Ooh Mama!
Jerry Lebens busses it for a ten inch munch
 Rottingdean? I know, there's the
parking. Then you can't drink because you're driving. Popping out
for a quick nosh becomes a trial. There is an alternative though.
All thanks to a truck that blocked us in we decided to catch the
bus. Twenty minutes later and only two pounds poorer, we were in
Rottingdean. A short walk up the High Street, left into Neville
Road and there you go, Mama Lemon's.
Offspring of Blind Lemon Alley in
Middle Street, Brighton, Mama's has the same laid back atmosphere
and taste in music but the emphasis here is on pizzas not burgers.
We were greeted by the Maitre d', Chris, chef Josh and Lauren the
KP. The tiny open kitchen area faces the entrance and everything
is in view.
For starters there were portuguese
sardines grilled with garlic and butter (£4.25) and mozzarella
dough balls (£1.25) The dough balls were ok but really needed a
sauce. The sardines were crispy skinned and firm fleshed, tasty,
perfect. Drinks? A crisp Aussie Chardonnay, Up-A-Gum -Tree-2000
(£11.95) And Very Easy Drinking Too. Next came ten inch thin
crust pizzas (the dough is made up on the premises). For me a
simple margharita (£4.95), the other side of the table went
vegetarian (£6.25) which proved to be the best choice came with a
sumptuous topping of tomato, onion, mushroom and mozzarella sauce,
complemented by al dente leek and zucchini. Half a pizza later the
wine was gone. Try the House Red, Castelli Romani ( £8.95) More
easy drinking, even without food. Next visit the old receipt,
entitles you to two bottles of house wine for the price of one.
Pudding was Tangy cheesecake and hot chocolate brownie (both
£3.50), with a choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice and both
guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of cholesterol counters.
Top buttons liberated and an inelegant waddle to the last bus. Er,
the taxi cost £4.00.
Essential info
Drinks: A good house wine at £8.95, others rising to £11.25
(Champers £22.50). Draught lager £2.60/pint. Imported Bottled
Beers between £2.25 - £3.50. Freezer fresh Wyborowa Vodka
£3.00/50ml shot. Mamas has a cafe - bar licence, so you don't
have to eat if you don't want to.
Service: Mummy bear.
Atmosphere: Cheerful.
Other info: Child friendly, with changing facilities & high
chairs. Two for one deals on take-away pizzas.
Mama Lemon's
8 Neville Rd, Rottingdean
Tel 01273 390998
www.bluescompany.co.uk
Solidarnosh
Tin Drum by GG Madden
 An impending visit to the Tin Drum
brought back memories of a Polish flatmate with a voracious
appetite for alcohol and weak men, supplemented with solid food
almost entirely from Findus. My knowledge of the national cuisine
boiled down to two key elements: vodka and beetroot.
Fortunately, there was plenty of
the former and none of the latter. Polish food is biased towards
hearty stews and pot roasts for obvious environmental reasons, but
this menu is a flexible interpretation of the genre, featuring
anomalies like niçoise salad, guacamole and pesto. Zakushki,
which is essentially Polish tapas, (all priced at £3.50) is a
good introduction without too much of a commitment.
A coarse aubergine caviar served
with warm pitta proved to be a safe choice, with the mushrooms
pickled in aromatic herb vinegar with a bold clove base note more
suited to the thrill seeker.
The main menu has a balanced
selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes all with a quirky
element ensuring the diners' attention. The prima verde and
creamed butter bean strudel was bursting with all things green and
a robust seasoning; the baked chicken had a rich, creamy centre of
goats cheese and almond, and was served on a bed of tabouleh. At
£9.95 and £10.95 respectively, both meals were very substantial,
and looked great on the plate.
Desserts were spot on - the
homemade coconut ice cream got five star rating from my dining
companion, the pudding aficionado.
Pretty much always pleased by a
pudding, I nevertheless fully appreciated the strawberry, banana
and cointreau tart with a short pastry that quite literally
dissolved on the tongue. We concluded the evening with a
smorgasbord of Polish vodkas to show willing and left feeling
suitably challenged but well fed - an educational dining
experience.
Essential Info
Drinks: Plenty - wine starts at £11 a bottle, Polish vodka a
speciality.
Atmosphere: Fun and unpretentious; friendly but efficient staff
with a willingness to talk about the food. Super child friendly
for breakfast and lunch.
Vegetarian options: Plenty of choice for vegetarians and
pescetarians, particularly from the zakushki menu.
The Tin Drum Café Bar
43 St James's Street
Brighton
Tel: 01273 624777
Opening hours: weekdays 12noon till 11pm; weekends 10am to 11 pm.
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