SABI AT THE M BAR, HORSHAM
Article published in AAH on 1st May 2024
The M Bar in Piries Place, Horsham, is rebranding the restaurant part of its business as Sabi. Established in 2019, the M Bar combines a fusion of Asian cuisine with mixology at its popular cocktail bar. Now, co-owners Sophie Burstow and Benz Suwanmongkol hope to attract more people to savour its dining experience...
FOOD
Sabi at the M Bar serves a fusion of Asian food inspired by Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Singaporean cuisine. It promotes Tapas-style dishes that are best shared, with favourites including pork belling bao buns, crispy Thai chilli squid and tempura soft shell crab salad. The menu is regularly changed and recent additions include sizzling lobster and citrus coconut sauce.
Benz said: ‘The food is very high quality yet affordable. When we prepare ramen (soup noodles) we use authentic ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms and adopt slow cooking methods to bring out all the flavours, whereas other restaurants use ready-made stock. Food is prepared by experienced Asian chefs, even though we sometimes modify dishes for western palettes. Firecracker chicken is a bestseller, although ours is milder than what Koreans would usually eat, otherwise customers would leave with burnt lips!’
SUSHI
The restaurant has a sushi menu which includes dragon roll (tempura prawn, avocado, sesame seeds, wasabi mayo, umami sauce), softshell crab maki (crab, spring onion, yuzu mayo, tobiko) and a choice of nigiri and sashimi. From the outset, the M Bar has demonstrated a flair for the dramatic, with sushi served surrounded by a mystical fog formed of dry ice, adding an element of theatre.
Benz said: ‘Our sushi is excellent and we are one of the very few local places that makes freshly-rolled sushi to order. Some venues offer 60 or 70 options on their menu, whereas ours is smaller. However, that does mean it’s fresh, with quality seafood brought in every week.’
DRINK
Anyone who enjoys Horsham’s nightlife will know that the M Bar is hugely popular on a Friday and Saturday night. As the height of summer, it’s not unknown for queues to stretch as far as the Piries Place Car Park. Benz is an experienced mixologist and ordering one of their signature cocktails such as The Old Man and The Sea, Bacon Pancakes or a Golden Moon Bellini remains enthralling.
Benz said: ‘We’ve been successful with signature and classic cocktails and mocktails as we have fantastic mixologists who prepare drinks fresh at the bar. However, the cost of living crisis and Covid have had an impact, so we are improving other parts of the drinks menu. We already serve great Champagne and sparkling wines (including several from local vineyards such as Sugrue South Downs) and soon we hope to introduce craft beers too.’
RESTAURANT
The M Bar is located in what was for many years B52’s and benefits from upstairs and downstairs space. Sabi is open for evening dining from Tuesday to Sunday, opening for lunch as well from Thursday to Saturday. Downstairs (including outside seating in summer) is mostly utilised for drinks and nibbles, which include Thai prawn crackers, duck spring roll, edamame, crispy Thai chilli squid and beef tataki, with upstairs offering quieter dining.
Sophie said: ‘For those who want a proper dining experience, we suggest sitting upstairs and enjoying full table service. Sometimes, customers say that the last time they were here they were dancing at 1am! So, to have a beautiful area upstairs with views of Piries Place is great, as it means we can offer people a more relaxing atmosphere, whether it’s a couple enjoying a meal together, a corporate event (we don’t charge for hire) or a family or group of friends celebrating a special occasion.’
PEOPLE
Several key members of the team, including Benz and head chef Yoshiki Saito, previously worked at Japanese restaurant, Wabi. When the restaurant closed, Benz was determined to open a new venture and succeeded in retaining several staff that had previously helped the East Street restaurant earn two AA rosettes. Sophie’s dad, businessman Don Burstow, was an initial investor in Wabi, which was overseen by former Nobu head chef Scott Hallsworth and opened to great fanfare in 2010.
She said: ‘Most people don’t know that we are an independent business run by local people, especially as we’re in Piries Place alongside well-known brands. But my family has a long association with the town, while Benz also grew up here. His mum has run pubs and restaurants in Horsham and still discusses ideas with Benz regularly, while his dad’s family used to own River Kwai restaurants.’
NAME
The name of the M Bar is a tribute to the late Melanie Burstow, a respected businesswoman in Horsham who owned restaurants including China Brasserie. The name Sabi comes from Wabi-Sabi, which was mooted as a potential name for Wabi.
Sophie said: ‘The M Bar is a subtle nod to mum’s memory, while we thought it was fitting to name the restaurant Sabi as so many of us were involved in Wabi. I keep a photo of mum on the wall near the bar downstairs. It was taken when she worked at one of her first bars, Dimples, where she first met my dad. It make me feel that she’s part of our journey too.’
Further information:
M Bar, 19 Piries Place, Horsham
(01403) 253063
bookings@thembar.co.uk
