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Emily Moore visits La Brise, the new relaxed beachfront eatery with an emphasis on local produce
LIFE is a “brise” – unless, that is, you are faced with the not inconsiderable challenge of gutting and transforming a restaurant, dealing with the surprises presented by an old building and opening your new offer in time for Easter.
That was the challenge facing Dolan Hotels as they oversaw the group’s latest refurbishment project, which saw the former café, bar and dining room at Golden Sands Hotel completely revamped into La Brise, a stylish, yet casual, restaurant overlooking St Brelade’s Bay.
“Although the construction work only began in November when the hotel closed for the winter, the conceptual and planning stages started some time ago, and were triggered by people’s changing wants and expectations from a hotel,” explained Alex Dolan, the group’s business development and marketing director.
“Hospitality has changed in line with the times. People are no longer travelling in large groups, booking package holidays and looking for dinner-inclusive hotel rates. Instead, they want to enjoy an array of different dining experiences during their holiday, and hotels have to adapt their offer accordingly.”
But to understand exactly what guests wanted from the Golden Sands dining offer, the team carried out some extensive market research before drawing up any plans.
“Our clients said that they wanted a relaxed beachfront eatery, where they could enjoy local ingredients and international flavours,” said Alex. “They wanted somewhere casual and informal but with a real focus on quality. This meant fresh food, hand-dived and line-caught fish and dishes which tasted amazing without costing the earth, as well as quality local drinks, tasty cocktails and fuss-free beach vibes.”
It sounds like an extensive list of demands but it is one which Alex is confident the newly opened La Brise meets.
And, just as importantly from his perspective, it was a list which also reflected the wishes of Islanders and especially those who live near the bay.
“One of the key objectives when we designed La Brise was to create a venue which offered a local experience but which felt different from the hotel,” he said. “We want La Brise to have its own identity as a standalone restaurant, open to Islanders and hotel guests alike, and I hope that its distinct look and feel, as well as its beachfront access, make that absolutely clear.
“The dream is to create a social hub in St Brelade. We want this to be not just a restaurant, bar and coffee shop but a local hangout spot and home in the bay that people can enjoy at any time of day, whether for a coffee and catch-up in the morning, to get off the beach for a bite at lunch, as a midweek drop-in spot for dinner because they can’t be bothered to cook, or simply because they deserve a seriously good frozen daiquiri overlooking the bay. And we want them to be able to enjoy all this in a way that doesn’t break the bank.”
Unsurprisingly, given the restaurant’s position overlooking the bay, the decor has been designed to reflect the surroundings, with the sand-and-sea colour palette “bringing the outside in”.
“We used UK designers to help us to come up with a creative scheme which really reflects and complements the area, and Godel Architects were fantastic at navigating the maze which is Jersey’s planning and licensing regulations,” said Alex, adding that the restaurant’s name had also been inspired by the conditions in the bay.
“As with the food offer, we wanted a name which championed the Island and added to that authentic local experience. One of the things people love about being here is the familiar south-westerly breeze that blows in and cools the bay in the summer.
“Therefore, in looking for a name which was friendly and familiar, yet also wild and enchanting in keeping with our environs, La Brise – the Jèrriais for breeze – was perfect.”
But while the team’s T-shirts may be emblazoned with the words “life’s a brise”, Alex admits that he has endured many sleepless nights over the past few months.
“You can’t go into a project like this without expecting a certain amount of stress,” he said. “In this case, that included the designers going bankrupt just before the project started, meaning that we had to piece the whole thing together. But where’s the fun in an easy project?
“Fortunately our main contractors, Ashbe, as well as our decorators, DGR Slatter, and electrical contractors Michael Quinn Ltd were excellent at helping us deliver the project. Nothing was too much trouble for them.”
But, despite the challenges – and a slight anxiety about the way the transformation would be received by regular visitors to the former restaurant – Alex says the initial feedback has been very positive.
“It’s been wonderful to see so many people popping to meet friends for a coffee or try one of the dishes on the menu,” he said. “True to our vision, some people have been in every day since we opened. I keep joking that I’m going to have to start naming tables after them.
“Early favourites – such as the crab tacos and the grilled Jersey octopus with chorizo and romesco sauce – show the success that comes from combining international flavours with local products.”
Running the kitchen team is head chef James Rickards, who has been with Dolan Hotels for seven years, and Sasha Leigh-Zaal, who joined the group two years ago.
“They have created an offer which revolves around applying gourmet cooking techniques to comfort-food favourites,” said Alex. “Some people call it ‘quality casual’, or ‘haute-bistronomy’, but the key is taking favourite dishes from around the world, introducing local produce and injecting some fine-dining cooking techniques to create the best possible version of that dish. It is prime-quality, casual dining to fit the relaxed beachfront location that we call home.”
Just as important as the food is the service and ambience, and Alex has nothing but praise for the team who, he says, are “happy, smiling and excited to get into work”.
“All the team, led by bar and restaurant managers Charmaine, Mojo, Nancy and T.K., as well as the hotel managers Christophe, Julia and Jess, are doing a fantastic job,” he said. “And I have to give a special mention to T.K., our resident cocktail wizard, who heads up the bar – and makes a blend between an old fashioned and a negroni that we called the ‘old smokey fashaegroni’. It’s dangerously moreish in the best possible way.”
