Brigton cafe is back in business

A Brighton cafe is open for business again, nearly two years after a devastating fire.

Iydea, in Kensington Gardens, reopened earlier this month with a ‘fresh new look’.

Steve Billam, owner of the cafe, told the Brighton Indy: “Iydea Vegetarian Kitchen first opened its doors in 2006 and had a huge fire in the early morning of September 24 2019 and we reopened on the 1st of July 2021.

“The fire was a devastating event for everyone but in time it turned out to be quite fortuitous.

“The fire destroyed the top two floors which took five fire engines to extinguish.

“The water it took to put out the fire destroyed what was left.

“I was on holiday at the time and it was a call that I will never forget.

“Having been open for nearly 15 years we soon realised this was a great opportunity to rebuild the cafe with a fresh new look and feel.

“We’re now back open with many of our old staff and some fresh new faces.

“We are still serving some of our old classics along side some new exotic flavours.

“Our menu is now mostly plant based. Looking back now we were so lucky to have missed the whole pandemic while there building work was going on.”