The Sussex roast dinner that’s so good I can’t stop thinking about it

I should know, because I was invited to try the Brighton restaurant’s Sunday roast offering and it was so good I can’t stop thinking about it.

Located on Kings Road, Pearly Cow sits within No. 124, a luxury seaside hotel that opened at the end of 2024.

It's the third Pearly Cow restaurant opened by brothers Tristan, James and Tom Guest, coming after their offerings in York and Margate.

It specialises in locally-sourced shellfish served on ice and the finest cuts of meat cooked on open-flame. It also does roast dinners to die for, again using the best of British ingredients to create a sumptuous Sunday feast.

My husband and I arrived on a grey Sunday afternoon, and it felt lovely to sit in the cosy downstairs space Pearly Cow occupies.

The dining space is split across two rooms, one has a sizeable private dining room off it, with a modern bar with seating linking the two in the middle.

The interior is fresh and modern, featuring quirky art pieces, plenty of cushions on the banquette seating and lighting just low enough to give it an ambiance.

The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and it feels like everything has been thought through for diners' maximum comfort and enjoyment.

Make no mistake, this is luxury dining, but it’s curated in a relaxed way that doesn’t make you feel on edge.

We were guided through the menu, and ordered some cocktails while we chose. My passion in a punch (£14) was like a take on a pina colada, but a lot more boozy, while my husband’s Kentucky & Kiwi reminded him of a Moscow mule. I loved how everything on the cocktail menu was a twist on a classic. We loved both of ours and I’d love to go back and try more.

A two-course Sunday roast at Pearly Cow costs £38, while three courses is £45. There’s also a ‘while you wait’ option (not included in the set menu) which features its famous oysters.

Sadly, neither of us is a fan, but the man at the table next to us had a portion and declared them delicious. Instead, we had some freshly baked bread and salted beef dripping butter (£5) which was lovely.

To start, my husband had the crevette and lobster cocktail with Marie rose sauce, which he thought was incredible, while my compressed watermelon, truffle goats cheese and padron peppers packed a surprising flavour punch for such a dainty looking dish.

Then it was the roast of dreams. My husband’s Trenchmore roast beef with horseradish was cooked to perfection, while my half roast chicken with bread sauce was so tender and tasty. Each meal also comes with a Yorkshire pudding as big as your head, plus a separate dish of all the trimmings.

Quality meat aside, I think a roast is made by its accompaniments, as these were some of the best I’ve ever had. The potatoes were insanely crunchy, the cauliflower cheese unctuous, while the red cabbage was wonderfully spicy. And the gravy was flavoursome and just the right consistency.

I couldn’t find fault with any of it, just that I couldn’t quite fit it all in (although the leftovers did make for a lovely snack the next day!).

We left a suitable gap before pudding to try to reclaim some room, and both opted for the mascarpone crème brûlée. The menu online said it comes with sour cherry sorbet, but on the day it was just the crème brûlée.

But it didn’t matter because it was utterly incredible. So smooth and creamy, with a wonderfully crunchy top.

We washed it all down with a gorgeous bottle of Chablis from the extensive wine list.

It was the best way to spend a Sunday and I know we’ll make a return visit.

For more information, or to book a table, visit https://pearlycow.co.uk/pearly-cow-brighton/