Shoreham by Sea is another Sussex town with a slightly bohemian vibe and an increasingly cool cultural scene. And if you’re looking for somewhere to eat, in between the footbridge from Shoreham town and the beach, you’ll find Into The Blue. It’s a family-run restaurant that describes itself as “fusion” serving seafood and meat with a menu that also includes vegetarian and gluten-free options. The restaurant has a distinctly nautical feel inside to suit the mood of the harbour, an intriguing menu and a welcoming atmosphere, with its wooden decks, ocean scenes, and the odd octopus (as in occasional rather than strange).
They have a tapas style sharing system (order lots of smaller dishes to share) but my group opted for our own individual dishes. Their menu is seasonal and although their menu doesn’t share the provenance of all their ingredients, there is more information on their website which lists their local suppliers of fish, meat, and drinks.
Their website also lists the charities they support which include the Marine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewerage. And as we’d heard great things about Into The Blue, we made it one of our Pitts-Stops.
What’s on the menu?
Their menu changes regularly and there is lots of choice. Nibbles to kick off with started at £2.50 per oyster and also included olives, flatbread, and, well, other nibbly things. The seafood and fish menu started at £8 for mackerel paté and went up to £20 for the half lobster thermidor on the specials board. I can’t say the fillet steak (£24) or the jerk chicken (£9) didn’t call my name but I opted for cod. I also had halloumi and pea spring rolls and Indian kissed potatoes.
For pudding, I went for balls! They involved a choc chip biscuit ball, vanilla ice cream, a coconut and pistachio cake pop, and sour berry couli. Yum!
The wine list
There is quite a good wine list which includes three Sussex sparkling wines, namely Albourne, Poynings and Bolney, with one Sussex still white wine (Poynings). There are Sussex ales and soft drinks on the menu too but personally, I’d like to see more choice of Sussex wines as there are no Sussex wines I could order by the glass.
Service and ambience
We had booked for a late lunch (2 pm) and that was not a problem. The service was charming and timely and the food was superb. We all agreed our choice of cod (yes we all had the same) was possibly the best cod we’d had in a long time. A perfectly cooked, well-balanced dish. The atmosphere was relaxed. I felt a little like I was in an undersea restaurant (but maybe that’s just me!) or setting sail for Pacific adventures. Which is exactly how I want to feel when I’m at the beach.
Overall, this is a great restaurant and one we all agreed we’ll return to soon. I for one will be trying all the sharing platters next time!
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