Andrew's tour of the South East Brighton veg

Date Published:

31/10/2008

User, Sarah, added Terre a Terre to the Map saying: "This is THE vegetarian restaurant, but this is not your average lentils and soya fare, this is fine dining for anyone and everyone." Alexblue added similar thoughts, while Carman waxed lyrical about the desserts. I checked my steak knife in at the door and went to find out more

Terre a Terre began 15 years ago as the brainchild of chefs, Amanda Powley and Philip Taylor. I'm sat with manager Vanessa Beard who's giving me the lowdown. "I'd say about 50 per cent of our customers are non-veggie," she says (and she's a non-veggie herself). "In fact we've had people come in, sit down and only when they get a menu do they realise we don't serve meat. Some get in a bit of a panic at first but stay and have a great time." Vanessa attributes that to knowledgeable and the friendly front-of-house staff who can reassure people. "Meat eaters normally always over order as they think they might not go home full which isn't the case," she adds.

Meat conceptions

And let's face it, to your average meat eater, choosing to go in to a vegetarian restaurant is perhaps akin in their minds to joining a cult. So it's to Terre a Terre's credit that it lets the food do the talking and doesn't feel the need to bang on about its vegetarian credentials. What's more they cater for vegans, as well as a host of other modern intolerances (wheat, dairy, nut). "We even offer a five course raw food menu, but please book in advance," says Vanessa. The wine list is nearly all organic and bio-dynamic in most places too.

From the bright, calm serenity of the restaurant floor I head downstairs to the basement that houses the kitchen to meet head chef, Dino Pavledis. Dino (also a non-veggie at home) started with the partnership nine years ago as a chef du partie, and worked his way up.

The three of us talk about the menu. A popular choice is the Terre a Tapas - small versions of most of the main courses that are just right for two diners. Another popular choice, as we're by the seaside, is 'Better Batter and Lemony Yemeni Relish', which is halloumi soaked in buttermilk to soften it and then dipped in chip shop batter and served with pea hash and chips. "It's a veggie version of fish and chips," says Dino.

Vanessa, ever the polite hostess, suggests I go for the 'Porcini Pudding and Cranberry Kraut'. It's a perfect choice for this time of year, as autumnal as a walk through a wood. The use of the robust flavour and texture of the mushrooms works well, the mash is warm and comforting, and the three little pickled cranberries remind you of how many shopping days there are till Christmas. You can see Dino plating it up below.

As someone with a vegetarian sister I'm well aware that those choosing to abstain from eating meat are often given short shrift at most restaurants, limited as they are to soup, some bland pasta and cheese thing, or a stuffed pepper if they're lucky. Terre a Terre is the antithesis to that, offering sophisticated, intelligent food that takes in a broad range of flavours and tastes; it just so happens that meat isn't one of them. And for a moment at least, I didn't really miss it.

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