In my time as a journalist I’ve been lucky enough to try some delicious food, particularly here in Brighton.

But it’s not every day that you get to visit a Michelin-starred restaurant.

So when I was invited for an Easter visit to the capital to try some award-laden grub, I leapt at the chance.

My trip to Tom Brown at The Capital was a delight (Image: NQ)

(Next on the list is Mare in Hove, the first Michelin-starred restaurant in the city since 1985).

The man behind the menu is Cornishman Tom Brown, whose seafood-centric dishes landed his restaurant at The Capital Hotel, a stone’s throw from Harrods, the critical catch of the day.

This isn’t the 38-year-old’s first time being recognised by the good folks at Michelin.

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Cutting his teeth in restaurants including Rick Stein’s, he worked his way up to head chef – a position he held at The Capital under Nathan Outlaw, where he retained its Michelin star.

He then opened his own restaurant, Cornerstone, in Hackney Wick in 2018, which earned a Michelin star, before going on to open Pearly Queen in Shoreditch in 2023.

Tom Brown and the team (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)

So returning to The Capital in April 2025 was a full-circle moment, this time with his name above the door and now another star to boot.

Tom himself describes the restaurant as “representing everything I care about as a chef – incredible produce, sustainability and food that’s precise but generous”.

But would little old me agree with the illustrious inspectors of the Guide?

The bar at Tom Brown at The Capital (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)

My friend and I started off with a drink at the bar before our meal – and the quality set the tone for what was to come.

Given my mild maverick streak and Mrs Cropley-esque palette, I opted for the PQ: gin and vodka-based, but with an eyebrow-raising mixer of pickle juice.

Topped with a blanket of foam spiked by spots of green, it was one of the nicest cocktails I’ve had in ages.

The PQ cocktail was a revelation (Image: NQ)

It was more than just a gimmick. The pickle juice provided a dill tang that complimented the lemon juice and sweetness to create a smooth. moreish beverage.

In fact it was so smooth I drank it quicker than I should have, already feeling rather merry by the time we sat down for dinner.

With just 28 covers and Tom himself coming out to introduce the first course of the tasting menu, the setting actually warrants being described as intimate.

Armed with a cast-iron kettle, the marine maestro poured a golden brew into a handle-free wooden cup while explaining what we would be drinking.

The lobster hot and sour soup to kick things off (Image: NQ)

It was a broth inspired by a hot and sour soup, made with all the leftovers from the other dishes, including lobster tails, combined with aromatics like galangal and lemongrass.

Warming and with a deep flavour, it woke up my palate ahead of the onslaught of courses.

The Asian influence continued with the red prawn toast.

Not just your sesame-studded takeaway affair, this had a whole juicy prawn draped over layers of golden fried bread and pureed prawn. Drizzled on top was chilli oil and scatterings of crispy pork fat.

The red prawn toast (Image: NQ)

The prawn, so fresh it was served raw, was a burst of sweetness that complimented the fattiness of the other ingredients.

Heading west, France was the origin of the next dish: a canele.

Typically a sweet pastry with a custardy centre and a dark, thick crust, how would this work as a starter, I thought?

The savoury elements came in the form of umami-rich oyster, buttery foie gras and a disk of smoky and salty Morteau sausage, balanced so perfectly atop the crown of pastry that it seemed a shame to take my fork to it.

The canele (Image: NQ)

To my surprise, a burst of pink oozed out in the form of a cabernet sauvignon custard.

It was at this point whatever airs and graces I have melted away as I put down my cutlery and put the whole thing in my mouth.

Sweet and salty is a tried and tested combination and it worked a treat here.

By this stage we’d enjoyed a large glass of Chapel Down sparkling wine followed by a Montefalco Grechetto – an Umbrian white wine with mineral notes that go well with fish, our host assured us.

So the sight of a platter of bread was a welcome sight to pace ourselves for more courses.

A squid ink bread and Japanese milk bread with butter and mussel butter and a seafood vinaigrette (Image: NQ)

A sourdough marbled with squid ink and a fluffy Japanese milk bread were our options, paired with mussel and salted butters and a seafood vinaigrette and oil for dipping.

The lightness of the latter made it a tad too absorbent for the vinegar and oil, but worked beautifully with the butters, while the sourdough was robust enough to retain some bite with the vinaigrette.

My friend is an artist, so he had more appreciation for the aesthetics of each dish – and none more so than the halo of shaved radish atop the gilthead bream tartare.

Having brought my attention to it, it really was a work of art, geometric precision which seems hard to achieve with natural ingredients.

The tartare in all its glory (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)

I’m a sucker for a tartare, and this was as good as any I’ve tried, a delicious pool of soy greedily guzzled at the end with the puffed crackers as a spoon.

If this was elegance on a plate, the next dish was like a hug in a ramekin.

Like a savoury panna cotta, the Devonshire crab custard was smooth, rich and creamy, with tangy tomato and sweet chunks of meat to counterbalance this.

Topped with a sliver of raw leg meat, artisanal tomatoes and white meat shredded with a wasabi mayonnaise, this had a nostalgic effect on us, even though neither of us had tried anything like it before.

The Devonshire crab custard was a highlight (Image: NQ)

My friend said it reminded him of his grandad as he wolfed down the lot.

This was one of many declarations throughout the evening that my pal threw out there as he jokingly instructed me to write it down, hoping that a couple would stick in the review.

A stopped clock is right twice a day, they say, so there was another observation I did scribble down.

It was his description of the main course – a Cornish cod loin wrapped in a ribbon of beetroot and served with chunks of the stuff alongside a roe butter sauce.

The cod was pop art on a plate (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)

He compared the presentation, with spots of black, yellow and purple dotting the plate, as akin to pop art – and I couldn’t put it better myself.

The clash of colours and ingredients, from earth and sea, are unlikely partners, yet they married together to delicious effect.

There just remained one final course before the meal was done – for many the highlight, for me often an obligation.

The Michelin man himself (Image: NQ)

Dessert came in the form of sticky toffee pudding, the marine theme continued with the cakes being cooked in seashell madeleine tins and served with a clotted cream ice cream.

But where it got interesting was the sauce. Tom returned to serve us our dessert and informed us that it was made with a Cornish IPA and malt as he generously drizzled the mahogany liquid over our plates.

It had a earthy depth to it that cut through the sweetness and was totally moreish; thankfully, our waiter Esteban made sure we had another boat of the stuff to hand, which I happily depleted.

Tom said it was his favourite type of dessert, hence its inclusion on the menu, and with this version I can see why.

Tom Brown (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)

Despite the acclaim he’s received, I’m sure Tom and the team are waiting with baited breath to find out what I thought of the food.

And while I can’t bestow on him a higher honour than the folks at the Michelin Guide, this layman critic had a thoroughly lovely evening with the food, wine, ambience and service all ticking the boxes.

But what I think elevated the experience was how the food made us feel something beyond enjoyment, from admiring the artistry of the presentation to the nostalgia of the crab custard.

Hats off to you, Tom and the team.

The master suite at The Capital Hotel (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)

As part of the visit, we also stayed at the Capital in one of their master suites.

Features included a living room, bespoke furniture, modern art and a bathroom and shower room, as well as two televisions in the main space.

As teaphiles, we were both impressed with the selection on offer from Cornish teamakers Tregothnan, and also the kettle which was shaped like a teapot – and the Marshall speaker was put to good use as we played the Bridgerton soundtrack to add our version of a touch of class while sipping from our cups and saucers.

The room had its own temperature control, although I found that it made the air quite dry – but the beds were comfortable nonetheless and the bath salts lent themselves well to a nice pre-dinner soak.

Prices per night can be found on The Capital website.

The master suite at The Capital Hotel (Image: Tom Brown at The Capital)