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Restaurant
Guide
The
Rock
Jerry Lebens revisits an old favourite
| Compared
to the rest of Brighton and Hove, Pubs and Restaurants
are fairly thin on the ground towards the eastern end
of town - unless you fancy a wander down to The Marina
Village. |
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As
one actually lives in 'rapidly up and coming' Kemptown (Oooh!
You are awful! But I like you!) it makes a nice change not
to have to troll into town on the bus.
What
is now, coolly, called The Rock used to be The Rock Inn.
Ahhh...memories, memories......many, many, years ago The
Blessed Margaret came unto me in a vision and said "...do
not be unemployed in Sheffield, young Jerry, for I have
razed it to the ground......why not filch another year's
worth of grant and train to be a teacher in sunny Brighton..."And
so, truly, it came to pass. Much time was spent in deep
study at The Rock Inn. The Landlady had the most remarkable
wig that would, momentarily, fail to move in the same direction
as her and then would suddenly somehow catch her up. Like
all true cartoon characters, she was keen on The Blessed
Margaret too.
But
could The Rock live up to such precious memories? Revisiting
the past can be a painful affair. No, this Rock was not
the same, no Bar Billiards anymore - but there is a stonking
Pool Room. Behind the Saloon Bar a cosy lounge, equipped
with a real fire place. And, going down into the old cellars
is a revelation too. At one end there's a 'quiet' bar, on
the way there you pass by the old well, which is in a dark
corner surrounded by low slung sofas with subdued red lighting…
very Amsterdam. Last of all, outside there's a huge, hacienda-style,
patio where they do barbies in summer. Funny, it never seemed
like such a big place twenty years ago.
Still some of the spirit of the old place remains. The night
me and the Brian of Britain dropped in was quiz night -
and great fun it was too. Unlike some of the pub quizzes
I've had the misfortune of witnessing ("...what do
you mean you don't know the name of The Pope's pet gerbil...?!?"
It was a kind of low key Post Modern affair and the MC wasn't
too sure which question was which. Excellent, we left before
the prizes, but I guess the top prize was awarded for artistic
merit.
The
Rock has a reputation for fine Sunday Lunches, by appointment
to the Editor himself. We weren't too hungry and ordered
just a few Tapas to keep us going. (Garlic Bread £1.50,
Chicken wings £2.50,Chorizo and Cheese £3.00)
Five minutes later the table was groaning with huge great
mounds of the stuff. Fifteen minutes later so were we. Strictly
for the ravenous.
Other
items on the, reasonably priced, menu include Pizzas for
£2.50-£4.00 Chili Nachos £3.00. Hot Beef
baguette £3.50.
Essential
Info
Atmosphere: Traditional, friendly, local pub.
Drinks: All your old friends are here.
Food: Work up an appetite first.
The
Rock
7 Rock Street
Brighton
Sussex
01273 697045
copyright The Insight 2002
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