Well hot damn now hasn't this sort of shindig been a while coming eh? I'll admit that as with the news reviews, I haven't done a proper restaurant review in a long old time but when I go to a restaurant like A Terre Terre just round the corner from Old Steine in South Brighton I have to say something. If a restaurant that I've been to is so good or so bad that I keep thinking about it, I will probably review it at some point and fortunately I can say with absolute certainty that A Terre Terre falls into the former category.
I'm not a vegetarian but I can easily say that, hand on heart, this is one of the best vegetarian places to eat that I've ever been to on the south coast of England, not just within Brighton itself. What makes this all the more exceptional for me is that Brighton is choc-full of quality of vegetarian restaurants like Food For Friends (Address: 17 - 18 Prince Albert Street, Brighton BN1 1HF) or any number of independent vegetarian and vegan cafes that you'll find on a nice walk around the city. Therefore, when I say this about Brighton's vegetarian food scene, you'd better believe me when I say that despite the top-quality competition from similar venues, A Terre Terre, is still one of my favourite places to eat in Brighton.
Now yes. the fact that this is a vegetarian restaurant is limiting for those who may not like such food or who like meat quite a great deal. Now don't get me wrong, I eat allot of chicken and beef in particular myself and enjoy allot of fish and seafood but sometimes it is good to give the digestion system a good ol' relax and eat some more easily-digestible food. Just all the more of a bonus that its made superbly and in a venue with great service and atmosphere.
So onto the most important aspect, the food and its value. Unfortunately this isn't the cheapest place to eat in the city which is the main reason as to why I prefer to keep going to it for special family occasions like a birthday or something like that. In turn this will prompt you to look for more everyday places to eat with slightly cheaper menus while enjoying A Terre Terre when you go there for an occasional treat. This doesn't however, devalue from the food which is truly fantastic in quality and presentation not to mention hygiene. Both times I've been here I have never had a dirty bit of crockery, cutlery or glass and I doubt I ever shall, not to mention how fresh the salad is so I can guarantee that this place is cleaner than a princesses' arse. As for the food, its a wide variety of post-modern mixes of multiple cuisines with my favourite main 'Rosti Revisited' having a blend of chic-modern-quasi French and English mix as a well-cooked potato and onion rosti topped with parmesan and a poached egg and a truly sublime warm coolie.
The starters are reasonably sized as to give you a little-warm up but if you're against overspending like mad then I'd recommend the vegetarian tapas as it'll give you a good taste of what's on offer on the starters menu while filling you up but just not too much. This is of course to imply that the starters like the mains are superb. My favourite is probably the somewhat unassuming daily soup served up with a different, freshly-baked bread for each day of the week and made with sublime seasoning and vegetables. To drink with the tapas and 'Rosti Revisited' I'd recommend a glass of white wine or prosecco and a Belgian blonde ale respectively.
The puddings in turn aren't perhaps as varied as the main dishes although the restaurant does serve brunch and while I've never been for brunch at A Terre Terre, its quite clear that yet again, they put a lot of variety and thought into their brunch cake menu. The puddings for lunch and dinner though are still superb with my absolute favourite being the Churrrisimo; a few Mexican-style cinnamon donut sticks with a trio of dips including salted caramel, dark chocolate and vodka-soaked cherries. I would make a simile of sorts for how much I enjoy this pudding but it'd probably just involve me spazzing out on the floor covered in cinnamon dust for three hours.
The service doesn't emit as horrifyingly a psychotic response from myself but it is still very good. The staff at this place are very hard-worked as the place is usually reasonably busy albeit not totally packed (so you should be able to have a nice and relaxed meal here. They're to-the-point and don't fluff around too much except when they have to such as when explaining what all the components in a tapas are. The service is also quick and I never feel like I have to wait too long for anything really whether it be an order-correction or a drink.
The atmosphere too is also very functional but nice and relaxing. The decor in A Terre Terre doesn't dolly itself up too much and allot of the furniture is nice and reasonably plain allowing the eyes to relax and concentrate on the conversation and food. The music can get a bit annoying with it sometimes blaring out some bizarre folk tunes but ask the staff to either change the tune or turn it down. And the booth seats, man oh man are they so comfortable that they'll make your arse melt like a marshmallow on a flamethrower!
So I guess anything else at this point would be repetition of sorts and I do kind of tend to do that ALOT with food (seriously, just ask any of my mates and they'll tell you the same). So I'll conclude by saying that A Terre Terre isn't perhaps the most affordable place on the market in terms of vegetarian restaurants in Brighton but if its for a family get-together or any other special occasion, then I would give it a definite recommendation.
And so until next time, enjoy whatever you're eating, have fun, stay safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do.
Food: 9/10
Drink; 8/10
Atmosphere 7/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 6.75/10
OVERALL RATING: kind of like a movie night with that one guy who commentates over everything before the movie not by talking quietly like you or I would but shouting so everyone in the room can hear him. A bit fucking irritating but eventually he either shuts up or you stop noticing him and besides, you still have some tasty food and drink to enjoy.
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