The recently opened East Beach Cafe has made the sleepy West Sussex resort of Littlehampton a place of pilgrimage for design fans, architecture students and those who want their fish and chips with lashings of style.
The building, the work of designer Thomas Heatherwick, is made of layered steel, rusted to look like a giant piece of driftwood.

Chef David Whiteside, who worked at the Ritz, is in charge of the kitchen. It's stylish, but not posh - Heatherwick calls it a place 'where you can eat a Mr Whippy or drink Dom Perignon'.

The menu ranges from burgers to potted shrimp, roast lamb rump to spaghetti with steamed cockles. Puds include toasted banana bread, caramel sauce and ice cream. There are 45 seats inside, and 80 on the decked area, plus a takeaway for those who want to eat on the beach itself.

See www.eastbeachcafe.co.uk for directions; call 01903 731903 for reservations (evenings only).