Kenny Tutt’s Bayside Social in Worthing receives ‘stamp of approval’ from renowned restaurant critic Jay Rayner

“It’s a good place to be” was one of the first things the critic said about Kenny’s second restaurant, which opened in September in Beach Parade on Worthing seafront.

Kenny said he waited anxiously for the review which was finally published on his birthday, January 23, for the Observer on the Guardian website.

Kenny said: “We have been constantly thinking about it since the day he visited. You just don’t know how well you’ve done, we assumed that we’d done the very best that we could, but you never know if it is going to hit the mark with some people because one man’s caviar is like one man’s corn beef.

“It was something that puts you on eggshells but when it came out that all sort of quickly went by the wayside and we just really celebrated it.”

Kenny said he is a massive fan of Jay, so this restaurant visit and review meant a lot to him: “The review came out on my birthday and it is like the ultimate birthday present for me.

“I’ve read his books, I remember watching Anthony Bourdain who’s like a hero of mine sit him on a bench and eat fish and chips with him and that’s someone who has come to my restaurant, eaten there and loved it.

“It’s just unbelievable really and actually I got a little bit emotional because we work really really hard and sometimes you need some good positivity and that review was definitely that.

“This review is like a stamp of approval from someone that knows the restaurant scene inside and out. Jay has a fine nose and is very quickly able to sniff out something that is style over substance.

“It is very easy to make the menus look great and make the place look great, but if you haven’t got the substance and the heart, then it’s like building something on sand, so it’s just a real big stamp of approval.

“Jay is great with his words and the review was beautifully written. It was a joy to read and it was quite entertaining.”

Kenny, who is from Worthing, said he stands by his decision to open his restaurants in the seaside town, and said he is happy that Worthing is getting recognition.

He added: “With Worthing and the South Coast, you sometimes feel that places like London and Brighton get lots of press and the critics generally spend a lot of time in the big smoke, but it is lovely to see them sort of branching out and coming to coastal towns and seeing what we have to offer as well.

“When people ask me ‘why did you follow MasterChef and decide to open a restaurant in Worthing?’ and I always say, we’ve got the beautiful sea on one side and the downs on our other side and it seems just like the perfect setting especially for chefs because we’ve got everything that we need around us to create great food.

“I think this review is just another nod to a place that has always been lovely and always had a certain charm to it, but it’s more than that. It is somewhere where people are choosing to live and work, and that’s important.”

Kenny said the restaurant’s success would not be what it is without the local people.

He added: “I can’t do this and it would be wholly a waste of time if it wasn’t for the people that actually live and work in the local area.

“It was great that Jay Rayner paid us a visit but what keeps us afloat is the people that are on our doorstep, as well as the tourists, so I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone, it’s a team effort.”