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Guide
bbq à la Terrace
Andy Lynes dives into a shoal of grilled sardines...
Despite its French name, La Terrace's wooden fencing, flower beds and hanging baskets give the recently opened al fresco dining area at Le Bordeaux gastropub a typically English back garden feel. And what could be more British than a good old barbeque? Chef/proprietor Dimitri holds court behind an impressive brick built barbie and dishes up main courses, including T- Bone steaks, scallop brochettes and whole sea bass - all available with a choice of sauces such as green pepper, tartare and shallot.
Le Terrace's selection of starters are, however, unmistakably French. Salade Landaise (£7.50) came in a huge white bowl reminiscent of a Sixties-style globe chair. It was so big that Jean Shrimpton could have posed in a fetching shift dress/leather go-go boot ensemble and still have left room for the food. Nuggets of duck gizzard (sounds nasty, tastes yummy) and smoked bacon were tossed with frisse, raddichio and oak leaf lettuce and finished with some chunks of tomato and a dressing that cried out for more vinegar.
A main course from the BBQ saw an entire shoal of sardines (well, eight anyway) served on a wooden platter with barbequed aubergine, courgette, tomato and red onion and a baked spud on the side. A bargain at just a tenner, the spankingly fresh fish fell off the bone, while the veggies had a pleasingly charcoaled flavour.
A special of Lobster salad (£10) was a simple assembly of claw and tail meat with nicely-dressed bitter leaves and a pot of homemade mayo. A bottle of Viognier (£9.85) was a particularly good match for the dish.
To finish, a lemon bavarois (£4.50) was nicely acidic but too much gelatine in the mix had made it a little rubbery. Homemade ice cream, including a delicious scoop of chocolate, disappeared in short order.
Service was friendly, efficient and unflustered, even when faced with a wine cork that wouldn't budge and then broke off in the bottle. With the bill for two totalling just £53.70, there might be a few BBQs left to gather dust in garages around Hove this summer.
Atmosphere: British bank holiday garden BBQ
Food: Entente Cordiale
Drink: Great value - but why not by the glass?
le bordeaux
3 Hove Street, Hove. Tel: 01273 734936.
copyright The Insight 2004 |
