Cuisine with
a capital C

C restaurant is at the back of a very new and very lovely hotel called Blanch House (01273 603504 www.blanchhouse.co.uk) and both have only been open for a few weeks. The rooms in the hotel are individually designed around Moroccan, Indian and 70s Boogie Woogie themes, as is the funky cocktail bar in a splendid shade of 1970s brown.

We were taken by the very Gallic-ly accented Boris, ex of Los Amigos, to the very white restaurant: walls, ceiling, soft leather seats, tables, all white and completely stunning. It's almost a shame that there are all these people making the place look untidy. Perhaps they should insist on all guests wearing white, or provide overalls.

We made our selections from the menu and were served with an appetiser of Wild Mushroom and Truffle Oil Soup, which was a good sign of things to come. The service at C is superbly attentive, of a very high standard, and the food equally so.

Anthony had Smoked Haddock, Bloater and Cheddar twice-baked Soufflé and I had Cornmeal Coated Squid and Scallops with Cumin Yoghurt, Tomatoes and Mint. The soufflé was perfect, the squid good. To follow I had Seabass Fillet with Shrimp Risotto and Samphire.

The fish was delicious and cooked to perfection, the risotto fishily salty and the samphire (a vegetable which grows on seashores) very nice. Anthony had Mustard Crusted Beef with Roast Beetroot, Shallots and Green Beans. The beef was wonderfully tender and the vegetables sweet and delicious, especially the beetroot which was a new one on us.

These were followed by a little eyeball of Passionfruit Jelly, which was then followed by dessert. I had Caramelised Banana and Almond Pudding with Caramel Ice Cream which was hot, sticky and very sweet. Anthony went for Apple and Maple Syrup Pavlovas which he needed some help to finish. Always happy to oblige. We had a bottle of a nice House White Bordeaux at a reasonable £11.50 and two coffees with petit fours.

I really, really loved the whiteness and styling of the restaurant and quite like its discreet location up a side street off the seafront. The food was beautiful and delicious. I am almost inclined not to tell you about it because I'd like to keep it to myself. Christmas bookings are now being taken and you can also pop in for Saturday brunch and Sunday lunch.

Two courses: £24.50
Three courses: £29.50

C restaurant
Blanch House, 17 Atlingworth Street
Kemp Town
Brighton BN2 1PL
01273 645756
www.crestaurant.co.uk
Open 7am-11pm daily
Sunday lunch 12noon-3pm

Ay Caramba!

Los Amigos by Sarah Hendrickx

At night time Los Amigos is a wild party place with foolishness in the shape of wizard Margaritas, Mexican hats and dancing. Alas, there was not a peep of it this at lunchtime and no hope of the lunching Hove ladies giving us a twirl.

Our waitress was friendly, and helpful in recommending some particularly good dishes from the menu. Being sensible kind of people we listened and did exactly as we were told. Surprisingly, Jago, after careful deliberation, selected Garlic Bread with Mozzarella and Spicy Potato Wedges.

Both went down extremely well, in fact, unusually, he finished the lot. We all shared a plate of Nachos Los Amigos and Sin Cronizadas - a kind of Mexican style toasted sandwich, which was lovely. Next we went for the Combination Fajitas for Two which consisted of King Prawns, Steak and Chicken all sizzling madly amongst onions and peppers, served with tortillas, guacamole, salsa and sour cream. We also had Tijuana - tortillas filled with shredded chicken, topped with salsa et al and served with rice and refried beans. Portions were huge, but we coped. Everything was hot, nicely cooked and tasted good.

Somehow, we managed a dessert. Chocolate Banoffie Pie for Jess, pronounced excellent and polished off before anyone else got near it. Jago had Alabama Soft Rock Ice: chocolate mousse with marshmallows and a biscuit base and again, amazingly, ate all of it. Strawberry Ice Cream for me.

The restaurant is big, clean and spacious. The décor is Mexican, as you would expect, with bright colours and some great tiles in the loo. As I said it gets mad in here at night so booking is essential. A couple of Brazilian guys come and play twangly guitar sounds on a Thursday evening, which sounds very authentic. They have a reasonable wine list starting at £11.50 and a whole range of cocktails.

Los Amigos are also totally obliging. They offer a take-away service, small portions of anything for children and will even pack up your leftovers for you to take home and eat later. Bookings are currently being taken for some good-deal menus for Christmas from £12.95 for three courses, but hurry, hurry, hurry, this is a popular joint. Big portions, good value, nice atmosphere, sin problema.

Enormous lunch for three-and-a-half people excluding drinks: £50.60

Los Amigos
60 Church Road
Hove
01273 778777
Open 11.30-3.30, 5.30-12, 7 days a week

Viva sin carne

Failing to find a great meatless meal in Spain, Sarah Hendrickx gets a veggie Spanish surprise back here in Brighton at award winning restaurant Terre a Terre.

After spending a few days in Spain, a country where any meal that does not contain meat is viewed with deep suspicion, my visit to Terre à Terre was a return to sanity. In fact, I did partake of a meal in a Spanish vegetarian restaurant but it was uninspired to say the least; about ten years behind the kind of cuisine available in this place. I hardly need tell you that Terre à Terre has a reputation that precedes it and I had a reserve list of volunteers to accompany me on this outing. Suffice to say that lucky old Hannah and I had certainly the best vegetarian meal in our slightly hazy memories.

Please forgive my shortened descriptions, there is no space to include the full complexity; just go! We started with Tanoor Bread Crisps, Garlic Focaccia with Three Cheeses and Zhuganoush or Aubergine Dip. We then went on to the starters proper. I had Porcini and Thyme Bavarois, a perfectly formed mushroom and thyme mousse on top of a salsify crustille and surrounded by a Madeira jus. It was delicate, light and delicious. Hannah had Kalamata Coka, a feta and mint salad on an onion potato flatbread.

On to mains. For me, Chianti Pomodoro Bolla made up of ricotta encrusted with polenta on a plate of pasta with a Chianti and tomato sauce. It was very good but Hannah made the better selection with her Twice-baked Camembert Soufflé with Scrumpy and Onion Sauce. It was fab.

Groaning at the seams we packed in a pud. Hannah had that day's special of Hot Chocolate and Cassis-Soaked Cherry Sponge with Marscapone, Chocolate Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce. I had the most amazing concoction of flavours in a Lemongrass Parfait with Paw Paw, Lychee and Lime Salad on a little sweet rice galette. It was an incredible assortment of textures and flavours all beautifully arranged.
The epic menu takes some reading and this would be my only teensiest gripe: that the use of words like 'stacked', 'splashed' and 'doused', for me, verge on pretentiousness. It was just too much detail to take in.

Notwithstanding, we steeped ourselves in a bottle of house white and a couple of coffees. It's a popular place even during the week, so booking is very much advised. The staff were great; the atmosphere is friendly; the punters are mixed. They don't just serve great vegetarian food, they serve great food.

Meal for two including one bottle of wine and two coffees: £65.40

Terre à Terre
East Street, Brighton
Tel: 01273 729051
Open: Tues -Sat 12-10.30, Mon 6-10.30

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