Petit Pois Restaurant

25th April 2025 Ruminating over the last few weeks on restaurant options for a birthday meal, I experienced a curious phenomenon: for some reason, I didn’t feel like just going for a massive juicy steak. Whether or not opting for upscale French cuisine instead is a sign of irreversible progression towards middle age is something I want to spend less time thinking about, but that’s what I did. What sealed the deal in the end, aside from Petit Pois being new and a bit different to what I’d normally choose, was that my usual quick glance at the menu – long enough to gain an impression without ruining the fun of deciding what to eat while actually there – revealed a good half dozen or so listings I really wanted to try. With Mum, Dad and Elle joining us, it felt like a good way to do just that. Some average olives notwithstanding, that plan began phenomenally. Each of us went for a different entrée, and with my gentle encouragement Dad ordered 12 snails instead of six, and Mum six oysters instead of three. Completing the line-up were scallops, cod fritters in a worryingly-named ‘sauce chien’, and my French onion soup. Without everyone literally trying everything else there was still a lot of swapping and sharing, and the consensus seemed to be that the fritters – crispy on the outside, salty on the inside, with the sauce a sort of fiery chimichurri – came out on top. Dad’s garlic sauce was also very popular, and we ordered bread later to mop it up, but the snails themselves were a bit piddly. I really enjoyed my soup, but found myself trying to offload the giant cheesy ‘croutons’ – a meal in themselves – mostly because I didn’t want to fill up too quickly. I didn’t try any scallop but reviews were good; I’ve had better oysters more than once in Brighton. Between us, we also managed to sample the halibut fillet, the blood orange duck breast, the cassoulet and the wild mushroom crêpes. There was a lot going on. Strangely the duck was the only thing that came out as a full course, with dauphinois, kale and beautiful blobs of beetroot purée; the cassoulet in particular could have done with a bit of veg but we were all fighting over the one side of delicious sautéed greens we ordered (except Elle, who thought they tasted of mussels). Highlights were the duck itself, high quality and cooked to perfection (although the orange was very much front and centre), and the halibut (although the subtleties of the shellfish velouté were lost on my palette by that stage). The crêpes were the least celebrated: nice enough flavours but heavy and lacking in variety well before the end of the unnecessary second. Thankfully, it was only after all of that I realised the wall to my back was a ginormous blackboard charcuterie menu, because I would definitely have regrettably tried to squeeze in a few slices of jambon here and a gourmet fromage or two there. As it was, we shared the trio of unfortunate crèmes brûlées instead. I’m not an expert, but the layer of sugar was “too toffee apple” for those round the table in the know – for me the coffee one just didn’t taste very nice and so I left it there. Overall, it did feel that Petit Pois managed to disprove that old rule of thumb that the fewer options on a menu – the more a place specialises – the better, but in hindsight perhaps the fact that there’s nothing I’d definitely re-order if I went back contradicts that sentiment. Really good, solid food all-round, bordering on the spectacular in moments without ever quite crossing over, and a nice wine list, too. I would go back though. I’m just glad Petit Pois is in Brighton, as I’m not sure I could handle the look of disdain I’d get ordering just the roast garlic mash and a block of soft goat’s cheese if I was actually in France.

Made the most of the sunshine with a quick trip to Brighton. The spot I’d planned on going was booked out for a private event, so ended up finding a nearby French bistro, *Petit Pois* — and what a find. Saw they had a cheese board on the dessert menu, and that alone was a good sign. Everything was spot on: classic flavours, generous portions, no unnecessary faff. Two courses for £22.50 — absolute bargain. Starter-wise, the chilled pea soup was a summer dream — silky, fresh, with crunchy peas and toasted pine nuts. Delicious. The smoked mackerel pâté was rich and moreish too, just needed more of that lovely sourdough it came with. For mains, I had the skate wing — usually bony, but somehow pan-fried to tender perfection, crispy edges and all. Rich with buttery flavour, balanced with a sharp caper sauce. The roast pork belly (from the à la carte) came in a huge portion. The meat was soft and loose, and the crackling? Out of this world — salty, crisp, proper satisfying. Best surprise was another piece of crackling on top of the tasty garlic mash. Dessert didn’t disappoint either — crème brûlée came in three unexpected flavours: vanilla, cinnamon, and prune. Each one textbook-perfect. Left properly chuffed.

We came here for my 30th birthday meal down from London and we were not disappointed! Having been once in 2021, standards were absolutely maintained. We had a glass of champagne on arrival, and then the calamari for starters. After some excellent wine advice from Charlie, we moved to red wine and had the beef and duck for mains which were so tasty and great portion sizes. Creme brulé and a birthday truffle and candle for dinner. Thank you so much for making my birthday meal so special!!

On my first night and upon arrival in Brighton and checking into my hotel, did have a look around on Google Maps to see what places were around. I found Petit Pois and headed out there, where I had a delicious cassoulet. Having really enjoyed this cassoulet, and I liked the look of other stuff on the menu, on the following day I headed out back to Petit Pois for dinner. Despite it being a Monday evening, it was busy, but I was able to get a table. Inside is a French style bistro, lots of wooden tables and chairs. There is an air of informality about the place, also an eclectic decoration on the walls. They had a really interesting looking menu and it was quite challenging to work out what to have. The previous evening I was stuck between the Bouillabaisse and the cassoulet. That time I had gone with the cassoulet, this time I went with the Bouillabaisse. This was described on the menu as bouillabaisse of local fish & shellfish, squid, prawn, potato, samphire, rouille, grilled bread. I have to say I was impressed when the dish arrived, it looked fantastic. The bowl was brimming with shellfish and fish. There was grilled fish portions, prawn, scallop, squid, clams and mussels. You couldn’t have really asked for any more fish in that bowl. All the fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce was delicious, full of flavour. I loved the addition of the samphire and this really added to the flavours and texture of the dish. I could have done with more bread, though most meals I could do with more bread. Having finished the bowl of tasty seafood, I was left wanting more. I made the decision it might be a little greedy to order a second bowl. As with my previous visit, the service was warm, friendly and efficient. Overall a lovely experience.

Snail garlic and parsley butter is so fragrant! And the Grilled pork chop also very juicy, the monkfish is very fresh

Our first Sunday Roast, but as it was in a French restaurant, next time I would choose à la carte. The cheeses were divine!

Great food and attentive staff. Good place to go if you're looking for something a little special.

Amazing amazing food, we only managed a pic of the dessert as it all got eaten very quickly.

A true jewel in Brighton for either lunch or dinner. Fast friendly service, excellent French cuisine and a lovely ambiance. Reservations are recommended.

Let me speak in French for this one, because it was such a delightful moment. Ce restaurant bien caché de la rue de Ship St fait place a la haute gastronomie Française. Il ne cache pas que son emplacement, il cache aussi bien des secrets tant le gout est à l'honneur dans tous les plats. L'entrée dont je tairais le nom pour que vous le découvriez par vous-même fut un délice, le plat était tel, qu'on se serait cru en Bourgogne, le dessert m'as donné des frissons comme rarement j'ai pu en avoir pendant un repas partagé, bref, what a place. Cette soirée de St Valentin fut exquise, je n'ai guère à redire sur ce restaurant car le gout et la qualité surpasse toutes attentes, quand au service, dois-je vraiment mettre en avant la sublime serveuse accueillante et souriante? Française d'ailleurs, quel belle façon de mettre à l'aise un public anglophone.