Another string to La Fourchette's bow, could it be that Pascals has finally grown out of its…read moreteething problems? It certainly isn't that the food or surroundings were bad, quite the contrary. It had more to do with poor service - sometimes long waits and seemingly aloof and supercilious waiters. Yet the last time I came we had a much more enjoyable and relaxed encounter altogether, a curteous attitude and efficiency in the kitchen. The food is worth a mention though. Firm favourites for me include the Oysters, Snails, and Monkfish Ragout with a side of Gratin Dauphinois. As you'd imagine, the wine list represents the best of France (push the boat out with a classic Chateauneuf du Pape perhaps) but the new world is equally represented. For the price though, there's still room for improvement.

Pascal is a lovely little bistro/cafe/bar just into Hove, and a great location to sit with a glass…read moreof quality wine and while the evening away. The food is expensive and great quality, but so is everything else here. It's part of the La Fourchette, and so the expectations are summarily high. There's nothing wrong with this kind of quality and prices, I'd say it was perfect for Hove, but it isn't good enough to be more than expensive and for special occasions only. The food is French and excellent: often more seafood-y than other French classics around town, which is better for the more open, bistro-y feeling of the place. The real draw here for me is the wine list: the bistro feel continues onto the expansive and qualitative wine list. Yes it's pricey, but there's little better than a lovely glass of wine in nice surroundings. Comparable to In Vino Veritas in town, Pascal is a nice play to sit with some vino, although it is a bit of a snip. Still, if that appeals to you, like me, once in a while, here's another place to go for tasty bistro nibbles and great wine.

A true jewel in Brighton for either lunch or dinner. Fast friendly service, excellent French…read morecuisine and a lovely ambiance. Reservations are recommended.

Let me speak in French for this one, because it was such a delightful moment…read more Ce restaurant bien caché de la rue de Ship St fait place a la haute gastronomie Française. Il ne cache pas que son emplacement, il cache aussi bien des secrets tant le gout est à l'honneur dans tous les plats. L'entrée dont je tairais le nom pour que vous le découvriez par vous-même fut un délice, le plat était tel, qu'on se serait cru en Bourgogne, le dessert m'as donné des frissons comme rarement j'ai pu en avoir pendant un repas partagé, bref, what a place. Cette soirée de St Valentin fut exquise, je n'ai guère à redire sur ce restaurant car le gout et la qualité surpasse toutes attentes, quand au service, dois-je vraiment mettre en avant la sublime serveuse accueillante et souriante? Française d'ailleurs, quel belle façon de mettre à l'aise un public anglophone.

Very good food! My…read morefriend is a pescatarian and it was great to find a restaurant with options for her! She had the salmon and I had the chicken with mashed potatoes. We also had a side of frites and shared a pitcher of an elderflower bubbly drink. Both meals were very good, we left very bubbly and full. The chicken was moist and flavorful. My friend enjoyed the salmon and the frites were soooo addicting! The bubbly drink was super yum as well. Cafe Rouge was excellent.

It's all about the Soup L'Oignon…read more I understand Cafe Rouge is a brasserie that offers a wide range of specialist French dishes from marinated duck and pan-fried chicken breast to minute steaks. I've scanned the menu and noticed that they offer a mouth-watering selection of salads, baguettes and hot sandwiches - including the classic Croque Monsieur. I've tried and loved the salmon fish-cakes with french fries and lime and coriander mayonnaise. For some reason though, whenever I sit down on one of their comfy, red and white chairs, take a sip of coffee and pick up the menu - I always find myself dreaming of the thick, french onion soup with a gruyere crouton floating on top of a bowl of caramelised onions and rich beef stock. 'What would you like Madam?' "Why, I think I'll have the Soup L'Oignon (again) please."

I stumbled upon Plateau in the Lanes in Brighton, and this is exactly the kind of place I love…read morefinding, making hours of walking past other restautants until I find that one that speaks to me all worth it. Small, cool, unassuming, and a little tucked away. Definitely one of those IYKYK restaurants. Sat at the bar and immediately knew I was in the right place. The natural wine selection is fantastic. The wine program is on point. We ordered a few things to share. The oysters were excellent, super fresh, and they had Porthilly Rocks, which is always a good sign if you know oysters. Everything that came out was just simple food done properly. Nothing overcomplicated, just really good ingredients and a kitchen that clearly knows how to cook. You can also tell this is a real culinary crowd kind of place. Not a tourist trap. The place felt abuzz with aficionados. Brighton has a number of good restaurants, but Plateau stands out. If I lived here, I'd be in this place all the time. Strong recommendation.

Taking advantage of the OctoberBest deal going on in Brighton at the moment, the top 20 Restaurants…read moreare all doing a £20 menu. It's a real catch! So many great restaurants having an affordable menu which you may not always get a chance to dine at. We dined from Plateau's autumn set menu. For starters, I opted for the cured salmon, apple, fennel and lemon. It was so delicate and fresh. The salmon, slightly salted REALLY really played with the flavours of the fennel and apple. A great light starter, my dining partners opted for the pigs head croquette, and though they said delicious, it was a lot going on. For mains, I had pumpkin risotto with walnuts and my favourite Barkham blue cheese. It was so creamy! I always feel a little miffed when the veg option is a risotto but this was very very tasty. Onto more cheese.. dessert! I went for the Spenwood and quince. Spenwood is a pressed sheep's cheese. We also ended up getting a cheeky little blackberry cheesecake as well. This was a cheesecake from heaven! Definitely recommend.

Had breakfast at this place before my sight seeing in the city and it was a very good experienced…read more The place was not busy at that time and got seated by window. Staff were very friendly, quick and accommodating. I had the Madame Croque Monsieur and I enjoyed every bite. It was so so so good and very tasty. The Capuccino was very good but wishing the cup would be a bit bigger. I highly recommend this place to visit when you're at Brighton.

Before coming here I thought Mange Tout was just another tasteful North Lanes cafe, I was wrong…read more.. As the name should have suggested, this is actually very much a French restaurant as well as a cafe bistro. As I sat down to drink my delightfully abrasive cappuccino (£2), I couldn't help but notice how many of the Mange Tout customers were tucking in to a generous sized bowl of moules et frites (mussels and chips to you and I). While not much of a mussels fan, I certainly am a fan of Steak, and just so you know, it was cooked to medium-rare perfection. Certainly a brilliant lunchtime spot for anybody looking for a well cooked continental meal.

The New Steine hotel has decided to open its doors to the public and has opened a French Restaurant…read morein its dining room. The restaurant is downstairs from the hotel but looks out onto ground level, (phew). The interior walls are adorned with artwork that adds to the Parisian vibe their going for. The decor is pretty swish with a window box, leather clad seats and a long cushioned bench. The menu is proper French A La Carte so do not be asking for burgers and chips. The bistro offers Duck Confit, Braised Lamb Shank, Smoked Fish Platter.... i think you get the idea. As usual being a massive cheese fiend i went for the Baked Camembert with Truffle Oil (OMG) and Brie, Goats and Broccoli Rosti (OMG OMG). Both were absolutely fantastic. Great for a first date, not so great for small children. Its not as scarily priced as you might think with the most expensive main at £13 when i went. They also sometimeS do a mid week deal of 3 courses for £14.50, which cant be bad can it?

Proving once again that you can eat exemplary cuisine at a top notch, classy venue in Brighton…read morewithout it costing you the earth, the New Steine Bistro is becoming more and more popular amongst friends of mine. Housed in the the New Steine Hotel, it wouldn't be an obvious choice either but I'm lucky someone filled me in. The decor is very continental, with banquette seating, crisp linens and soft furnishings adding to the feeling of luxury. Ever the bargain hunter, I generally visit here during the week when you can enjoy a 2 course meal for £12.50, although at the weekends it is only an additional £4. For the quality of dishes they offer this is a remarkable price I might add. Inventive dishes like Skate Wing and Chorizo Salad or Duck Confit (on a bed of lentils and pancetta) are presented with flair and precision and the waiters sweep dishes and fill glasses with minimal disturbance. No wonder this bistro has won the AA Breakfast and Dinner Award for outstanding quality and service. Book now.

Unlike some of the dive restaurants that the seafront is littered with, the Arrogant Frog is a…read moreproper restaurant serving absolutely fantastic food. The ridiculously experienced french chef offers an array of delights from roast chicken with truffle mash to burgers. A main in the restaurant will set you back around £15 but they also have cheaper bar menu which is cheap as chips. Its a great place to relax and watched the hoards of Brighton revelers go by and its one of the only restaurants in Brighton where you have the choice of a flashy menu or bar menu.

My husband and I spent the first part of our honeymoon last year in Brighton, as the UK was…read moreexperiencing a shocking heat wave of 28-29 degrees, and we thought we'd better enjoy it while we could. We loved Brighton -- an artsy, vibrant little city like San Francisco, without all the smelly hippies and expensive fuss. There are so many interesting restaurants to choose from in Brighton, that when walking around lazily, we really waited for something special to catch our fancy. As it was so hot, we found ourselves walking right along the main street by the seafront, and passed The Arrogant Frog. They had cute wooden tables and matching chairs outside, but two things caught my eye: the words "cocktail" and "menu" in quick succession. The Arrogant Frog (fantabulous name, admit it) runs a happy hour from 3-6pm during the week, and also sometime on Saturday. Cocktails and food from the bar menu are half price. As their prices are already reasonable, this is a great deal. There are over THIRTY cocktails to choose from. That's right, 3-0. And try them, I did. My husband, not really the SATC cocktail type, drank Coronas for £1.25, beerhead heaven! My cocktail favourites include The Banana Batida, a sweet, banana (duh) flavoured drink, The French 76, a fantastic vodka sour topped with Champagne, and the Sergeant Pepper, a fun mix with Pepper-flavoured vodka! Avoid at all costs The Last Word, a sickly, green sweetsweetsweet drink that gives you a sugar-studded immediate drunkeness that isn't pleasant! The service here was very good, and our kind French waiter stopped and chatted with us, and practiced his English on us. We had salad, bread and mushrooms from the bar menu, and all were freshly prepared, with excellent flavours, and small, delicate touches (spicy, salsa verde vinaigrette on the salad, ginger seasoning on the mushrooms) that thrilled the palate. We loved The Arrogant Frog so much, we went back three times whilst we were in Brighton! There was a conference of 6,000 civil servants in town, and the few that we spoke to said that The Arrogant Frog was one of their favourite places in Brighton, as they came every year for the conference. A must visit for the Brighton Hove area.

A pleasant little take away shop selling mostly freshly made sausage rolls, pasties, toasties, and…read moreother treats. Perfect if you want a quick filling morsel that is fast, cheap, and delicious! There are some outside tables available if you need to sit...hopefully its a nice day! £3/$4 Per sausage roll...I opted for the Mustard Sausage Roll, which was very generous with rich, meaty, fatty pork sausage and lots of mustard cooked in. The Vegetarian Roll was also a big win for my wife.

Over the past three years, I've made it a mission to visit this shop pretty much every time I've…read morebeen in Brighton. What started as a place I was kind of keen on has become somewhat of a pilgrimage and, while my arteries are suffering for it (note well: there will be cheesy goodness), my trips to Croque Shop are often the highlight of my trip. The Croque Madames are to die for, with a great balance of cheese to bechamel and a balanced construction that means you can take them away without them disintegrating instantly, and the shop owner is plain lovely. The range of sausage rolls also seems to be ever expanding, and the mustard and pork one I had the other day was delicious - just the right amount of mustard to add flavour without overpowering the filling. This place only seems to get better and better!

Worst customer experience I've ever experienced. My boyfriend and I felt like getting a drink on…read moreChristmas, and happened to walk by La Fourchette at around 6 pm and it was full of people. We walked in and seated ourselves since no one greeted us for a while after we walked in. A waiter walked up to us, made a rude face and was silent until we asked if it was okay if we sat there and he responded, "Um, can I help you?" After saying we just wanted to get a drink, he laughed condescendingly and said that they were closed; it was Christmas Day. I responded that there were a lot of people in there so we weren't aware. He then laughed at us again and said he didn't know why there were so many people, which didn't make any sense. But we could go to the bar, if we really wanted to stay. Wow. We walked out feeling pretty upset on our holiday. Thanks for the worst Christmas Day experience ever.

Delicious. The lunch set menu is certainly the way to go, with fresh options and wallet friendly…read moreprices. I had a seafood pasta, the mussels & clams were plentiful and the pasta coated in that perfect amount of sauce (I hate it when sauce overpowers that pasta-ery goodness). My partner got slow cooked pork belly, and it came in a much more generous portion than we expected given the price - and it was melt-in-your-mouth fabulous. The goats cheese starter was tasty and the wine most succulent (so good, we ended up convincing ourselves we needed a secondary bottle!). The service was a little slow (we were probably waiting about 45 minutes for our mains) but to be fair it was a busy Saturday late lunch, and we never felt like we weren't being looked after. Get yourself a seat outside, lap up the sun, lap up the wine and enjoy all the deliciousness.

TLDR; I loved this place and dream about the signature beef Wellington…read more This place was omg mouthwatering. We stumbled into this place after a day of wandering around at the royal pavilion. It was not yet 5pm on a Wednesday evening. The guy at the bar asked if we had reservations, which we did not but they did have space to accommodate us. Now you may be wondering about the food. I can confidently say that this beef Wellington was one of the best I've ever had in my life. It takes 30 min for them to make it but it's well worth the wait. I've been to Gordon Ramsay's in Vegas. I've dined in Michelin restaurants. This was better. The filet was melt in your mouth perfect medium rare with a great wine sauce. The puff pastry and mushroom layers complimented it so well and if you can see that technique, no air bubbles between the meat and the pastry. Service was good. I'd come here again just for the beef Wellington.

Lovely setting outside under some trees. Perfect for a lazy sunny lunch…read more Food was ok. Nothing stand out unfortunately. We had the fish and chips and steak, king prawn and squid dishes. The fish and chips were average at best. The triple cooked chips were hit and miss, some perfect and others hard in the center like day old roast potatoes. The fish was slightly overcooked and the batter was ok, below average from other fish and chips we've had. The steak was cooked as ordered but again pretty average tasting, the prawns were not the freshest and the squid was delicious. Doubt we'll be back