It was a coastal pop-up of a famous London restaurant - now it's here to stay. This autumn heralds the opening of The Suffolk and Sur-Mer in Aldeburgh
George Pell had hardly heard of Suffolk before he arrived in Aldeburgh in 2020 to open L'Escargot Sur Mer, a pop-up seaside incarnation of his famous Soho restaurant. But his enthusiasm for Suffolk is unbounded. His face lights up as he talks about generosity of spirit, the ease with which bonds and connections have been made, and the vast beauty of the county he’s come to call home.
So enthused is he that he's made the move more permanent, moving into a cottage near the river Alde, a far cry from more familiar Brixton but close to his new venture, a boutique hotel called The Suffolk and its restaurant, Sur Mer. “The people here have been lovely," he says. "So welcoming, so generous with their time, reaching out to me and my staff, inviting them to parties. Living here has been brilliant. We can’t wait to get the doors fully open now.”
It was in a breathing space between Covid-19 lockdowns when George and his L’Escargot team arrived in Aldeburgh, seeking escape from London where restaurants without outdoor seating were struggling to survive. L’Escargot, founded in 1927, by the French Gaudin family, is the oldest French restaurant in the city, an institution frequented by celebrities and royals. George joined it in 2014 after previously working at the Arts Club, in Mayfair, and Home House, in Marylebone. It was, he says, "on the brink of going" when it was rescued by private investors.
But in early 2020, with no idea what the future held for restaurants and hospitality, George was keen to get away from the capital - a pop-up restaurant somewhere on the coast, maybe. Lyme Regis was a possibility. As fate would have it, two of L’Escargot’s investors owned 152 High Street, Aldeburgh, and thought George could be onto something.
So, he packed a Transit van with tables and chairs - and booze - and headed for Suffolk with a plan to run a seaside version of L’Escargot for a month, accompanied by four front of house staff and four kitchen staff. “We met up at Liverpool Street that first day. Six of the team didn’t know where Aldeburgh even was. It was like a magical mystery tour,” George recalls. “We arrived with our backpacks and suitcases, with no clue what was to come."
After joyless London, he says, where Covid had curtailed what they could do, this was something to look forward to - "something wild and a bit crazy". “We wrote the menu on the train,” he says. One month turned into two months, then three. L'Escargot Sur Mer was popular, George, and many of those who’d followed him to Suffolk, didn’t want to leave. So, when the entire building at 152 became available, George met with local investors and garnered enough support to make something truly exciting happen in Aldeburgh. They would transform 152 into a permanent restaurant, lounge, and six-bedroom hotel.
Like L'Escargot Sur Mer, The Suffolk is, says George, a passion project. “I think, with these properties, we’re just custodians of the fabulous buildings. It was in the process of getting the freehold that all the brilliant history of the building revealed itself. It was the Commercial Inn, an old coaching house dating back to the 17th century. I became slightly obsessive about the restoration project, I have to say."
George has been heavily involved in the refurbishment of the property, with local firm ESH carrying out works based on plans by East Anglian architect Charles Curry-Hyde. On the ground floor, on the high street-facing side of the property, will be a mid century-style lounge, complete with hand-built bar. “I was sent photos of the original building plans. What we’ve done, without realising it, is turned this part back into a lounge/wine bar. It gives us somewhere a bit less formal where we can serve bar snacks and small plates – things that celebrate regional food. The best oysters from Pinney’s, plates of Dingley Dell charcuterie. We'll do fun bits and pieces, like cod cheek nuggets with curry tartare, and oyster katsu sandos.”
The cocktail list hints at the sea, offering tipples such as Sur Mertini (gin, oyster liquor, Martini Bianco and lemon bitters), The Coral Spritz (rose wine, rhubarb syrup, blackberry puree, sage and club soda), and The Suffolk Sailor (gold rum, gooseberry, peach, plums and lime juice). Once the lounge is completed, it will flow into the dining area. There will be two floors of accommodation, high-spec double ensuites – some town-facing, others with a view of the shingle beach and sea beyond. Diners, drinkers and guests will have access to the first-floor roof terrace, open year-round with blankets and heaters provided in the cooler months.
The restaurant, Sur-Mer, has been styled by local interior designer Kate Fulford, who has drawn inspiration from the eastern shores to give it a sense of place that doesn’t steer into seaside cliches. “For me this is a sweet, sweet spot,” says George proudly. “It’s wrapped with windows so it’s super light, and it’s not stuffy at all. Everything goes back to that clean, elegant style. We wanted it to feel coastal, but without going overboard or being too grand.”
Sur-Mer has been put together in a way that makes it feel calm and soothing, decorated in gentle blues, with warmth coming from the hand built wooden tables, and a nod to Maggie Hambling’s beach sculpture echoed in the scalloped banquettes. George and head chef James Jay, formerly of The Grundisburgh Dog, The Anchor in Woodbridge and The Easton White Horse, have gone to great lengths to introduce the kitchen team to local produce and producers. They’ve been to Fen Farm at Bungay, to sea with seafood specialist Bill Pinney, and to meet Mark Hayward at Dingley Dell pork. Fish is sourced from Wightmans in Lowestoft and from Mike Warner's A Passion For Seafood. Butcher Gerard King, across the road at Salter & King, is dry ageing Suffolk beef.
“We want to celebrate the main protein on the plate,” says James. “It’s about making that the star.” For George, it’s all about keeping it super simple. “Good food doesn’t have to be outrageous. Take our cote du boeuf for two. It's cooked to perfection in the charcoal oven, served with our own chips and a bit of bearnaise - heavenly. What more could you want? And people are travelling for our lobster with garlic butter. Again, so simple, but done well. We do all the work for you – splitting the shell, and breaking it down, giving that level of refinement that makes it more pleasurable to eat.”
James picks out a few of his favourite dishes from a refreshingly concise menu - the bisque starter, hand-dived scallops, barbecued monkfish tail with samphire butter. “And I’d say our dressed crab is the best around. We take white crab meat from the Devon Crab Company, which is simply some of the best you can get, and we layer it up, with a quenelle of brown meat and an avocado puree on top.”
Puddings are unfussy - lemon tart, crème brulee, Eton mess made with local strawberries and Fen Farm mascarpone, and Pump Street chocolate delice. Or round things off with a game chip topped with whipped Baron Bigod and chutney. Everything is made on site, except the bread, which is currently sourced from Harvey & Co at Rendlesham, but their own loaves will make an appearance soon.
Wine is close to the restaurateur’s heart. He'll showcase more unusual and unique bottles at Sur-Mer in collaboration with long-time supplier Hallgarten, and WPJ. “We have the French staples which work brilliantly with seafood – I love a white Burgundy,” says George, “but we’re going off-piste too.” Fizz is largely from Laurent Perrier, but George expects to be adding English sparkling wine to the list. And he’s certain to be popping corks once the hotel and restaurant are finally open in unison.
Sur-Mer is currently open for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, and lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Visit the-suffolk.co.uk for bookings and to find out more.
