Brighton pub dishes up camel and zebra (From The Argus)

Brighton pub dishes up camel and zebra

2:29pm Monday 14th September 2009 in

By Andy Chiles »

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A Brighton pub has rewritten the rules for Sunday lunches after unveiling a new menu of exotic meat dishes.

Punters at The Victory Inn can now tuck into a selection including camel, kangaroo, ostrich and even zebra.

The pub, in Duke’s Street in The Lanes, has enjoyed a surge in custom since introducing the dishes, prompting expectation others will follow suit.

Bringing in the exotic meats was the idea of landlord Jim McFruin and chef Pete Moore, who has carefully concocted accompaniments for the dishes.

The zebra, for example, is served with a caramelised red onion gravy, while the camel comes with Shiraz and butter gravy.

Each roast comes with its own stuffing.

Mr McFruin said: “We wanted to have something a bit different.

It’s a competitive market in Brighton for roast dinners, especially where we are in the middle of the town.

We wanted something catchy to get people through the doors.”

Kangaroo has proved the most popular, partly because many customers have eaten the meat before on holiday in Australia.

Ostrich has also sold well.

Despite their exotic backgrounds, the ingredients are bought from local suppliers and largely reared in Britain.

Mr McFruin said: “It was something we were concerned about.

We didn’t want to be importing food from all over the world.

That’s not the sort of thing people in Brighton like.

“It might sound bizarre but there are actually ostrich and kangaroo farms in Britain.

I’d imagine it’s quite a strange sight.”

Bar staff said customers’ first reaction to the menu was generally surprise but many had decided to give the meats a try.

Attiq Sadiq, 23, from Brighton, ate at the pub yesterday with a group of friends who had visited for his birthday celebrations.

He said: “I think it’s a great idea. I love places which do things a bit differently. I tried some zebra – it was quite nice.”

Mr McFruin has a few more innovations up his sleeve to keep the punters coming in.

Last month the pub staged a cider and cheese festival, while plans are under way for an ale and pie celebration in the next few weeks.

The verdict

Argus reporter Andy Chiles “I half expected to see something stripy come out on the plate but I'm pleased to report that it wasn't. The zebra was tasty. It was quite like beef in texture – quite chewy. But it went very well with the gravy and stuffing. Well worth a try.”

Thomas Cole, 21, from Surrey “I like it. I feel a bit morally wrong for eating what is essentially a horse but it tastes nice. It’s quite like beef, with a hint of kidney.”

Edward Van Daalen, 23, from Amsterdam “I like it. It tastes fine. It’s nothing special though.”

Attiq Sadiq, 23, from Brighton “It’s got a really soft texture.

It’s like beef but a bit softer than that. It’s nice though.”

Comments(16)

AmmeH says...
4:16pm Mon 14 Sep 09

Argus reporter Andy Chiles: "It was quite like beef in texture – quite chewy"

Thomas Cole, 21, from Surrey: "It’s quite like beef, with a hint of kidney"

How do they know it wasn't beef?!?!