Coal Shed founder to open Burnt Orange restaurant in Brighton

The founder of Brighton’s Salt Room and Coal Shed restaurants is to open a new site in the city this summer.

Razak Helalat, who also opened Coal Shed in London in 2017, will launch Burnt Orange close to the seafront in early June.

Billed as an ‘all-day and late-night hangout’, it will be led by head chef Peter Dantanus - formerly of the Salt Room - with music curated by Brighton local Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim).

As with the Coal Shed, the menu will be based around wood-fired cooking, with a choice of smaller plates designed to be grazed on over a bottle of wine and larger dishes such as charcoal-roasted octopus, harissa butter and pine nuts; and shawarma pork belly, date molasses and pickled fennel salad.

Cocktails will include a Burnt Orange gin martini, which combines Salcombe Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and grilled orange skin, and the Majorelle Julep, a mix of Tanqueray Gin, fresh pomegranate, pink grapefruit, honey and mint.

Helalat said: “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 combines great food and amazing drinks with the right music. It’s somewhere you can catch up with friends, hang-out and just have fun!”

Coal Shed, Salt Room and Burnt Orange all form part of the Black Rock Restaurant Group.