London & South East Premier Hospitality

Kooks

Kooks, Gardner Street, Brighton
Written by Roma Publications

Kooks, Gardner Street, Brighton

Situated on Gardner Street in Brighton, Kooks is a fantastic bohemian bistro, serving up a range of dishes from breakfast through to dinner.

The restaurant – owned by DJ Tim Healey – opened its doors in May 2015 and is already wowing the locals and foodies alike.

Prior to opening as Kooks, the venue operated as a café. Work began on transforming the site in March, with Blenheim Design involved with all the design work on the restaurant.

Established in 2006, Blenheim Design specialises in commercially viable interior design work for restaurants, bars, and retail projects. Speaking to Premier Hospitality about their involvement with Kooks, Blenheim Design’s Design Director, Maja Myall, said:

“After interviewing various design practices, Tim got in touch with us in December last year.

Kooks, Gardner Street, Brighton

“Tim was looking to transform the site – which was previously a daytime café – into an all-day restaurant and cocktail bar. The idea was to ensure Kooks could be a family restaurant, with a very welcoming environment, yet at the same time the interior design could be casual, yet fashionable with a nod to Tim’s music career.”

During the transformation of the restaurant, Blenheim Design retained the venue’s layout, yet made key alterations, such as transforming an existing serving counter into a fully-functioning bar, capable of serving a range of drinks from smoothies to craft beers and cocktails.

Maja said:

“The interior really matches the food offering. We used honest and real materials, such as timber, metal and leather and paid special attention to lighting in order to create a careful transition from daytime service to evening service.”

Kooks, Gardner Street, Brighton

Kooks is spread across one floor, although the restaurant does include a small raised area towards the rear. The restaurant includes fixed seating, a feature chimney breast – which was retained during the transformation process – and a collection of artwork designed by a local artist. Additional design highlights include a zinc bar top, yellow and red leather seats, an illuminated back bar, chevron timber walls and suspended pendent lights.

As a Brighton-based design practice, Kooks was a very important project for Maja and Blenheim Design as it gave the practice the opportunity to work on a restaurant that was situated much closer to home.

Maja said:

“It was very important for us to be involved in this project as most of our work takes place much further afield – across the UK, including locations such as London, Belfast and Derby. It was great to work on a scheme which was local as it meant that it was close to our hearts.”

Kooks, Gardner Street, Brighton

Kooks serves up a delicious menu, with a range starters, mains, sides and desserts. Dishes include the likes of battered haddock with twice-cooked chips, mint pee puree and tartare sauce or the minced steak burger with streaky bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato and lettuce, served in a brioche bun with either twice-cooked chips or sweet potato chips.

If guests are looking for a lighter option then sandwiches are available at Kooks, along with a nibbles & bites. The nibbles & bites selection includes mixed nuts, olives, pork scratchings, twice-cooked pork cubes with fennel, cumin and lemon wedges and twigs of haddock in batter, with dill mayo and sweet chilli dip.

In addition to a packed and tummy-rumbling menu Kooks is backed up by an extensive drinks menu, which includes a selection of cocktails, beers, cider and liqueurs. Kooks also presents a strong collection of wines, from white, red and rosé wines to sparkling wines and champagne. A range of soft drinks is available too.

Kooks, Gardner Street, Brighton

Kooks is open every day, from 10am until late.

For further information on Kooks, please visit: www.kooksrestaurant.com.

To see more of Blenheim Design projects, please go to www.blenheimdesign.com

About the author

Roma Publications