new insight - eating out , restaurants & pubs in brighton

July 2000

EATING OUT

Chop chop!

Nice wok if you can get it: Sarah Hendrickx goes Chinese

Chopsticks and Chardonnay: not a good combination when trying to cover the distance between plate and mouth. Perhaps they have knives and forks stashed away somewhere for anyone who dares admit defeat and ask for them. No one did.

It's noisy in Wok Wok. Dance music on the system, very chic, very Brighton and full of chattering twenty- and thirtysomethings on a Saturday night. Chairs are squishy, wine comes in big tumblers. The interior is minimal and contemporary. There is art on the walls and an open kitchen from which wonderful aromas waft.

We started with the Wok Wok selection for two people: a platter of chicken satay, fried spring rolls, Thai fishcakes and dips. Helpfully, the waiter told us which dip was for which dipper. He also topped up our glasses from our wine bottle all evening which is fine service indeed.

All was tasty, but nothing outstanding and at £11.00 for two, it wasn't cheap either. Dips were hot and home-made with whole chilli seeds. We also had Prawn Crackers, loads ,and Japanese Rice Crackers ,not many.

Our main courses were brought before we had finished our starters, which were whisked away. Maybe the chef was after an early night. I had Hokkien Egg Noodles with Chicken. Ant had King Prawn Curry and Rice. Both were okay but nothing more. Portions were not big and at £6.95 and £9.95 respectively, I felt that they were quite expensive.

I commiserated with the Wok a Wok a Glory for pud: a lovely mix of mango, coconut and lime ice cream with tropical fruit and a berry coulis. We also polished off two bottles of wine and a couple of cocktails, all of which was perfectly decent.

Wok Wok do a great kids menu with an activity book and free face-painting on a Sunday lunchtime. The menu has got stuff like chicken satay and noodles on it as well as the obligatory chips and ice cream.

Love the décor, the buzz, the staff and the loos. No problem with the booze, the pud or the prawn crackers. Definitely disappointed by the uninspiring, overpriced main courses, but it must be just me - the place was packed.

Cost for two people:
Food - £35, Drinks - £32.

Wok wok
Duke Street, The Lanes
Brighton
Mon - Thur, 10am-11pm
Fri - Sat, 10am-12pm, Sun, 10am-10.30pm

Top Circus

by Sarah Hendrickx

The building previously occupied by The Stanford Arms has undergone a dramatic transformation to become café bar Circus Circus. It is smack bang on Preston Circus in the midst of traffic, noise and dirt. Inside, however, is cool, calm and peaceful. It is beautifully light and airy even on the one hot day we've had so far this summer. The ceilings are high, the walls are bright and the staff are young and pretty. It is a haunt for local office bods during the day and early evening. Later on the crowd is mixed; students, twenties and thirties with live DJs on a Sunday.

There is a large bar area with a few tables and plenty of standing room. For quieter dining, there is a small separate restaurant section. Daniel Moakes, the new Head Chef, is a former employee of Simply Nico in London and is responsible for the fine food on offer here: Roast Cod, Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle and Confit of Duck all feature alongside regular lunchtime fare. Being the adventurous type, I had a BLT and chips.

You may think that one BLT and chips is much the same as another, but you would be very wrong. There are many things which can be buggered up in the preparation of such a dish: the bacon can be bland or chewy, the salad tasteless, the bread too crispy, and there are a hundred things that could ruin a plate of chips. Happily though, Circus Circus has taken on a difficult dish and delivered it to perfection. Very flavoursome bacon in warm ciabatta with a decent salad using decent lettuce, and dressed with a delicious olive oil. As for the chips, sorry: 'Chunky Paprika Fries'; they are fantastic. Huge, herby, unpeeled logs, neatly stacked on the plate like a giant woodpile. Sadly, I couldn't finish them, which is frankly previously unheard-of. Desserts are home-made along the lines of Lemon Tart with Cassis which sounds wonderful, but I wasn't allowed any as I couldn't finish my first course.

This being a bar, eating is not compulsory, but I urge you to have a few olives, a chunk of garlic bread and lots of Paprika Fries to soak up the beer. Good cooking at good prices in pleasant surroundings. Shame it's not nearer the beach.

Meal cost: £6.50. Average 3-course meal: £18.

Circus Circus
Preston Circus, Brighton
01273 620026
Mon-Sat: Breakfast 8-12pm, Lunch 12-3pm, Dinner 6-9pm. Bar open all day.
Sun: Lunch only, 12-5pm

Getting souped up

The Liquid Lounge by Sarah Hendrickx

I swear I saw Tim Booth of James in here ordering a shot of wheatgrass. If it's good enough for international rock stars…

Open since the beginning of June, Liquid Lounge is Brighton's first exclusive soup and juice bar. These things are big in London and if they've got one, then we should have one. And not only that; on perusing the books on the subject of juicing, that Graham the boss has helpfully left on the table, I discover that this juice business is mighty good for you.

Apparently, due to its sloppy nature, soup and juice do not need to be broken down by the body and can be instantly absorbed, therefore, giving you a super hit of vitamins and other stuff. But what does it taste like? This is the important thing

I started off with a Carbo booster; an organic yoghurt, banana, honey and orange smoothie - deliciously thick and creamy. Then had a go at a Summer Madness juice combo of strawberry, orange and pineapple. I shall never buy Sainsbury's Economy OJ ever again. This is the real McCoy; pulpy and almost fluorescent orange. Swiftly moving on to the soups. There are four choices daily all cooked up by Julian, ex-head chef at Glyndebourne.

I had Lobster and Tomato. Also on offer were Sweet Potato and Bacon, Beetroot, Cumin, Red Pepper and Courgette. I could taste the fresh tomatoes and basil. There were chunks of lobster in there as well but it was not overpowering. It was full of flavour and very substantial.

Finally, I couldn't leave without giving the wheatgrass a shot. This is apparently the mother of all juices; cleanses, detoxifies and generally kicks your system up the butt.

It tastes, surprisingly, like grass, but luckily, Liquid Lounge has developed the Green Hornet cocktail which cunningly disguises the taste with a dash of apple and lime juice. I have to say that I felt strangely flushed and a bit light-headed after knocking mine back.

There are tables and sofas in here, but most people seem to take away. Juice combos at £2, Smoothies: £2.75, Soups at £3.50 including a piece of fruit or roll. You can taste the freshness in the food. The juices are extracted before your very eyes and you can't get much fresher than that. The décor is of citrus hue, staff are jolly.

You will need to hunt in the murky depths of The Lanes for the Liquid Lounge, but for eternal youth and a full belly; it's a small price to pay.

Liquid Lounge
2 Brighton Square
The Lanes
Brighton
01273 207774
www.liguid-lounge.co.uk
Mon Sat 10-6pm
Sun 10-4pm