Review: Food For Friends

While vegetarian food once consisted of an option or two squeezed onto a menu it is now firmly established – in Brighton and Hove at least – as a cuisine in its own right.

Instead of heading out for an Italian or Indian feast you can plump for a vegetarian meal and know you are not going to be offered just average, run-of-the-mill, unimaginative food.

One such restaurant that highlights how vegetarian food can be diverse and exciting is the award-winning vegetarian restaurant Food for Friends, in Prince Albert Street.

It is hard not to drool over the menu while reading it. Luckily the dishes are just as tasty and intriguing as they sound.

The three course seasonal set menu is reasonable at £25.90 and the restaurant has also now introduced its festive drinks, such as mulled wine and spiced pear.

For starters my husband chose the chestnut, parsnip and cumin rosti, which was served with cranberry relish and crispy kale.

The nicely seasoned rosti managed to be crispy on the outside and fluffy in the centre, while the sharp sauces added a bold flavour to the dish.

My starter was the wild mushroom and roasted hazelnut pâté with toasted sourdough and a red onion and star anise gel.

This was a great take on a classic meat dish, and, although not as rich as the usual offering, it was smooth and flavoursome, with the gel adding an injection of flavour.

The key to excellent vegetarian cuisine is to make sure it is a complete meal – not something you say ‘it was nice, but it could have done with meat on the plate’.

My main course was a great example of a dish done very well and was a perfect alternative to the traditional Christmas dinner.

In place of turkey it had grilled king oyster mushrooms, which are quite meaty in texture. The ‘stuffing’ was chestnut and rissole cakes, and this came with saffron mash and a rich red wine and cranberry jus.

My partner’s choice of Jerusalem artichoke fritters and caramelised turnip gyozas looked just as appealing and boasted an Asian vibe.

This was served with celeriac and pistachio pureé with leeks, and a plum and chilli star anise sauce.

It had the perfect balance of sweet, savoury and an underlying heat.

Dessert consisted of a maple and muscavado parfait, caramelised pistachio crumb, and a cardamom and clementine sorbet for me; and a spiced poached pear, chocolate cointreau mousse, orange powder, and flax and chai seed snap for my husband.

Pear and chocolate is always a great combination and made for a rich and luxurious delight.

My parfait was sweet and delicious. However, my criticism is the sorbet did not have a place on the plate, resulting in two very different desserts.

The best type of restaurant is one that fires up your imagination and Food For Friends certainly does that.

Whereas I used to panic about what to feed my vegetarian friends or how to cater for a mix of meat eaters and veggies I can now refer back to the menu at this delightful Brighton establishment for ideas.

Gone are the days when you could not find a decent vegetarian restaurant. I do think other restaurants could learn a great deal by eating here.

This is vegetarian cuisine at a high standard.

Food For Friends, 17-18 Prince Albert Street, Brighton. Call 01273 202310 or visit www.foodforfriends.com