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Restaurant 2016
- Thread starter Machiavelli
- Start date
Thanks. Nice of them to tell me.
So, I need a new Xmas day lunch venue. If you're out and about in the Brighton area and you notice a place is doing Xmas lunch please please let me know. As a pointer I'm after a gastro-pub type thing but open to all ideas.
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,950
A friend had Christmas Dinner here http://www.theroundgeorgesbrighton.com/ last year. He said it was excellent, and is doing it again this Christmas.
Nice pub too. Not a lot of Craft, but they do have Dark Star Hophead and, my favourite, APA.
It's the frigging 9th of frigging SEPTEMBER ... and you've booked an Xmas Day lunch already? Stop it!
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,950
He also gets his towel on the sun beds first.
Enquiry made. Great ale selection as well.
Mestizo - Mexican; very bottom end of Hampstead Road, 5 minute walk from Euston.
My gf likes spicy food. Unbelievably spicy. She can barely feel any heat in a phall. She likes Mexican food too. It was her birthday. So I went on a search for a decent Mexican restaurant. Mestizo seemed to fit the bill; several reviewers/bloggers describe it as the most authentic Mexican restaurant in London/UK. I booked.
Mexican Independence from Spain is celebrated on Sept 16. To mark this date, Mestizo created a menu, available for only the week culminating on the 16th, which had 1 starter and 1 main course from each Mexican State (around 15 or so). I don't know how many dishes on offer were culled from the standard menu but, for reasons that will become clear, I hope not many.
We had:
Complimentary corn chips and salsa
Black bean and shredded corn chip soup
Steamed pork tamales
Chicken and pork soupy/stew thing (that's the actual menu definition, obviously) with salady bits
Beef and pork olla. A soupy/stew thing, but with rice and black beans this time
6 margaritas,
2 shots of very old tequila
fizzy water.
Hmmm.
Food quality: it started well, and went downhill quite fast. The corn chips were homemade and crispy, tasty and not greasy. The starters were of good quality street food from a truck standard, but pricey at £6-7 each. The main courses were, well, bland. The good lady Doctor, her indoors, insisted that the base sauce of both dishes was the same. She may have been right.
Service: really poor. The first round of drinks arrived separately. By 15 minutes. They were also very sweet. Part of the salady stuff that accompanied the GLDHI's main was supposed to include sliced chilli and wedges of lime. We ordered extra sliced chilli. She got no extra sliced chilli, and not even the standard quantity. Nil chilli. We ordered it again on the dish's arrival. Nil chilli arrived. I ordered it again. This time a plate arrived which contained pots of chilli-based salsas. They arrived just as we finished our main courses. They then wanted to charge me £2.60 for the privilege.
The GLDHI, being empathic and sympathetic, or a soft touch, depending on one's point of view, hypothesised that maybe the new menu was having some teething problems, and posited the view that we should return when the standard a la carte menu is reinstated after Independence day celebrations are finished. I concurred. She'll find out when I cut and paste this review and email it to her that I've changed my mind. If I order sliced chilli in a Mexican restaurant, that's what I want. Delivered pretty damn fast too.
Wahaca, for all its anodyne, faux authenticity, is better. And cheaper; much cheaper. Nice churros too.
£140 - margaritas were £10-12 each.
My gf likes spicy food. Unbelievably spicy. She can barely feel any heat in a phall. She likes Mexican food too. It was her birthday. So I went on a search for a decent Mexican restaurant. Mestizo seemed to fit the bill; several reviewers/bloggers describe it as the most authentic Mexican restaurant in London/UK. I booked.
Mexican Independence from Spain is celebrated on Sept 16. To mark this date, Mestizo created a menu, available for only the week culminating on the 16th, which had 1 starter and 1 main course from each Mexican State (around 15 or so). I don't know how many dishes on offer were culled from the standard menu but, for reasons that will become clear, I hope not many.
We had:
Complimentary corn chips and salsa
Black bean and shredded corn chip soup
Steamed pork tamales
Chicken and pork soupy/stew thing (that's the actual menu definition, obviously) with salady bits
Beef and pork olla. A soupy/stew thing, but with rice and black beans this time
6 margaritas,
2 shots of very old tequila
fizzy water.
Hmmm.
Food quality: it started well, and went downhill quite fast. The corn chips were homemade and crispy, tasty and not greasy. The starters were of good quality street food from a truck standard, but pricey at £6-7 each. The main courses were, well, bland. The good lady Doctor, her indoors, insisted that the base sauce of both dishes was the same. She may have been right.
Service: really poor. The first round of drinks arrived separately. By 15 minutes. They were also very sweet. Part of the salady stuff that accompanied the GLDHI's main was supposed to include sliced chilli and wedges of lime. We ordered extra sliced chilli. She got no extra sliced chilli, and not even the standard quantity. Nil chilli. We ordered it again on the dish's arrival. Nil chilli arrived. I ordered it again. This time a plate arrived which contained pots of chilli-based salsas. They arrived just as we finished our main courses. They then wanted to charge me £2.60 for the privilege.
The GLDHI, being empathic and sympathetic, or a soft touch, depending on one's point of view, hypothesised that maybe the new menu was having some teething problems, and posited the view that we should return when the standard a la carte menu is reinstated after Independence day celebrations are finished. I concurred. She'll find out when I cut and paste this review and email it to her that I've changed my mind. If I order sliced chilli in a Mexican restaurant, that's what I want. Delivered pretty damn fast too.
Wahaca, for all its anodyne, faux authenticity, is better. And cheaper; much cheaper. Nice churros too.
£140 - margaritas were £10-12 each.
Went to The Jetty at the new Brighton Harbour hotel on the corner of West St and the seafront last night with Mrs GB on the recommendation of a certain Mr Mendoza and another friend who'd been to their restaurant in Dorset. Could very well be my new favourite place in Brighton.
Started out with a little bit of cocktail w**k (me - 'can I have a gin martini please' them - 'how would you like it' me- 'cold with some olives') but it was a mighty fine gin martini and we ordered some "jetty bites" to go with it which were small (but they do describe them as nibbles) but perfectly formed. Absolutely delicious and the little scotch egg on bearnaise showed how good a bigger version of that dish on the tasting menu would be.
However we passed on the tasting menu. I was really in the mood for seafood and we'd both spotted the tuna tartare. This was fresh, perfectly chopped and came with a lovely bright green dollop of avocado sauce and a slightly spicy Asian salad.
Mains was the chicken in lobster sauce for her and the small, cooked fruits de mer plate for me. Nicely grilled oyster, perfectly cooked mussels and a nice bonus of digging some clams our from the bottom, plus a crab croquette that melted in your mouth. One portion of thin, salty fries and one of some samphire between us was plenty to accompany it. If I was a tiny bit critical then one mussel didn't open and I should have got some bread to mop up the sauce, a rich tomato effort. Ended up dipping my chips in it instead. Just call me Mr Peasant.
All this was washed down with a very fresh and fruity Gruner Veltliner. I've written on the 2015 thread about how much I like this white and it is now available here, at GB1 and at Quaff
This was a good one and went well with the many different flavours across the plate.
Pud was a perfectly cooked chocolate fondant with kirsh cherries washed down with a Maury 1928 Solera. I've never heard of this appelation before but I suspect either Machiavelli or Goldstone have. It's a sweet red that's a lot less cloying or sticky than a port but with a similar sweetness. I will be asking my family in France to bring some back with them on their next visit.
Service was correctly paced, friendly and knowledgeable. In fact, I'd go as far as to say we had a good laugh with the waiter who, at one point, measured our wine pour almost to the drop and then laughingly told us he'd been called a "wine socialist" for doing so to another couple.
Total bill including service £150. That's ONE HUNDRED pounds cheaper than a similar night at the Salt Rooms.
The closed mussel and the fact that one of the cherries came with a stone in but no fork to eat it with were really the only faults. A solid 9.5 out of 10.
Started out with a little bit of cocktail w**k (me - 'can I have a gin martini please' them - 'how would you like it' me- 'cold with some olives') but it was a mighty fine gin martini and we ordered some "jetty bites" to go with it which were small (but they do describe them as nibbles) but perfectly formed. Absolutely delicious and the little scotch egg on bearnaise showed how good a bigger version of that dish on the tasting menu would be.
However we passed on the tasting menu. I was really in the mood for seafood and we'd both spotted the tuna tartare. This was fresh, perfectly chopped and came with a lovely bright green dollop of avocado sauce and a slightly spicy Asian salad.
Mains was the chicken in lobster sauce for her and the small, cooked fruits de mer plate for me. Nicely grilled oyster, perfectly cooked mussels and a nice bonus of digging some clams our from the bottom, plus a crab croquette that melted in your mouth. One portion of thin, salty fries and one of some samphire between us was plenty to accompany it. If I was a tiny bit critical then one mussel didn't open and I should have got some bread to mop up the sauce, a rich tomato effort. Ended up dipping my chips in it instead. Just call me Mr Peasant.
All this was washed down with a very fresh and fruity Gruner Veltliner. I've written on the 2015 thread about how much I like this white and it is now available here, at GB1 and at Quaff
This was a good one and went well with the many different flavours across the plate.Pud was a perfectly cooked chocolate fondant with kirsh cherries washed down with a Maury 1928 Solera. I've never heard of this appelation before but I suspect either Machiavelli or Goldstone have. It's a sweet red that's a lot less cloying or sticky than a port but with a similar sweetness. I will be asking my family in France to bring some back with them on their next visit.
Service was correctly paced, friendly and knowledgeable. In fact, I'd go as far as to say we had a good laugh with the waiter who, at one point, measured our wine pour almost to the drop and then laughingly told us he'd been called a "wine socialist" for doing so to another couple.
Total bill including service £150. That's ONE HUNDRED pounds cheaper than a similar night at the Salt Rooms.
The closed mussel and the fact that one of the cherries came with a stone in but no fork to eat it with were really the only faults. A solid 9.5 out of 10.
Yep, it's from the Languedoc. The solera method is Spanish in origin where they continually add younger vintages to a barrel containing older vintages, so it's a method of blending across different vintages. In this case, the oldest vintage in the bottle is 1928. By now of course, the amount of the '28 vintage in a bottle made last year will be tiny.
Have you tried Madeira? Like a Maury, in that it's less sweet and cloying than a Port. You might like one.
The Jetty would appear to serve food that I'd like. It's been added to my "must try" list. Thanks!
pasty
A different kind of pasty
Went to The Jetty at the new Brighton Harbour hotel on the corner of West St and the seafront last night with Mrs GB on the recommendation of a certain Mr Mendoza and another friend who'd been to their restaurant in Dorset. Could very well be my new favourite place in Brighton.
Started out with a little bit of cocktail w**k (me - 'can I have a gin martini please' them - 'how would you like it' me- 'cold with some olives') but it was a mighty fine gin martini and we ordered some "jetty bites" to go with it which were small (but they do describe them as nibbles) but perfectly formed. Absolutely delicious and the little scotch egg on bearnaise showed how good a bigger version of that dish on the tasting menu would be.
However we passed on the tasting menu. I was really in the mood for seafood and we'd both spotted the tuna tartare. This was fresh, perfectly chopped and came with a lovely bright green dollop of avocado sauce and a slightly spicy Asian salad.
Mains was the chicken in lobster sauce for her and the small, cooked fruits de mer plate for me. Nicely grilled oyster, perfectly cooked mussels and a nice bonus of digging some clams our from the bottom, plus a crab croquette that melted in your mouth. One portion of thin, salty fries and one of some samphire between us was plenty to accompany it. If I was a tiny bit critical then one mussel didn't open and I should have got some bread to mop up the sauce, a rich tomato effort. Ended up dipping my chips in it instead. Just call me Mr Peasant.
All this was washed down with a very fresh and fruity Gruner Veltliner. I've written on the 2015 thread about how much I like this white and it is now available here, at GB1 and at Quaff
Pud was a perfectly cooked chocolate fondant with kirsh cherries washed down with a Maury 1928 Solera. I've never heard of this appelation before but I suspect either Machiavelli or Goldstone have. It's a sweet red that's a lot less cloying or sticky than a port but with a similar sweetness. I will be asking my family in France to bring some back with them on their next visit.
Service was correctly paced, friendly and knowledgeable. In fact, I'd go as far as to say we had a good laugh with the waiter who, at one point, measured our wine pour almost to the drop and then laughingly told us he'd been called a "wine socialist" for doing so to another couple.
Total bill including service £150. That's ONE HUNDRED pounds cheaper than a similar night at the Salt Rooms.
The closed mussel and the fact that one of the cherries came with a stone in but no fork to eat it with were really the only faults. A solid 9.5 out of 10.
Spookiest post EVER! Also on the recommendation of a friend, I have just booked at The Jetty for Mrs P's birthday in a couple of weeks, and thought I'd go to the last page on this thread and ask if anyone has been there. Lo and behold, first post on the last page was.....
One thing I will say, I booked a table online for 8.30pm and in the confirmation email I was told I had to vacate the table by 10.30pm. I queried why and was told this was an automated process that only allows a certain amount of time for people to occupy a table as they need to reuse the table, although it will not apply to us as we are dining at 8.30 so the table won't be reused. So if you fancy a very leisurely, long meal, I suggest booking later in the evening, I was also thanked for pointing this out to them and they are going to look at not including that message when not necessary.
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Steveapps71
New member
Went to Gin Tub 2 weeks ago is cool & good atmosphere, staff were helpful, obviously pricey even for Hove! You have to phone your order into the barman, quirky or pretentious (not sure which but its original)
We went in there while waiting for the queue to die down at Fatto a Mano opposite which was great pizza by the way! Although as its just opened the queues at the weekend were long but now the summers gone it'll be easier to get in!
I've tried Madeira a while ago and like it. I need to maybe get another bottle and spend an evening comparing it with the Maury
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did
Correct answer.
So, was meant to be at the Coal Shed tonight , but due to a misunderstanding (my missus forgetting a few weeks ago she agreed to book it) and a very rare Saturday at home with my missus we were stuck at 5pm on a Saturday night with no booking.
Surprisingly a lot of restaurants we liked in Brighton / Worthing / Arundel were booked until 9pm - even Miller & Carter in Lancing which I don't rate but wanted Steak/Mac n Cheese!!
So after a bit of thinking we ended up at Rincon de Pepe in Worthing. For those that don't know it is basically a Tapas Cafe : restaurant on South Street Tarring near West Worthing station by the car garage.
Firstly, it is run by a married couple in their late 50s / early 60s. Both Spanish. The husband runs front of house with a young waiter, the wife cooks. This is no frills Spanish eating that reminds me of proper Tapas places that I used to go to when visiting my grandparents in rural Spain.
Menu consists of about 30 'staple' dishes and 10 specials. Average price per dish is about £5. Most expensive was an Octopus dish around £11.
Very good wine list, sold by the bottle only. Really for a good bottle of Rioja you can expect to pay under £15. Excellent stuff.
We had 6 dishes; Paella (Tapas size), full of prawns , mussels, 3 chicken drumsticks, Chicken in wine and cream, Scrambled Eggs Chorizo & Potato, Green Beans & Pancetta, Prawns in Garlic and Olive Oil & Rolled pork belly with roasted potatoes & apples.
Stand out was the pork. Cracking was perfect and very tasty. 3 big rolls of Pork for £6. Thin crispy Potato slices & baked apple nice addition to the pork. Paella also very good and well seasoned. A lot of seafood in it and was as good as any paella I have had.
Total bill including a bottle of wine was £52 (!) including 2 desserts (all £3 each)
For anyone looking to dine with friends or family, or similar and want a nice low key place to eat, give it a go. In terms of Spanish / Tapas in Worthing this is very good. Andalucia in Ferring is probably more restaurant like, but seems difficult to get a table now without booking a few weeks ahead. This place is much more rustic and informal.
I'd say a solid 7/10.
Surprisingly a lot of restaurants we liked in Brighton / Worthing / Arundel were booked until 9pm - even Miller & Carter in Lancing which I don't rate but wanted Steak/Mac n Cheese!!
So after a bit of thinking we ended up at Rincon de Pepe in Worthing. For those that don't know it is basically a Tapas Cafe : restaurant on South Street Tarring near West Worthing station by the car garage.
Firstly, it is run by a married couple in their late 50s / early 60s. Both Spanish. The husband runs front of house with a young waiter, the wife cooks. This is no frills Spanish eating that reminds me of proper Tapas places that I used to go to when visiting my grandparents in rural Spain.
Menu consists of about 30 'staple' dishes and 10 specials. Average price per dish is about £5. Most expensive was an Octopus dish around £11.
Very good wine list, sold by the bottle only. Really for a good bottle of Rioja you can expect to pay under £15. Excellent stuff.
We had 6 dishes; Paella (Tapas size), full of prawns , mussels, 3 chicken drumsticks, Chicken in wine and cream, Scrambled Eggs Chorizo & Potato, Green Beans & Pancetta, Prawns in Garlic and Olive Oil & Rolled pork belly with roasted potatoes & apples.
Stand out was the pork. Cracking was perfect and very tasty. 3 big rolls of Pork for £6. Thin crispy Potato slices & baked apple nice addition to the pork. Paella also very good and well seasoned. A lot of seafood in it and was as good as any paella I have had.
Total bill including a bottle of wine was £52 (!) including 2 desserts (all £3 each)
For anyone looking to dine with friends or family, or similar and want a nice low key place to eat, give it a go. In terms of Spanish / Tapas in Worthing this is very good. Andalucia in Ferring is probably more restaurant like, but seems difficult to get a table now without booking a few weeks ahead. This place is much more rustic and informal.
I'd say a solid 7/10.
thedonkeycentrehalf
Moved back to wear the gloves (again)
- Jul 7, 2003
- 9,357
Been past a few times and wondered what it was like so will give this a go after your review. We like the Andalucia but when we went in a few weeks ago they had a really cut down menu and we chose not to stay. We ended up in Picasso's that evening and had a great meal. It has really improved since the original owner/manager took it back over a couple of years ago.
I like the Andalucia too but they are on their annual 3 week holiday i think. Maybe you hit them as they were winding down stock. My only thing with them is portion size is quite big, where as I like to order a fair bit to try. I did hear they have a planning notice in to cover their terrace to increase their covers which is much needed.
Yes definitely give it a go I think, some very interesting dishes in there ! Look forward to hearing how you get on
Machiavelli
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #420
Went to The Jetty at the new Brighton Harbour hotel on the corner of West St and the seafront last night with Mrs GB on the recommendation of a certain Mr Mendoza and another friend who'd been to their restaurant in Dorset. Could very well be my new favourite place in Brighton.
Started out with a little bit of cocktail w**k (me - 'can I have a gin martini please' them - 'how would you like it' me- 'cold with some olives') but it was a mighty fine gin martini and we ordered some "jetty bites" to go with it which were small (but they do describe them as nibbles) but perfectly formed. Absolutely delicious and the little scotch egg on bearnaise showed how good a bigger version of that dish on the tasting menu would be.
However we passed on the tasting menu. I was really in the mood for seafood and we'd both spotted the tuna tartare. This was fresh, perfectly chopped and came with a lovely bright green dollop of avocado sauce and a slightly spicy Asian salad.
Mains was the chicken in lobster sauce for her and the small, cooked fruits de mer plate for me. Nicely grilled oyster, perfectly cooked mussels and a nice bonus of digging some clams our from the bottom, plus a crab croquette that melted in your mouth. One portion of thin, salty fries and one of some samphire between us was plenty to accompany it. If I was a tiny bit critical then one mussel didn't open and I should have got some bread to mop up the sauce, a rich tomato effort. Ended up dipping my chips in it instead. Just call me Mr Peasant.
All this was washed down with a very fresh and fruity Gruner Veltliner. I've written on the 2015 thread about how much I like this white and it is now available here, at GB1 and at Quaff
Pud was a perfectly cooked chocolate fondant with kirsh cherries washed down with a Maury 1928 Solera. I've never heard of this appelation before but I suspect either Machiavelli or Goldstone have. It's a sweet red that's a lot less cloying or sticky than a port but with a similar sweetness. I will be asking my family in France to bring some back with them on their next visit.
Service was correctly paced, friendly and knowledgeable. In fact, I'd go as far as to say we had a good laugh with the waiter who, at one point, measured our wine pour almost to the drop and then laughingly told us he'd been called a "wine socialist" for doing so to another couple.
Total bill including service £150. That's ONE HUNDRED pounds cheaper than a similar night at the Salt Rooms.
The closed mussel and the fact that one of the cherries came with a stone in but no fork to eat it with were really the only faults. A solid 9.5 out of 10.
I think Butler's do a Maury, and they've got plenty of Gruner Veltliners.
I had the tasting menu at The Sportsman in Seasalter on Friday lunch. It is just divine. 13 courses. Took nearly five hours.