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Hove Street, Hove. 01273 736123
Open Mon to Fri noon-2pm and 6.30pm-10pm, Sat noon-4pm and 6.30pm-10pm, Sun 12.30pm-4pm and 6.30pm-10pm.
Review: April 6, 2007
A cross between a country farmhouse and a modern gastropub, the stylish Ginger Pig is the third restaurant in the Gingerman series.
If you have been to the small and intimate Gingerman in Norfolk Square, or its sophisticated sister restaurant in the chic boutique Drakes hotel, then you will know the Gingerman restaurants are in the business of fine dining.
But the Ginger Pig is something entirely different - a bit like the ample-bosomed, no-nonsense matriarch of the family dishing out hearty, wholesome helpings of comfort food, from beef, ale and root vegetable pie to steamed treacle sponge with lashings of hot custard.
If you like an adventurous menu, generous portions, fresh food and farmers' markets, this is the place for you.
Situated at the bottom of Hove Street in Hove, the Ginger Pig is big and bold with an air of relaxed confidence. This is a restaurant which knows what it is and gets on with it.
Perhaps this has something to do with the fact owner Ben McKellar is also the head chef. He clearly loves good food and there is no scrimping here.
"I don't think you will ever get Ben out of the kicthen," says general manager Melanie Cooper. "He just loves cooking and the kitchen environment, and he never compromises on quality."
A heavy revolving door gives way to a spacious pub with distinct bar and dining areas, furnished with fashionable chunky wooden furniture, dark wood floors, burnt orange pendant lampshades and clean white paintwork. Large chalk boards reveal the daily specials, both food and drink.
There is an emphasis on fresh and seasonal local produce, with sparkling wines from Ridgeview Wine Estate, juices from Chegworth and meats and cheeses from Sussex and Kent.
The Ginger Pig was completely full when The Guide visited at 8.30pm on a Monday night. This is a good sign, but beware - you may have to wait for a table. In an effort to move away from the formality and exclusivity of the other Gingerman restaurants, which can get booked up weeks in advance at weekends, Melanie explains the Ginger Pig does not take reservations and operates on a first come, first served basis.
This might seem irritating at first but we were assured the average waiting time is 15 minutes and the longest anyone has had to wait so far is 40 minutes. But if you take a seat in the spacious, comfortable bar area, with its comfy leather Chesterfield armchairs, and enjoy a drink from the inspiring range on offer, time will fly.
Once we did get a table, our orders were taken and the food arrived swiftly on huge white plates with no fuss and a friendly manner. Wine and water are brought out in carafes, with a complimentary basket of brown bread and butter for every table.
With main dishes averaging around a tenner, and starters and puds about a fiver, the Ginger Pig is good value for money and well worth a visit.
Review by Xenia Gregoriadis
- If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk
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