Light at Towner — Restaurant in Eastbourne

I ate dinner at Light this evening. They've done a really good job with the space - I especially love the curtains. The menu also looked really interesting, and I was excited to try a new upmarket restaurant in Eastbourne.

However, we had to wait a considerable amount of time for our food (granted, it was a busy evening, but they didn't even bring our bread order out quickly), and when it came the portions were extremely small. The oil with the bread was lovely, and the Tenderstem with black garlic cream was also very decent. But the two large plates we had were immensely underwhelming. For a start, they were hardly large. The flavour profiles also lacked punch, and everything was severely undersalted. I had the impression that the vegetarian and vegan options were simply not as large or filling as the meat dishes we saw being carried past.

The prices, however, are where I found Light really galling. I could put up with a perfectly fine but uninspiring mushroom dish, but to be charged £18 for a couple of mushrooms and a small pile of farro wheat - and then £16 for a pasta dish I could have made more quickly and interestingly at home. My husband and I spent £60 (including a 12.5% service charge): this encompassed two soft drinks, two small plates, and two large plates. We both ended the meal hungry and had to fill up at the very dependable Kokoro about five minutes away.

I would try Light again for their breakfast or afternoon menu, but I cannot currently recommend it as a dinner option. Which is a shame, as the space is beautiful. (That said, the chairs and tables are not very comfortable - there wasn't enough space to cross my legs underneath.)

Edit: Just to note that I did contact Light by email as suggested in their reply, but I haven't heard anything back after...

Dinner. Unplanned visit. To get to the restaurant, you have to get in one of the largest lifts ever. Once the gigantic doors open,a few steps away, you will find the restaurant. We were greeted by the very charming Max who managed to squeeze us in on the very last table available.

One look at the menu we could tell we were in for a real treat. You can have an A la Carte or four course set. We chose the set £48 which is very good value. Our server for the evening was the lovely Ollie. Who advised us to start with one of their Sundowner cocktails. It would be rude not to.

Strawberry Bourbon Maple / Hibiscus / Basil/ Mint £9 Fig leaf negroni Fig Leaf Campari/ Gin/ Rosso Vermouth £10

Snacks Crispy Potato Lovage Emulsion / Macadamia Laminated brioche amporsand butter Starters Trout Cockle / Samphire / Crème Fraiche / Dill. Iberian corn fed ham Roasted Black Fig/ Balsamic / Rocket.

Mains Hake fillet Baby Gem/ Warm Tartare / Crispy Vermicelli/ Dill Oil. Treacle cured venison Creamed Potato/ Black Garlic / Pear / Port Jus. This was the star of the show. Possibly one of the best Venison dishes we have had the privilege to be served.

70% Chocolate Cremaux Tuile/ Blackberry/ Chambord. Blossom Sponge Milk Ice Cream/ Honeycomb.

The whole evening was delightful. From the service to the food. The ambience and location were...

It looks like a high-end restaurant but tastes like someone watched MasterChef and failed to replicate it. Don't make the same mistake we did. We wanted to make our last evening in Eastbourne special by dining at a great restaurant but ended up rushing to the nearest fish and chips spot just to avoid going hungry.

Thankfully, we chose the 2-course menu instead of a full set, allowing us to try the food first. Both dishes were inedible. The so-called fried courgette flowers with ricotta turned out to be just one flower, with a tiny sprinkle of cream at the bottom of the plate. It was accompanied by large, half-raw courgette slices and sour cucumbers, which left an awful aftertaste.

The "English cream with strawberry" was not cream at all, but rather salty, blended cottage cheese—like the cheapest you can find at the grocery store. It's hard to go wrong with these ingredients, but the result was a disappointing mix of salty and sour.

To top it all off, we were overcharged, with the dishes being billed as separate items rather than as part of the 2-course set, as stated on the menu.

In summary, don't waste your time. It's not worth the money or the hype. The terrace and interior are quite nice, though, so maybe just go for a coffee or drink if you're visiting...