THE SALT Room on Brighton seafront was recently named among the top ten places to eat in the city.

Nestled in the ground floor of the Hilton, it claims to be the best seafood restaurant in town.

So the Argus paid a visit on a windy weeknight to see what all the fuss was about.

The upmarket decor of the dining room is simple and stylish. It’s intimate and the perfect place for a romantic meal for two.

Unfortunately for me I was stuck with another Argus hack.

While our date lacked a certain romance, it meant we could concentrate on the food rather than staring into each other’s eyes and playing footsie under the table.

We opted for a five-course taster menu, priced at £40 per person.

A taster menu is basically a series of mini courses designed to give you a chance to try lots of different dishes.

They are smaller portions served on a big white plate, looking very fancy.

Some of you might be thinking “that kind of posh dining isn’t really my thing, I’d rather have a fat juicy steak and a pile of chips”.

Fair enough, we’ve all been there.

If, like me, you often scan the menu for the option that sounds like it comes with the most food, then you’ll need an altogether different mindset here.

This is quality rather than quantity, although after five courses even I was full up – and I have been called a human dustbin.

We kicked things off with cocktails – or aperitifs for the more refined – which were suitably classy and elegant.

It’s amazing what a few cardamom pods can do for a G&T.

Wasting no time we tucked into our starter – monkfish, almonds, grapes, and sherry vinegar.

As seafood goes, meaty monkfish is always a fairly safe bet and a popular choice among British diners.

The chef tells us the fish was cured in salt, sugar, coriander seeds, lemon, and dill, before cooking.

This light and zesty dish was a perfect way to start.

As soon as the plates hit the table we knew we we were in for a treat.

It looked incredible and tasted even better.

But it was the second course that really blew me away.

Octopus.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I have been a bit squeamish about this particular seafood in the past, and was a little apprehensive about getting stuck in.

The dish looked stunning, but that didn’t stop visions of a chewy, rubbery nightmare entering my head.

Of course I bravely cracked on and I can honestly say I could not have been more pleasantly surprised.

It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

OK, I do say that a lot, but this time I definitely mean it.

The dish was served with white beans, bacon, and a seaweed gremolata, which Google tells me is a fancy way of saying a kind of herby dressing.

It was amazing. The perfect balance of flavours and textures. It tasted like the sea, but in a good way.

The chef’s technique is to (really) slowly cook the octopus in a sous-vide – which Masterchef fans will know is a kind of water-bath.

Now when I say slowly, I mean for seven hours, at exactly 77 degrees, in red wine with garlic and herbs.

The stock is then reduced with roasted tomatoes, tarragon, extra fish stock and butter then blitzed to form a thick sauce.

The sliced tentacles are then served in the sauce with the beans and bacon.

It is the absolute business and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The third and final seafood dish was Sussex stone bass, served with kelp, roast onion, smoked garlic and preserved lemon.

The bass was pan fried, with a smoked garlic crumb made with sourdough, parmesan, chives and lemon, finished with smoked garlic oil.

Again, this sounds delicious on paper and it truly is a fantastic dish.

You may have noticed a pattern emerging here – all the dishes we sampled were exceptional and you would probably need to be a seasoned food critic to find any fault here at all.

But for those who prefer something a bit meatier, the Salt Room will not disappoint.

The lamb comes two ways, served with black garlic, courgettes, basil, and anchovy.

The rump is served pink – cooked in the water bath and finished in a Josper – a kind of super-hot oven and grill rolled into one.

The barbecue “shoulder pastille” is made with anchovies, preserved lemon, mint and capers.

This is served with courgette, baby spinach, and a basil puree, made with double cream and parmesan.

This rich and hearty dish which provides a great balance to all the fresh, seafood flavours from the first three courses.

No five course meal is complete without dessert.

The praline mousse with confit orange and tonka bean ice cream is the perfect way to end an absolute feast.

What is a tonka bean? I had no idea either, but it tastes a bit like almond and vanilla, and is quite delicious.

Anyway, if you like seafood and you have a few quid to spare, then this place is an absolute must.

The Salt Room is at 106 King’s Road, Brighton.