Southsea and Fareham restaurants '˜delighted' to be ranked Hampshire's best - according to TripAdvisor

Customer ratings have bumped Restaurant 27 in Southsea into the top spot on TripAdvisor, with more than 850 excellent reviews.

And Fareham restaurant Clifford Brown’s Brasserie has clinched the number two spot.

The team behind Restaurant 27 – a global French, modern cuisine restaurant which serves only tasting menus of seven to 10 courses – are ‘over the moon’ with their new accolade.

Owner and chef patron Kevin Bingham, 49, said: ‘We found out the news from two of our regular customers.

‘They e-mailed us to say congratulations – it did come as a shock.

‘We’ve always followed the Portsmouth ratings because we’ve been number one in the city for several years, but to be rated as number one in Hampshire is a massive, massive achievement.

‘We were in the top five a couple of years ago, and now out of the blue we’re number one.

‘We’re genuinely over the moon, this reward is the icing on the cake for me and my partner Sophie, and our team of amazing staff.’

Kevin runs Restaurant 27, which opened in 2009, with his partner Sophie and 14 staff, including five chefs.

The establishment is rated as number one out of 536 restaurants in Portsmouth, and number one out of 3,467 restaurants in Hampshire.

Kevin added: ‘We’re all about a dining experience rather than a dinner, because there’s entertainment and techniques involved.

‘Our menus allow us to showcase the large skillset we have and with the food it’s about texture, temperature, and theatrics.

‘We’re forever creating and forever evolving and that’s one of our biggest strengths – we hope that’s good enough to remain at the top.’

Clifford Brown’s Brasserie has been open for 16 months, and according to owners Olly and Carrie Clifford Brown, has been number one in Fareham for one year.

Olly, 38, said: ‘We didn’t know we were number two in Hampshire, but we’re absolutely delighted to find out.

‘We’ve had a wonderful experience with our brasserie so far and I think we’re rated well because we do good food and there’s something for everyone.

‘You can have a burger and a pint for £15, or a four-course meal and rack up a more expensive bill.’