Review of Afternoon Tea at Terre à Terre

One of the tiers of the Terre à Terre's afternoon tea sweet course

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of diving into Terre à Terre’s new afternoon tea, writes Nick Mosley.

As a huge fan of both the restaurant and also afternoon tea, it was undoubtably a win-win for me.

For those who don’t know – and if you don’t then where have you been – Terre à Terre is a vegetarian restaurant that was founded by Amanda Powley and Philip Taylor way back in 1993, when for many Brits vegetarianism was still seen as a bit kooky.

How times have changed. Today, we’re all aware of reducing meat and dairy consumption whether for health or environmental reasons, with many of us who do still indulge now having vegetarian or vegan meals at home several times a week without thinking twice about it.

In terms of restaurants – or cafés, or takeaways – I defy anyone to find me one in the UK that doesn’t have a decent choice of vegetarian dishes nowadays. Long gone are the days when you’d be lucky to find an aubergine lasagne, which undoubtedly came out of the freezer.

Espresso martini at Terre à Terre

Alongside societal change, in no small part this revolution in dining has been driven by vegetarian food visionaries such as Amanda and Phil – and of course their hospitality contemporaries across the country – who have not only put vegetables first but also embraced creative cooking inspired by the kitchens of the world. Many of Sussex’s top named chefs have spent a stint or two in Terre à Terre’s kitchen, learning skills that they wouldn’t find anywhere else.

I think the first time I ate at Terre à Terre was 2005 or thereabouts. Now I can’t recall as to whether I had the Terre à Tapas – a plate of small portions of some of their most popular dishes – or Better Batter – a take on fish and chips but with battered haloumi and the most delicious vodka soaked cocktail tomatoes – but I remember being impressed. Very impressed. The plates popping with colour, stacked with texture and flavours to die for. I was an immediate convert.

So the other Sunday, I invited my tourism colleague and good mate Jan to join me for an early afternoon tea to shoot the breeze. Now Jan is vegetarian so when I asked she literally bit my arm off. Nom nom.

While our welcome drinks were being prepared – a perky espresso martini for me and a glass of Sussex sparkling wine for Jan – I took the opportunity to have a nosey around.

The venue has undergone a recent complete refurbishment but is still reassuringly familiar. The colour palette has shifted towards calming yet assertive forest greens but there are still splashes of colour to break up the space. Furniture has been replaced but thankfully there are still a few cosy banquette tables and the sun-drenched rear terrace, that has always been a hidden gem dining space.

The savoury course of Terre à Terre's afternoon tea

And so to dine. Jan had the regular vegetarian afternoon tea; I opted for the gluten free version. To be honest there wasn’t really a lot of difference in the offering as the kitchen is by nature very allergen aware.

Rather than everything coming on a tiered stand, the savouries are plated and come first.

Having reviewed Terre à Terre numerous times over the past decade or so, describing the elements is always a challenge. I think Amanda and Phil genuinely revel in creating tongue-twisting mind-blowing descriptions but that reflects the multitude of ingredients and techniques that they utilise.

On my gluten free plate – and also on Jan’s vegetarian plate – the centre stage was taken by ‘Jaipur Jonny Brinjal’; a fried crispy coconut maize fritter served on butter-baked aubergine and spicy mango lime chutney with a springy of chilli flakes. An explosion on the palate. Accompanying was a neat little Japanese themed portion of onigiri sushi rice with pickled shiitake mushrooms, edamame yuzu pesto, crispy onion and pickled ginger. And I can’t fail to mention the seaweed rice crackers hidden below the salad leaves… these need to be bagged and sold to the masses.

Tiers of sweets at Terre à Terre's afternoon tea

The stunningly presented sweets arrived – three tiers topped by traditional scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam (of course). The creativity simply oozed out of the other dishes: orange and almond polenta cake with clementine sorbet and a reduction of pomegranate with perky pink pepper meringue; chocolate hazelnut truffle cake with whipped chocolate mousse; and a rather fun mini Brandy Alexander milkshake shot.

It goes without saying that Terre à Terre’s service is also spot on. A seemingly effortless blending of professionalism and approachability that has always been the hallmark of Terre à Terre. The team know the menu inside-out and nothing is too much effort to ensure a relaxing dining experience. I actually recognised our server Harry as he used to work front of house at my local boozer in Hove, so wonderful to see a familiar face and also hospitality career progression in the city.

Terre à Terre is not just consistently amazing, it is wildly creative and continues to push the boundaries of vegetarian cuisine. There really is nowhere quite like it.

I’ve said it many times over the years in these very pages that Terre à Terre isn’t just the best vegetarian restaurant in the city; it is the best restaurant in Brighton.

Terre à Terre, 71 East Street, Brighton BN1 1HQ

01273 729 051 • www.terreaterre.co.uk