IT IS not every day that a world-famous comedian gives a local pub a rave review.
But that is exactly what happened when Russell Brand visited Brighton and asked the team at The Roundhill pub in Ditchling Road to make him a delicious vegan meal.
The actor, 46, performed at the Brighton Dome on Monday as part of his latest tour and reached out to fans on Instagram to recommend the best meat-free meal in the city.
Max Aben, owner of The Roundhill, said he was “delighted” when Russell’s management got in touch to say venue was highly recommended and that the star would like a meal for after his performance.
Max, 33, said: “It was a bit out of the blue how it all came about. He contacted us directly and said that he wanted us to ‘Russell’ him up a meal.
“We didn’t actually get to meet him unfortunately, but we delivered the food to his stage door.
“And then he posted a review on his Instagram, which has 2.7 million followers. He hadn’t posted any reviews of food from any other venue on his feed, so for him to take the time out to do that for us, he must have enjoyed it.”
In a post on Instagram, Russell shared a photograph of his meal and wrote: “Thank you The Roundhill pub for this amazing vegan food. I really loved it. Great job.”
Max said his pub, which has a vegan-only menu, has since been flooded with booking requests from people from right across country after seeing Russell’s review.
He said: “We’ve seen an increase in bookings and enquires from people who live outside Brighton.
“Lots of people have been looking to book in Veganury, which takes place in January and encourages people to try to eat vegan for the full month.
“Russell has a lot of vegan followers that are now planning to come and visit us.”
The Roundhill first opened in 2018 and last year it won an award for having the best roast in the city at the Brighton Restaurant Awards.
Max said the endorsement from film star Russell has given him a “boost”, particularly with the uncertainty surrounding the new Omicron variant of coronavirus and the possibility of further restrictions.
He said: “I think everyone needs a boost heading into December and this has given us that.
“We missed Veganuary last year, which is really important for us and hopefully we won’t head into another lockdown and miss it again for a second year.”
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