Review of brunch at Jo & Co
- Nick Mosley
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
I’m not really a morning eater but presently I seem to be consuming a lot of late morning brunches, writes Nick Mosley.
The brunch trend is everywhere in Brighton right now, merging breakfast and lunch, which is no bad thing as I do love a good banger and eggs once my constitution has settled down but definitely not at the crack of dawn.
On a sunny day at the start of the month, I had a slow meander from deepest, darkest Hove towards Palmeira Square to meet me old mucker – The Queen – for a catch-up about all things Brighton. The Queen, founder of Connected Brighton, is not only one of the most networked individuals I’ve ever met but also one of the the hardest working. It’s always fun to compare notes, and have a little gossip on the side.
Every time I do this walk I make a mental note of which restaurants are open. It never fails to amaze me – despite their incessant moaning – how many independents aren’t open for midweek lunch. I understand the pressures on businesses right now but if that door isn’t open – even for a limited menu – then not only will you not make money but also it just looks off-putting to potential guests.
Anyway, a door that was most definitely open was Jo & Co. Founded in 2019, it took over the premises that was previously occupied by Azaro Indian restaurant on Church Road, a hop, skip and jump away from Hove Town Hall.
The facade and sunny terrace is unassuming, and belies the scale of the interior space. As this was one of the first warm days of the Easter break there wasn’t a seat to be had outside, clearly demonstrating the popularity of the venue with locals.
Whilst I waited for the The Queen, I settled down on a table in the rear of the restaurant. A glorious dual height space with mezzanine and plenty of natural light flooding in through the ceiling belvedere and the odd camp twist to the decor including swooping sparkly parrots. Espresso martini in hand, I dived into the menu and – behold – they had a complete stand-alone gluten free menu so I was in my element with endless choice.
This is very much a café but there is plenty to choose from with 13 breakfast-y dishes, 8 sweet brunch dishes including waffles and pancakes, and then also salads, sandwiches and main courses that are available from noon until close at 3pm.
The Queen arrived and joined me for a cocktail – a fruity little number – then we ordered. She went for marinated chicken flatbread with hummus, courgette, kimchi and mint yoghurt, priced at £18. I thought the kimchi might have been a bit jarring as a flavour – after all the dish did read as something you’d order in Greece – but it sat very well with the hummus in particular.
“Perfectly balanced, tasty and nourishing. Like a hug in a bowl”, reported The Queen. Sounds like it had it all.
I couldn’t pass on ‘Jo’s Full’ – their signature and most popular dish at £16. I’m guessing the only difference with the gluten free option is the bread, and if I’m honest it was really good brown bread topped with perfectly poached eggs. Accompanied by crispy hash browns, a mushroom, tomato slice and two thick slices of back bacon, it was a hearty dish.
The highlight was the banger – a solidly meaty pork sausage from the Brighton Sausage Co. I must pop by their butcher’s shop on Gloucester Road next time I’m in North Laine, as sausages don’t typically come as memorable as this.
One tiny criticism was the pot of baked beans. Hats off for putting them in a ramekin – I know many people don’t like the tomato juices to touch other elements on their plates – however it looked a bit lacking to me as I couldn’t actually see any beans. It was undoubtably more sauce than bean which was strange as one of the cheapest elements of the dish. Perhaps they’d had a run in the kitchen.
Although I didn’t finish my breakfast plate – I had another review to do that afternoon – I did thoroughly enjoy it. There is nothing too complex on the menu, but its clearly made with love a genuine passion for quality ingredients. The service is also supremely friendly and the buzz of guests – that included, thankfully, very well-behaved children enjoying the kids menu with dishes around £6-7 – was really uplifting without the noise taking over the space. I noted that well-behaved dogs are also welcome.
With happy tums, The Queen and I wandered back towards the city centre via the new Tipsy Mares wine bar before cracking on with our days. Having reviewed numerous brunches this year, I can heartily recommend Jo & Co. Its undoubtedly one of the best in the city.
Jo & Co, 115 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AF
01273 934 400 • www.joandcorestaurants.co.uk
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