Terre
a Terre, 71 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ
31/08/2014
She
said: A couple of years ago we walked off the street having read an intriguing
menu at this smart vegetarian but it was fully booked. Then in June I reserved
a table in anticipation of a trip to Brighton which was cancelled due to
pneumonia. So when the weather looked good for a day-trip, I hoped the third
attempt would be lucky – which indeed it was. Terre a Terre is a deceptively
large, contemporary space with a fantastic menu offering original, fresh
vegetarian creations which took a while to choose from. Prices are mid-range
but worth it. The starter was a heavenly sweetcorn cake unlike anything I have
tasted before. I was excited for the next round and waited in anticipation; and
waited, and waited and waited. The waitress came over and was proactive in
apologising for the delay but promised the wait would not be much longer.
However, close to an hour after arriving and seeing other couples who had
arrived after us being served dessert he complained. The waitress sounded
sincere in her apologies and then the mains arrived. I had ordered something
called ‘Bonbon beets and bigarade’ which was good but essentially a roasted
potato waffle with some pickled beetroot and some garnish in a tomato-like
sauce (butter bean in actuality). Next time I would order something else – what
he had was more interesting for example but he can tell you about that. The
best was definitely saved for last. Dessert was outstanding. I ordered the
chocolate pot and was like a little girl opening her Frozen doll when a trio of
magic was presented on a plate: a mini brandy milkshake; a dark chocolate cup
filled with crumbly chocolate and topped with a lemon cream; and a killer
chocolate salted caramel truffle on a lolly stick. This truly was dessert
heaven and the wait for the main was long forgiven. Terre a Terre is a classy,
elegant, sophisticated diamond of a vegetarian in a country of one too many
hungry hippie cafes that serve stodgy, stereotypical staples. This place is
bang up to date and must have brought many a meat-eater into the light. Although the food delay was not good, the
waitress was gracious in automatically deducting the main courses from our bill
while he wandered around the restaurant buying salted truffles. Bottom line: if
you’re in Brighton, make this top of your hit list (but reserve first).
He
said: What a bummer that Terre à Terre is an hour away on a fast train! If it
was in London I would definitely make this a regular; it is my favourite of the
vegetarians we tried, ahead of The Gate in W6. What gives this one the edge is
the sheer inventiveness of the cooking: reading the menu is exciting stuff and
choosing is actually a struggle, it’s all so well described. This place is not
just about the thrill of cooking, it’s also about the thrill of eating: it’s
not merely prettily arranged ‘art on a plate’. Terre à terre clearly gets that
eating out is as much about showing off its wizardry as it is about punters
walking away feeling happy. There was a minor bump in the road to happiness,
with our food coming our rather late, but even that couldn’t stop us being
blown away by the food. The stand-out dish for me was a delicious spin on Japanese
slow-cooked aubergine. But pretty much anything on the menu is evidence of the
kitchen’s passion for flavour, texture, colour and fun. There’s no mock meat of
any sort, no apology made for anything, as though it’s a given that, of course,
Vegetarian is the greatest cuisine of them all. In fact you could easily not
notice that this place is veggie. But what sets Terre à terre apart from so
many others, veggie or not, is that it really cares, which is all too uncommon
these days of timed slots, and miserly portion control. If I had money to burn
(if only) I would definitely bankroll a second opening somewhere in London.