Food For Friends

Prince Albert Street, Brighton, 01273 202310

AGE alone is no guarantee of expertise.

Yet, if you step inside the notoriously fickle world of restaurants, longevity is usually a pretty good sign that something’s going well.

Nestled in the heart of The Lanes, Food For Friends has become part of the Brighton furniture, delivering up-market vegetarian cuisine since before this particular writer was born.

The stalwart Brighton establishment opened its doors in 1981 and has gone on to attain that somewhat elusive mark of success for restaurants of its kind: recognition as an excellent place to eat - regardless of your attitude to protein.

This summer the familiar dining spot underwent a refurbishment and with it launched a new menu in June.

Straight away it shows promise - small, fresh and seasonal. There’s a nice balance between the words that strike a chord with your conscience - salad - and the phrases that speak to the deeper recesses - smoked, paprika, garlic truffle.

The bread board sets the bar high. This is not your standard baguette and butter arrangement. The wooden platter features a selection of white, granary and focaccia breads, served alongside pots of olives, sun-dried tomato and classic basil pestos.

It works well paired with a local beer and cocktail, the Elderflower Fizz, which is crisp and fruity, bringing together gin and elderflower liqueur, topped with Prosecco and a lemon garnish.

The starter menu is difficult to select from - it would be easy to order several and fashion a sort of tapas, veggie feast. Look out for the Portobello rolls, thin slivers of mushroom stuffed with cashew nuts and a herby cheese, drizzled with a delicate and earthy garlic truffle foam and spinach and lemon puree.

The mild and gooey burrata cheese dish is a beauty to behold, bright, pink grapefruit segments, the crunch of roasted pumpkin seeds and the lovely symmetry of delicately charred asparagus. The burrata cheese, a soft Italian mozzarella, sits plump and pleasant at the heart of the plate.

Highlights of the mains include the open saffron ravioli, sheets of delicate pasta draped over a blend of spiced beetroot, wilted baby spinach and garden peas. The soft textures are given crunch from toasted pine nuts and crispy sage, and the components come together with a creamy goat's cheese and rosemary sauce.

But a winner is the rich Portobello mushrooms topped with feta, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. The earthy mushrooms are accompanied by a sweet potato boulangere, fine beans, red green pesto and crème fraîche. This is a salty and satisfying dish - the vegetarian’s answer to a classic steak and chips.

Mouth-watering puddings include a deconstructed cheesecake and black sesame arancini (stuffed rice balls). The classic sticky toffee pudding comes thick with chopped dates, butterscotch and spice, topped with a caramel tuile disc for extra crunch.

The molten chocolate pudding is the stuff of a Masterchef highlights reel - the pudding’s oozing centre blends with a salted caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios. The only let down is the cheffy presentation - service on a black slate makes the scraping of sauces an undignified, but necessary finale.

Brighton foodies rejoice - this excellent new menu is the perfect reason to revisit a true local favourite.

Ben James

Open Sun to Thurs noon to 10pm , Fri and Sat noon to 10.30pm. Visit www.foodforfriends.com/

Sample The Menu

Starters

Roasted aubergine and tomato timbale £6

Vegetarian haggis with poached egg £6.50

Portobello rolls £6

Mains

Warm goats cheese salad £12

Halloumi and Portobello burger £12.50

Open saffron ravioli £13

Portobello mushrooms £12.50

Desserts

Molten chocolate pudding £7

Coconut and black sesame arancini £6.50

Classic sticky toffee pudding £6

Seasonal set menu available offering three courses for £22.