Coppa Club, Brighton review: ‘Something for everyone’
Markus Bidaux enjoys a cheery pre-Christmas treat at Brighton's stylish eatery.
Words: Markus Bidaux
Nothing beats a nice meal out on your birthday, so I took my boyfriend to Coppa Club in Brighton for his couple’s celebration. The restaurant is positioned on the small Brighton Square, which is surrounded by the antique jewellers, retail shops and art galleries of The Laines.
We arrive for lunch with blue skies overhead and when we are sat next to the façade of glass panels the warm winter sun glows on the brass tabletop. Our waiter is quick to retrieve a water bowl for Freddie, our Pomeranian-chihuahua.
The décor is homely, with abstract art on the walls, green potted plants spotted around and a mix of tan leather-clad booth seating and comfortable colourful chairs. And the venue clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously as most of the staff are in playful Christmas jumpers.
The menu is a mix of classic grill options including burgers, steaks, and fish dishes, with a few separate sections offering fresh pasta dishes, sourdough pizzas and salads.
There is something for everyone and spoilt for choice we take our time to pursue the options and start with a couple of cocktails: the Batida Club, a pina colada style drink made with rum, condensed milk, and mango purée, and the Coppa Sour, made with amaretto, gin and berry cordial over ice. Both were like candy in a glass.
The Batida Club and Coppa Sour
For starters, I had seared king prawns dripping in lemon, chilli and slices of garlic oozing into a thick piece of bread. The birthday boy had seasonal mushrooms on sourdough toast in a rich porcini cream. Both were devoured and mopped up with an extra basket of fresh bread.
King Prawns starter
Next, I had the Devon crab salad, which was oddly laden with overpowering chilli despite it not mentioning the ingredient on the menu – our waiter was quick to offer to have it remade, but I was already most of the way through the dish.
On the flip side, my boyfriend’s roasted Loch Duart salmon fillet swimming in a chive butter sauce was heavenly. Even the skin, which we normally don’t like, was perfectly crispy and seasoned. The salmon was on their “Festive Specials” menu, so get it while you can.
Leigh and Markus at Coppa Club
For dessert, we had warmed slices of treacle tart and pecan pie accompanied by crème fraiche and honeycomb ice cream, respectively.
Our meal done, we saunter out of the restaurant and into the square where four glass domes reside. Each festively decorated dome has one table surrounded by chairs where guests are waited on by Coppa Club’s staff.
The domes at Coppa Club’s tower Bridge location
Coppa Club’s domes are currently available to book for meals at five of their nine locations across the South-East and West of England including Tower Bridge – renowned for its panoramic London views, Sonning-on-Thames’ with its riverside setting, Cobham Village’s rooftop terrace and their newest venue located on Putney’s riverside.