Brighton, Great Britain
On Easter weekend, we thought a city trip was in order and considered a couple days by the Brighton seaside was just what we needed. The weather was fine and there was something like excitement in the air as we made our way to the station. The train from St-Pancras to Brighton was easy enough and takes you there in about 75 minutes for under 40£ return.
Brighton seems to have both stopped in time and become very progressive, all at the same time. The Brighton Pier is the main attraction and is filled with early 1900’s nostalgia and a crazy Alice in Wonderland feel!
Bright colours and lights, live music and the smell of freshly made donuts and cotton candy fill the air all over the water front. It’s almost impossible not to get swept up by the wave of child-like fun.
Brighton is also very opened minded and is acceptant to everyone. They have flamboyant transgender shows in bars and cabarets at all times of the day and karaokes to join in. There was a wonderful positive vibe as people of all tracks of life crisscrossed without a hiccup. It was very refreshing and all cities should have a lot more of this in fact.
I decided to put Brighton to a food challenge. I wanted to have most of my meals in pubs (actually, this was more a hubby request), we had dinner in only one restaurant, the rest was all pub food. I’d done a little research, but I thought a little improvisation might be nice (in all honesty, improvisation is a difficult task for this planning freak!)
We were seriously blown away by what we were served. Businesses are full of love and passion for their trade. It was inspiring and also delicious!
Let me share the places I found with you, let me take you to Brighton seaside.
The Geese of Hanover
Open from Monday to Friday from 16h00
Saturday and Sunday from 12h00
The Geese of Hanover was the only reservation I made in Brighton. My hubby put me up to the challenge of finding him the best bangers and mash, and I think I did! The Geese have a large variety of sausages to choose from. You also get to choose from all sorts of mashed potato recipes and you can seal the deal with a delicious gravy. Horseradish, English mustard and other sauce are on hand. Add to this a locally brewed beer and you’re simply in heaven. To top it off, their menu also has lots of vegetarian and vegan options for our favorite English dish.
This gorgeous pub is full of natural light and is nice and breezy when the windows are open. Large wooden tables where big families or a group of friends can find a good beer and a heart warming meal. Situated away from the seaside, a 20 minute walk from the Pier (don’t be intimidated by the one hill, it’s worth it!) it’s a nice way to get away from all the hustle and bustle and sit amongst locals. The staff is very friendly, accommodating and helpful. And I’ve been told that the Sunday roast is exceptional, but really requires a reservation.
If you stop by, give them a hello from me and that we’ll be back soon!
The Mucky Duck
Open every day from 12h00 until late
On a search for a Sunday roast, we fell upon the Mucky Duck and right away I recognized it from some research I’d done before leaving Brussels.
As soon as we walked in to ask for a table, we were welcomed by the smell of slow cooked meats and gravy. The menu, as most Sunday roasts offer, was a choice of lamb, beef, chicken or pork belly. We both went for beef and were served a mouth watering slow cooked, fall of the bone beef. This was served with al dente broccoli, glazed carrots, roasted potatoes, very deep meaty gravy and Yorkshire pudding. The portion was very generous, and we both thought their would be no way to finish it, but somehow, we found a way!
This interior is a typical English pub, with long wood tables, wood panelings, locals having a pint and a friendly dog napping on a chair. It’s bar service only, so drinks and food are ordered and paid for directly with the bartender.
We had some refreshing Chieftain IPA’s to accompany our meal, which was recommended and was seriously good. I was very pleased with my experience there and with a bill under 45£ for two people, it made it even better!
Indian Summer
Open from Monday to Sunday from 8:30 to 18:30
After a few pub meals, we wanted to try an Indian curry and found Indian Summer by chance in the old part of Brighton. It was some of the best Indian food I’ve tried so far (almost at the same level as my favourite, Chandigarh in Brussels). We shared a starter mix and a meat thali. Everything was very well made and spiced properly.
The only negative was the sales pushing, I thought the service steered a little too much on adding things to your bill. Our bill was a little more than what I would have wanted to pay, it was at the 90£ mark for two people. But I’m sure this could have been better if we’d just stuck with our ideas and not said yes to all the waitress’s recommendations (even if they were very good recommendations). But this doesn’t take away from my very positive experience there. The portions are very generous and over ordering is just unnecessary.
