| Restaurant
Guide
Quietly assured
Claire Truscott finds discreet excellence at La Marinade
Expecting the standard
dress down, eat up bistro fayre, we arrived – decidedly
underdressed. Dominic, resident waiter at La Marinade for
the past nine years (long before current owner, Nick Lang,
took up the ladle), politely ignored the ripped denim and
proceeded to once again politely ignore us between duties.
An expert in the art of unobtrusive waiting, he served up
a deep knowledge of his menu and, once we’d ordered,
courageously took it on the chin when chef Nick told him
straight (and in my co-diner’s vegetarian ear-shot)
that on no account was he prepared to serve the goat’s
cheese and bacon without the swine!
Instead, the veggie options were an olive, feta and sweet
‘n’ sour sun-dried pepper salad with a chardonnay
vinaigrette (£7.50) or artichoke. My co-diner opted
for the former, while I chose an unparsimonious portion
of the special: crab, coconut, coriander Thai cream soup
(£7.50). Both dishes mixed up a perfect mélange
of flavour and texture and the peppers were pretty special,
but the soup took a huge lead for its tastiness, chilli-ed
to perfection.
The superior tasty meat and fish dishes were a recurring
theme throughout the menu. Fine cuts and fillets are clearly
pride of the kitchen, arranged with exciting matches of
flavour, while the veggie dishes arrive in more subtle combinations.
That said, the mushrooms (£15.50) were the finest
of their breed – sat atop a bed of tagliatelli with
deep-fried crispy spinach parmesan shavings and truffle
oil – leading my co-diner to comment that the mix
of funghi had the deepest flavours his palate had encountered.
The cod fillet with pesto crust on a potato and parmesan
cake with king prawn (£17.50) was a pescatarian’s
dream. The cod fell in flakes, and the peppery prawns provided
a textured contrast. By eating only the Atkins-friendly
components of the plate, I just about found room –
having already located a spot for the goat’s cheese
and red onion crostini amuse-bouche.
We’d earned a rest, and Dominic obliged, leaving us
to enjoy our Norte Chico Chardonnay (£11.75) and hushed
conversation for as long as we desired. Our appetites recovered
for the indulgence of dessert: a flapjack-y brownie with
a rare treat of homemade peanut butter and marshmallow ice
cream (£4.95) and a crème brûlée,
thankfully traditional. A polished performance.
Essential Info
Food: Thoughtful combinations on every
plate.
Drinks: Grand green grapes.
Atmosphere: Fit for romance or a family
fest
Hours: Thurs-Sat 12-3pm, Tues-Sat 6pm–late
La Marinade, 77 St Georges Road, Brighton.
Tel: 01273 600992
copyright The Insight 2004
|
