisque.

Pomme Anna (£7) were the finest example of a confit potatoes that I’ve eaten, and I’ve eaten a lot. Gloriously golden and crisp thin buttery layers of spud were drizzled with chive puree.

A bowl of perky greens (£5) were bathed in bay-fragranced butter.

Desserts were frigging lush too.

Freshly baked madeleines (£6) with the twang of brown butter had a beautifully soft and light crumb.

A thick, nutty and not-too-sweet hazelnut mousse (£12) was accompanied by soft slices of poached pear, nuggets of crisp caramel, and crisp shards of filo pastry. It was suggested that we dredge one of the madeleines through the mousse and it was one of the best pieces of life advice that I’ve ever received.

We had an immense meal at Wild Flor. With its confident cooking, fantastic front of house and excellent wine, it’s everything I look for in a restaurant. If anyone ever opens a place called Feast of Yeast then put me down for a table.

The details:

Address - Wild Flor, 42 Church Rd, Hove BN3 2FN

Web - https://www.wildflor.com/

Telephone - 01273 329111