Food for Friends review

Miso aubergine with edamame cream at Food for Friends in Brighton

Nowadays it's impossible to avoid amazing vegetarian and vegan food in Brighton and Hove but it hasn’t always been that way, writes Nick Mosley.

We now take for granted that every restaurant has multiple plant-based options, but when I relocated to Brighton in 2005 or thereabouts there were limited options and certainly not much choice for those on vegan diets whether that was a conscious ethical decision or for health reasons. How things have changed in the past couple of decades.

Although I know everyone will have their go-to favourites, I have to flag a few leading-light restaurants in the city that have made plant-based dining not only normalised but also value for money.

Iydea in Kensington Gardens has championed hugely pocket-friendly canteen-style food that is perfect for lunching. Moshimo – my go-to Japanese restaurant – has oodles of vegan dishes on the menu and sustainability has long been built into the heart of their business model; I have to say their vegan mock duck is astounding and I’d challenge anyone not to be impressed.

Youjuice in Hove is a go-to for me for delicious breakfasting and brunching. For those with the need for spice then Planet India has long been dishing up vegetarian dishes from the subcontinent’s kitchen. Undoubtably, one of my favourite restaurants, not just in Brighton but also the world is the always astounding Terre à Terre in East Street.

Of course, the other long-standing Brighton vegetarian is Food for Friends on Prince Albert Street that – as hard to believe as it is – opened its doors in 1981 making it one of the first dedicated plant-based eateries in the country, feeding the demand from Brightonians who clearly were already ahead of the trend.

The restaurant passed to new ownership a few years back. As it had been a long time since I’d last visited, I was to keen to see if the menu still had sparkle and also if portion sizes had adapted as – from my experience – they were at times overly generous.

I dined on a Wednesday lunchtime at the end of May with a friend from the city’s tourism industry. It was warm and a bit muggy so I did wonder if the restaurant with its vast windows and sunny aspect would be uncomfortable but there was plenty of airflow.

Beetroot with ricotta cream at Food for Friends in Brighton

To start, my customary gin martini and for my guest a glass of Sussex sparkling wine from Plumpton as we perused the menu. The day seemed to be perfect for some small plates to share. There’s a choice of about ten options ranging from £9-15 so we chose soup and three plates between us. For those wanting more substantial mains, there are six priced at around £20 each.

Soup of the day is often dismissed by diners, and I think wrongly so as I think its the perfect start to any meal. When someone has gone to the effort of preparing a soup with fresh produce, its a world away from packaged stuff from the supermarket. It was a little under-seasoned for my palate but that’s personal choice.

My friend was a little more ravenous than I was – and has been a vegetarian for years – so had her beady eye on a couple of small plate dishes that would be more challenging to make at home; and also crispy tofu with chilli and ginger sauces because who doesn’t like something out of the deep fat fryer every now and then?

The miso aubergine was beautifully plated on a base of edamame cream, deeply flavoured roast aubergine and a smattering of micro salad leaves. A good example of a tasty vegetarian staple that was well executed and priced.

The stand-out dish was undoubtably the beetroot – and explosion of summer colours and easily big enough for a lunch for one. The plate was loaded with slices of roasted beetroot – sweet but earthy – offset by creamy, tangy ricotta infused with lime and tarragon, chickpea flour puffs and rice.

The dining experience and quality of the dishes is high; I should also thank our server who very much bent over backwards to ensure we enjoyed our lunch. His knowledge of the dishes and allergens was exceptional.

Even after all these years, Food for Friends has still got it and deserves to be recognised in the top tier of Brighton’s restaurant scene.

Nick Mosley

Food for Friends, 17-18 Prince Albert Street, Brighton BN1 1HF

01273 202 310 • www.foodforfriends.com