Cote is chic on a budget

Of course, Cote cannot accept all the credit. The eclectic and excellent mix of eating establishments have all played their part.

But it was the arrival of Cote that really signalled the next stage in East Street’s meteoric rise. With its huge windows overlooking the street scene and its lavish refurbishment, Cote is chic on a budget.

Its food enjoys a unique style – but it knows too that in the current climate, customers are looking for value.

That’s why it promotes a lunch and early evening menu at £9.95 for two courses and £11.90 for three.

You can, of course, pay more from the a la carte and the daily specials. And not everything is included in the price.

Bread, which some restaurants serve with their compliments, is charged at £1.50 for a basket of freshly baked sourdough baguette with butter; and a discretionary service charge of 12.5 per cent is added to the bill.

There is also an additional charge for sides, ranging from £2.75 for a green salad to £3.50 for creamed spinach.

But the joy of Cote is it’s always buzzing. It’s won a strong following so there is invariably a happy hum of voices and the staff and the décor have perfectly captured that relaxed continental elegance to which so many eateries aspire.

It was inspired by new trends in Paris where diners are turning away from overcomplicated, expensive French food.

Instead, Cote offers a modern approach to classic French dishes such as steak frites served with béarnaise, moules marinieres and free range chicken. When we reviewed the restaurant, one year on from its opening, the staff had clearly grown in confidence and pride – as they have every right to have done.

My colleague tried a meal from the lunch menu – frisee and bacon lardon salad with a warm poached egg followed by steak frites (£2 supplement) - chargrilled thinly beaten out minute steak with frites and garlic butter. The beef was full of flavour and suitably firm in texture.

I chose a la carte. I started with the seared scallops – cooked to perfection – with frisee salad, bacon lardons and a warm puy lentil, tomato and garlic dressing (£7.80)

Scallops often feature on restaurant menus but are rarely served to such a high standard as this. Judging the cooking time is a real art form, one that Cote’s chefs have clearly mastered.

To follow, I tasted the roasted venison loin (£18.95) from the daily specials, recommended by our waiter.

The venison was tender and beautifully prepared and was served on braised red cabbage. It was an unusual but stunning combination - a dish memorable for all the right reasons.

The accompanying tartiflette potatoes arrived nearly half way through eating it, which was a pity, – but also a reflection on just how busy Cote has become. The Cote speciality of Crème Caramel (£4.50) was the best I had ever tasted. It was traditional set vanilla pod custard with dark caramel and cream. An absolute treat.

Cote has won high praise from critics and has been named as the best value restaurant in Britain.

Consequently, it’s no surprise that it has proved overwhelmingly popular in Horsham.

But while the food is good, Cote’s secret is more than this. It has a unique charm and euphoria that always leaves you feeling good about eating there.

This week, East Street celebrates another stage in its transformation from a road of charity shops to a regional centre of dining excellence.

We all have reason to be grateful to Cote for playing its part in this huge success story.