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EATING
OUT
Mary-Lou
Harding tucks in at Henry J Bean
 Henry
J Bean's Bar Grill is one of those places where it does
exactly what it says on the tin. First and foremost it's
a bar, and it's also a grill. The grilled American diner/tex-mex
style burgers, chips, loaded skins and nacho's style menu
is a perfect for those nights when big appetites is the
name of the game.
My female
companion and I were the only ones that were eating in the
packed American theme bar on an early Friday evening where
pumping house music courtesy of local djs was getting various
down-from-London boys and girls in the party mood. Having
arrived straight from a yoga class, we were definitely not
the usual kind of clientele! However we soon got in the
mood, and started off with a delicious chilled dry wine
spritzer each (£2.00 for a large one) and nestled
into a comfy sofa ideally positioned just in sight of the
giant screen transmitting the Big Brother Jade eviction.
The
Henry J Bean (his friends just call him Hank) menu is a
veritable carnivore's carnival - with many items such as
the Kick-Ass Chilli (£4.95 starter) seemingly
perfect accompaniment to a lager or Blowjob cocktail and
plenty of testosterone. My companion opted for the Nachos
Deluxe (£5.95) to start, while I struggled to
find a light starter (to justify the burger I wanted to
attack next) and ended up plumping for the Mini Caesar
Salad (£2.50). My companion's tex-mex 'jumbo Cadillac'
starter lived up to its name as a mountain of nachos, refried
beans and guacamole was delivered. As the menu suggests,
this one is probably 'good to share' unless you have the
appetite of a horse. Meanwhile my mini Caesar would be a
great choice for dressing flavour-fans.
We both
decided to go for the house speciality - burgers - for our
main course. My companion went for the classic hamburger
(£5.95) while I chickened out and opted for the veggie-burger
option (£5.25). Both were served with seasoned fries
and salad. Massive portions, fast food , fresh ingredients
and hot, this kind of food is very satisfying.
But
the outstanding memory of our evening at Henry J Bean's
was the quality of the service. Our waitress - Becky - personified
service with a smile in a very genuine way that made us
feel relaxed in an environment where we, as diners could
have been a bit out of place with the cocktail-drinking
revellers.
Essential
Info
Food: Giant portioned US style hamburger/tex-mex
style affair perfect for adding substance to a night out.
Service: Friendly and efficient.
Atmosphere: Young and trendy.
Henry J Bean's
West Street
Brighton BN1 2XQ
Tel: 01273 771568.
www.henryjbeans.com
copyright New Insight 2002
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