I had a delicious meal at a French brasserie in Sussex – it has a new and extended menu that's suitable for all tastes

But I think in Côte Brasserie we found that, having had a really enjoyable family meal at its Chichester restaurant last week.

We were invited along to celebrate the biggest menu transformation in Côte’s history. The extensive menu refresh was designed by Gordon Ramsay’s former Executive Chef Steve Allen, and brings back much-loved guest favourites as well as introducing exciting new dishes.

The Chichester restaurant, in South Street, has the elegant brasserie design you’d expect from the French restaurant chain, along with warm and friendly staff.

We visited on a Friday lunchtime and it was lovely to see it bustling with diners.

There were so many items on the menu my husband and I wanted to choose. But I guess that just means we’ll have to visit again!

To start, I plumped for Twice Baked Souffle (£10.50) and my husband had the Sautéed Scallops (£13.50). My 12-year-old opted to order from the adult menu, and had the Fougasse – a Provençal sharing sourdough garlic bread (£7.50), while my son had the garlic butter baguette from the kids’ menu. Kids can have three courses for £10.50, which I thought was a good price.

Much to the annoyance of my children, the souffle does take around 20 minutes and the staff will warn you of this. I would say I was sorry to make them wait for their food, but it was so delicious that I can’t. I could have eaten a bucketful of that creamy and cheesy goodness, but I also wanted to try a main so onto the next course it was.

My Salmon Béarnaise (£20.95) came with house-made béarnaise, broccoli and sautéed tarragon new potatoes and was a delight with a really crispy skin. My husband’s 10oz Ribeye (£32.95) was on the pricier side of the menu, but he said it was cooked to perfection. Plus, it comes with ‘free-flow frites’, meaning you can have as many chips as you can eat!

My daughter enjoyed her Creamy Tomato Mafalde (£15.50) – pasta ribbons, creamy tomato Provençal sauce & grilled courgettes – although I think she regretted not choosing something with stronger flavour.

My son had the Cheese & Ham Croque, which comes on brioche, and he said it tasted lovely. As a side note, my son has a food allergy and the team took it really seriously. We were given a tablet to review all the dishes and the allergens in them, and could ask any questions if we were unsure. His dishes all came out with an allergy flag in them, so we felt confident he was safe.

I so want to say I had one of the many incredible sounding desserts on the menu, but I was just too full and I didn’t want to waste food. Thankfully, my family took one for the team and all indulged.

My husband’s Elderflower Crème Brûlée (£8.95) looked too pretty to eat, but he ate it anyway and loved the creamy sweetness with just a little floral note. My daughter’s highlight of the meal was her Tarte au Citron (£8.95) and she practically licked the plate clean so as not to waste any. The Build Your Own Sundae on the children’s menu was a fun way to round off lunch for my son.

I so wish I had been able to try the restaurant’s signature Chocolate Mousse (£8.95 for one or £17.50 as a sharer). I so love that as a pudding, and I thought longingly about it when my appetite returned that night. That will definitely be something I’ll order next time we visit.

There was a really good selection of drinks, particularly wines, as you would expect from a French restaurant. We all enjoyed some cocktails and mocktails, helping us to round-off a really relaxing dining experience.

To book a table, or for more information, see https://www.cote.co.uk/restaurant/chichester/menus