Brighton is famous for many things and we took in the pier, the beach, the Royal Pavilion, the museum and art gallery. Best of all were The Laines with their quirky shops and array of coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. The overriding theme was of real artisans at work using seasonal, local, best quality ingredients. There is a real boho, anything goes, vibe in Brighton and they certainly cater to vegetarians with veggie cafes and nearly everywhere boasted some veggie and vegan choices. We even spotted a vegetarian shoe shop!
In The Laines we visited:-
Coffee Tree - afternoon tea of delicious cakes washed down with tea and fresh smoothies
Grow 40 - breakfast yogurt and granola with a good coffee
Gelato Gusto - caramel & seasalt and creme brulee flavour
The Flour Pot Bakery - bakewell tart with a pot of tea and an iced coffee
Kooks has great reviews but we were disappointed with our breakfast
Evening Dinner:-
Cote (opposite The Dome and situated in what was once the Music Library). This is part of a chain of modern french brasserie style restaurants. After some nice salty olives and warm sourdough bread the asparagus risotto was full of summer flavours yet still warm and comforting.
Terre a terre (on East Street). Featured in the Michelin-guide, this vegetarian restaurant is a must visit (and a must book). The combination of imaginative ingredients, intense flavours and wonderful textures add up to a unique vegetarian taste sensation and I would defy any meat-eater to miss the meat from their plate. The ambience and friendly waiters helped to make it a truly great experience.
My daughter had the Better Batter and Lemony Yemeni Relish which arrived looking for all the world like fish and chips with mushy peas but was in fact a battered halloumi with the most delicious accompaniments. We both (I tried a bit) loved it.
My dish was the Bonbon Beets and Bigarade Rosti which appeared to be a giant thin crispy rosti piled high with artichoke, beetroot and almonds surrounded by a tasty sauce.
You need to look at the website and menus - there were roughly ten listed ingredients in each dish (some of which I was unfamiliar with) but boy the chef knows how to amalgamate them into something really special. I can't recommend it highly enough. We ended the meal by sharing Churrosimo - yum!
On my to do list for next time is Choccywoccydoodah, Boho Gelato and the newly opened Breakfast Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment