Previously featured in the January issue of this magazine, where Lindfield resident Ian Brunsdon had got to the quarter finals of MasterChef, we are now happy to report that Ian has opened his own restaurant on the High Street.
Ian and his wife Ellen met working in hospitality back in 2015, and vowed one day to open their own place together. Orla Restaurant & Rooms is the reality of that vision, which they have named after their two children.
“We have felt so welcomed into the village,” Ian said, “with people looking through the windows and popping in for a chat while renovations were ongoing. “Now that we are open, we are looking forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces into the restaurant.”
Ian has been working in kitchens since he was 15, and has worked in France and Australia, returning to work in Jeremy’s at Borde Hill and, more recently, head chef at Bolney Wine Estate – which he did for six years.
“Ellen and I had been researching and looking around for a few years, but when we found 67 High Street, it felt like the perfect location.”
They have been hands-on for the refurbishment, which took five weeks, and now includes a ‘sit at the pass’ area where guests can be fully immersed next to the chefs. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Orla offers an a la Carte menu with lunchtime classics and evening tasting menus with wine pairing.
