Dill — Restaurant in Lewes

Note: this is a review from someone who went into this with very high expectations.

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As a foodie who’s tried plenty of standout meals and restaurants, I’d heard a lot about Dill and - with an anniversary coming up, I decided to book a table. I was really excited; genuinely couldn’t wait.

Below is a summary of where the experience delivered and where it, unfortunately, fell short :(

Expectations: I really appreciated the option to submit dietary restrictions in advance. It suggested a level of care and personalisation I associate with high/er-end establishments. That’s why it was surprising when our waitress seemed caught off guard and had to double-check those details upon arrival. It left me questioning the purpose of the form, since it sets the expectation for a more curated and well-prepared experience. It’s a small detail, absolutely, but little things like that can make a difference.

The food: On the food front, the meal began on a high note with the burrata dish, which was genuinely excellent (see photo). It was vibrant, nuanced, and the flavours were impeccably balanced. In contrast, the second dish we received - the asparagus dish - despite its visually compelling presentation, lacked the depth and sophistication its appearance suggested. Frankly speaking, it delivered very little by way of joy or satisfaction. The lamb dish also disappointed, undermined by an overly fatty cut and sides that disappointed: eg the lettuce had a sandy grittiness to it and an overpowering char that detracted from the dish’s overall harmony. Finally, the trout dish was lovely but really hard to conceptualise as a sharing plate when it didn’t naturally lend itself to being shared between two people.

Service: Perhaps the most jarring part of the evening was the service. It really fell short of the attentive, seamless care expected at a high-end restaurant. Our original server left halfway through our meal, walking past our table with her coat and phone without so much as a word: an unusual and unprofessional departure in a setting where attentive communication is key (note: I understand people sometimes have to leave but when I've been at high-end establishments, such a transition would be handled with clear communication, ensuring guests feel cared for and never left confused or uncertain). From that point on, we were effectively overlooked by the single remaining waiter who was extremely lively and engaged with other tables - joking and chatting nonstop, yet barely acknowledged our presence. Given the small, intimate space with only a handful of closely spaced tables, this was especially noticeable and disappointing.

Small things that add up : There were several small, avoidable things that chipped away at the experience too: empty bottles and used cutlery dishes weren’t cleared, even as new plates arrived. With limited table space, attention to flow and basic table management makes a big difference. Especially when the format encourages sharing.

Ultimately, while there were a couple of standout dishes, the above factors held the overall experience back for me. Sadly. As I was hoping (and really expecting!) to leave Dill with nothing but high praise to share with my...

We had a rather dismaying dinner experience at Dill, and it is with regret that I write this less than complimentary review, as both I and my husband want to love Dill with all our hearts. The beginning was promising: we were taken by the lovely rustic but refined ambiance in the small dining room, and were warmly greeted by our very nice server. We put an order for the rabbit wellington, a sharing dish for two, which was relayed promptly to the kitchen. From that point on things started going south, not out of bad will but out of chaotic organization of the service. We still had to complete our food order but our lovely waitress was super busy with other tables, which ended with us ordering the rest of the meal 20 minutes later. 40 minutes passed, no one stopped by to tend to us, while people that arrived well after us were getting their food. All this until another person (I think from the kitchen staff) asked us if we want to order food. We said we did, and that we were actually expecting something to come our way as we were sitting for an hour already without a speck of food on the table. It finally did, two dishes, good but not stellar. A so called tomato cacio e pepe, which despite being tasty bore little resemblance, in spirit and in ingredients, to the quintessential 2-ingredient miracle that is cacio e pepe. Most glaring was the absence of pepe, in flavor and in appearance. The soy glazed eggplants were good, although lacked the unctuous quality that such eggplant dishes can carry. Then, the piece de resistance, the rabbit wellington arrived. And what a disappointment it was. There are many different ways to do a fantastic wellington, but there are some real no-nos no matter what wellington it is, and one of them is no lining of the central element to fill the gap between it and the crust. No duxelles, no leaves if any sort, just air. The result is a glorified sausage roll rather than an expertly prepared wellington. The carrots that came as accompaniment were bland and unloved, and the accoutrements were good: an herby sauce, a black garlic condiment and salsa Verde, which found itself added to the carrots to give them flavor. There was also a small Japanese dumpling, which didn't really connect with anything on the plate. All of this could have been put under "matter of taste" and a personal opinion. What is NOT a matter of opinion is that throughout the meal were were essentially ignored. Not once anyone came to ask how the food was, if we wanted anything else to drink, or just show that someone cared about how our dinner was proceeding. This is a cardinal sin in a restaurant, one that will prevent is from coming again, even if the air in the Wellington is filled with deliciousness. It didn't help that an unpleasant drama was taking place at a large table next to us, but this is not in the restaurant's control, just people with bad manners. Again, it is with regret that I wrote this here, but since no one seemed to be interested in how we felt while we were at the restaurant, at least I hope someone from the team...

Unlike some of the older reviews for Dill, I can't display photographs which; is a shame as the oysters were presented in a nice bowl with a little brass crab to make it look a little quirky along with the marble pebbles that had been used instead of ice, a mistake in my opinion until I realised that two of the oysters were supposed to be warm.

Unfortunately, my lunch (more like afternoon snack) companion and I saw "Oysters" on the blackboard menu and as we are both regulars at the phenomenal Urchin in Hove, we thought we'd tuck in.

What was delivered to the table was, although stated on the menu, not what we ordinarily expect as oysters, they were so severely dowsed in pointless accompaniments such as mint sauce, ox fat, chilly and several other forms of disguise, that my stomach is still sending me warnings, I do hope I'm wrong! 🤮

Along with the completely ruined oysters we had two shot glasses of gazpacho, these were nice but needed to be in a bowl with a lot more gazpacho! Apart from that was some rather dry bread with what the server claimed to be a herb infused and smoked butter, really, couldn't taste a thing.

Generally disappointed we asked for the bill, (and yes, I told the server what I thought of the food so this review will be no surprise) 20 minutes later, the staff are all sitting around a table and the painfully arrogant French server playing on his laptop and eventually I approached the table and complained that I’d asked for the bill 20 minutes earlier, that we were both in plain view of them and completely ignored, there were only 4 other customers.

I’ve no idea how this restaurant has good reviews if this is the example set, had the oysters not been so badly damaged by their chef’s total misinterpretation of allowing produce to speak for itself along with the rest of such a blatantly pretentious menu then I have to assume the reviews are faux (French for fake).

Dill is housed in what used to be a public convenience, perhaps Lewes council should consider converting it back, I seem to remember it being a very clean and well maintained toilet…………..unlike the one Dill now present as the customer lavatory.🚽

Less arrogance and pretentious nonsense is needed for Dill to survive especially now that people are looking more carefully for value while their mortgage rates...