Aguadulce

It might be a pebble's throw from Brighton beach, but this tapas joint will have you reminiscing about the Costa Brava in no time. Behind its big bay windows is the kind of homespun bar/café that you can find on almost every 'calle' in Spain. Visitors are greeted by a craggy character carving Ibérico ham, while perky waiters are keen to talk first-timers through the laminated menu of rustic small plates in the sunshine-yellow dining room. Among the usual suspects of paella, calamari & tortilla are some excellent expressions of regional cooking: try Andalusian steamed clams or an Almerian dish of sea bream in white wine & paprika sauce. The all-Spanish wine list goes well beyond Rioja, & the vino flows liberally during regular flamenco nights, when tables vibrate to the stamping of feet.