| Restaurant
Guide
Late one winter’s
night...
...the founder of Food for Friends went out to dine, and
it was good. Simon Hope went to the Freemasons
When I opened my restaurant,
I always said the true test of a business is on a wet night
in late January. So it was a wet night in late January that
Kate and I entered the Freemasons (the ‘Tavern’
bit seems to be getting dropped).
The bar is early 21st Century, minimalist Brighton chic
at it’s stripped-floor, weird-plant best. More importantly,
there’s a convivial buzz in the air that you only
get from places that are happy and confident in themselves.
The background music is superb and the clientele youngish
– apart of course from 80-year-old Dot, who is swigging
pints of lager and generally chilling out. It’s obvious
they’ve passed the wet night in January test.
We sat down and were introduced to Marcus, who proceeded
to look after us for the rest of the evening in the warm
but laid-back style of a true professional. Cocktails are
available every night and on Fridays and Saturdays they
open up a dedicated cocktail bar on the first floor. My
Margarita (not actually on the cocktail list but nevertheless
a well-spent fiver) was topnotch – and I know an awful
lot about Margaritas.
We ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio del Provincia di Pavia,
Collezione Marchesini – which has to be the longest
name on a bottle of wine I’ve ever seen – and
despite being in an ice bucket (good) it was a bit warm
(bad!). Still, it tasted good and, at £11.50, was
superb value.
The menu is small. I like small menus. Big menus in Brighton
mean frozen or boil-in-the bag – so be warned! Kate
is vegetarian, so she had a good bowl of rustic Mushroom
Soup (£3.50) with excellent Ciabatta and Olive Oil.
I chose Buffalo Wings (£3.50) which, although fresh,
were a little undercooked. Mains were Winter Mezze (£7.50)
and Lambshank (£7.50). The Mezze were fine, with good
olives, roast veggies, grilled haloumi, cous cous, butterbean
salad, hoummous and ciabatta – really enough for two
and perhaps the wrong choice for a cold winter’s night.
My Lambshank was cool and lacking any discernable flavour.
Sadly, we were far too full for pud.
I will certainly return to the Freemasons – it’s
well-run and has a great atmosphere. Our meal cost £32.50
including wine, which is a superb deal if only they can
just tweak the kitchen – even on a wet night in January!
We left to the sound of yet more raucous laughter and Dot
ordering another pint of lager and a packet of crisps.
Atmosphere: Warm, buzzy, friendly and relaxing
with great music.
Drinks: Superb cocktails but need a bigger
chiller for wine.
Food: I can recommend a good recipe book
for the chef to read.
The Freemasons
39 Western Road, Hove. Tel: 01273 732043.
Open for food Mon-Fri 12.30-3pm & 6-9pm, Sat-Sun 12.30-7pm.
copyright The Insight 2004
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