The Lanes

When I’m searching for a new brunch spot, my main criteria are will the ingredients be better than those I can pick up from my local supermarket and does the menu offer any unique twists on the classics?

When I first started drinking wine my default would be a glass of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon; failing that was available I’d order “a dry white” and hope for the best. Thankfully, with the increase in wine flights and great restaurants in Brighton, I’ve learnt a lot in recent years.

The Ivy in The Lanes is Brighton’s newest and flashiest-looking restaurant, located on Ship Street within the old Post Office building. It launched on the 2nd May and boy did it arrived with a bang!

Despite living here for almost 30 years, I still, occasionally, get lost in the lanes; so it amused me when a brand new café in Brighton appeared, named just this.

One month after opening I take a visit to Brighton’s newest fine dining restaurant – Pascere, to review whether it lives up to the hype.

For a long time, Brighton had a pretty dire reputation for Italian restaurants, with many to choose from but few worth returning to. You’d also be hard pushed to find one that delivered anything close to what you’d experience in Italy. Luckily for us, a few goodies have popped up recently.

Since I’ve taken the leap from employed to self-employed I’ve been working in a little office space downstairs in our house. Two weeks in, cabin fever set in and Simon and I began to get a little tetchy with each other. He works from home the majority of the time and although I love him to bits, we’re definitely the sort of couple that needs our own space occasionally. Cue my search for coffee shops with good working spaces and free WiFi.

There was a time when Browns on Duke Street, was THE place to be seen. A place for the upper echelons of society – the folk who can afford to park their flashy car on double yellows outside and not bat an eyelid at a £60 parking ticket. However, the calibre of restaurants in Brighton has gone through the roof lately, so like me, you probably haven’t thought to dine at Browns for years.

Brighton is a Mecca for vegetarian restaurants, and we are spoilt for places that go beyond the usual fodder. Nice enough as a goat’s cheese & caramelised onion tart or risotto are, it’s rather arduous when you find them on every menu in town. Thankfully, Brighton has Terre á Terre in The Lanes.

I love plant-based foods, but I’m usually of the opinion that although often wonderful and full flavoured, they would be improved if a little meat were added. However, recently I’ve discovered several veggie/vegan restaurants that have really pushed the button for me. Food for Friends being the most recent.