Terre a Terre, 71 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ

Terre a Terre, 71 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ

www.terreaterre.co.uk

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.