Hellenic Republic Brighton (CLOSED)

Those brightly coloured bathing huts always buck us up, but Brighton has another good reason to be cheerful: an outpost of George Colombaris's back-to-basics Greek dining concept that first popped up on Lygon Street and has branched out from there. You're in Greek taverna territory where simple, excellent ingredients and honest cooking hold sway. Fall hard for the Kipriaki salata – the Cypriot salad of grains, nuts, pulses and yoghurt. The arniaki, or slow-roasted lamb, is the most expensive thing on the menu but worth every cent, and the chalkboard of sweets always demands perusal as the loukoumades (Greek doughnut balls) are justly famous.