Review of Côte Brighton

Steak frites at Côte Brighton

Nick Mosley heads to Côte on North Road to see if it's still got ‘ooh-la-la’.

For those unfamiliar with Côte, its a classic French brasserie concept that began rolling out across the country just under 20 years ago and now has over 70 sites in towns and cities nationwide proving to be a successful and enduring high street stalwart at a time.

Serving classic, uncomplicated, ingredient-led gallic dishes that have endured the test of time in elegantly themed bistro dining rooms, Côte has certainly hit a bit of a sweet spot at a time when many chains are floundering.

I have to admit I hadn’t visited Côte in Brighton since pretty much the day the doors swung open way back in 2011. The premises are the old music library opposite the entrance to Brighton Dome – yeah, when book libraries are closing daily, can you imagine we used to have a music score library with recital space once upon a time – which has proved to be a perfect choice with its soaring ceilings, elegant staircase and space far countless diners. Refurbished in typical Côte style – a vague pastiche of a cosmopolitan French café that could be the 1920s or 1950s but atmospheric none the less – its still one of the fanciest dining rooms in the city after over 15 years.

In the interests of finding great value dining deals for Argus readers, I’d had my beady eye on their January set menu for a few weeks. Priced at £15 for two courses or £18 for three, I twisted Little Miss Greedy Guts’ arm for a spot of midweek lunch.

I’m typically a sucker for detail, but I hadn’t actually read the small print before arriving. In January to take advantage of the offer you need to download the Côte app to your phone and register for a code, otherwise the standard pricing of £23 and £27 applies which is still very good value. Pretty much every hospitality business nowadays wants you to register for either their app or e-newsletter; it provides a low-cost way for them to communicate offers to encourage repeat custom.

Anyway, I digress… our very friendly and helpful server asked me to download the app, which I dutifully did but neither of us could get it to actually work. I’m not sure if he thought I was a bumbling buffoon but I felt a lot better when he couldn’t log me in either. The wonders of technology, heh?

The set menu undoubtably delivers incredible value, particularly at the lower promotional January price. The four starters, mains and desserts are all to be found on the main a la carte menu so you can do the sums and feel pretty smug with how much you’re saving.

Upper dining floor at Côte Birghton

To start, Little Miss Greedy Guts ordered French onion soup, which if I’m honest I’ve never eaten a bad example of so – as with at Côte – its a relatively simple dish that did exactly what was promised on the tin with a thick broth of onion topped with a melted Comtée cheese croûton gratiné. I went for the potted crab with lobster butter, which to be honest was a bit tasteless and on the wrong side of sloppy, but it was okay. By the time I’d eaten my starter, Greedy Guts had hardly touched hers for two reasons; firstly it was as hot as the sun – literally steaming – and secondly she wouldn’t stop wittering about local tourism dramas.

To our mains, I went classic with a minute steak and fries plus – for a small additional price – peppercorn sauce, which is an absolute favourite of mine. I know many prefer a more hearty steak cut but I’m a big fan of thinner cuts – I’m a bit of a gagger so really don’t want a slab of chunky beef in my mouth. It was beautifully cooked with a hint of pink in the centre and a slight charring for extra flavour; I guess you’d expect a French brasserie to know how to cook the perfect steak. With a decent portion of lightly salted fries – and a really good example of peppercorn sauce – this was easily worth the £15 on its own.

Grilled sea bream at Côte Brighton

Greedy Guts was somewhat less impressed with her grilled sea bream. In terms of elements on the plate, the dish really didn’t come together although you could see the direction of travel. The fish was very overcooked so lost a lot of the structure and flavour you’d expect from bream. The tomatoes simply weren’t cooked – just chopped, cold cherry tomatoes that presumably should have been at least pan-fried if not oven roasted. The seasoning was bland – hints but not enough garlic, olives, olive oil and an indiscernible amount of spice – so it was a bit more Portslade than Provence. As this is a classic on Côte’s a la carte, I think we’d have to put this down to a hiccup in the kitchen on our visit rather than a fundamental problem with the actual dish.

On our visit, I’d say guests were primarily a lot older than myself – and, for that matter, even Greedy Guts and she’s got a free bus pass – so I think Côte will need to modernise the concept in the coming years before their demographic, quite literally, dies off. I dare say the kitchen’s caution on seasoning and flavour is related to their current faithful customer-base, whereas diner expectations and adventurousness have changed considerably over the past decade or so.

Would I dine at Côte again? Its certainly dependable and very well-priced but – for me at least – it would definitely be a decision based on the choice of other restaurants in the area. In Brighton, we’re spoilt for dining options but if I was in the sticks then I’d definitely consider it as one of the more consistent and reliable multiples in the UK.

Côte, 115-116 Church Street, Brighton BN1 1UD

01273 687 541 • www.cote.co.uk