Warning: The following comment may offend some readers.
I thought Terre á Terre was...ok.
I say that because this restaurant has an almost religious sect following and I can imagine the hordes of people with flaming torches waiting for me outside. It's one of Brighton's leading restaurants and locals really do have an affection for the place. The Observer Food Awards voted it best for vegetarian food in the UK... yadda, yadda, yadda.
First off, the gigantic menu was a bit crazy. There was not loads on it, which is good, but the thing was massive. This must be the place for visually impaired vegetarians, because you could read it from across the street. And you don't want to sit down with your companion only for any conversation to be immediately obliterated by a huge sheet of card. Nuts.
Anyway, what was on it sounded fantastic and was seductively written so the only possible choice would be some starters and the Terre á Tapas, a selection of items from the whole menu because I couldn't pick.
I had soup which was... ok. Roasted pepper served with fresh focaccia. It did come with a fragment of plastic (why always me?) and normally I would be going snooker-loopy at this point but I think it was an extremely rare mistake as discovery provoked genuine shock from the staff and immediate removal from the bill, refunding of all our drinks and lots of arm waving. I sincerely doubt Terre á Terre would be slap dash with hygiene so was happy to forget about it. The good - I liked the flaked almonds on top and the focaccia was fabulous.
The Tikka Kachumber starter–a tikka halloumi kebab–failed to pack a flavor punch. It was balanced, it was tasty but the lack of spice depth made it feel something was missing. Boring.
The impressive looking Terre á Tapas came along and cheered me up a bit. It was essentially bits and pieces from the menu - an assortment of salads, pulses, baba ganoush dip, deep fried corn cakes, noodles and battered hallumi. It also included the most intensely flavoured tofu I had ever eaten. I usually can't stand the stuff as it's bland, but now I know I don't like it with flavour either. Most of it was lovely, good quality ingredients and well prepared but not sure how I feel about the £19 price tag (for two) and the fact it felt like all the items had the same base ingredients.
I like the concept. Vegetarian food with out the hippy yogurt weaving connotations - a safe environment for us meat eaters on a night off. Smart, professional and well presented food. So what's my problem?
Maybe it was because it was lunchtime and dinner may have a bit more va va voom, I don't know. It wasn't Terre á Terrible but it wasn't terrific either and really do not get the hype. How can I sum it up? I would say I had a really good mediocre meal. Anyone agree / disagree? Someone change my mind so I go back for dinner. Until then I'm off to the steak house.
Hi Graphic Foodie
ReplyDeleteI've only just come across your blog and as someone who was living in Brighton until the end of last year it's been interesting reading your reviews. I agree with you about Terre a Terre - I thought it was nice, nothing special and quite expensive considering the component parts of each dish weren't too expensive. I thought often you were paying for the ability of the chefs to make things like tofu taste not like tofu and more like, er, meat.
It's been a while since I ate out in Brighton. Ate at The Meadow at some point which was fine but wasn't as impressed as Dos Hermanos were. Highly recommend The Forager in Hove for drinking but haven't eaten there yet. I think the next time I'm in Brighton I want to eat at the Ginger Pig in Hove. I want to know if it compares to any of the good gastropubs in London - my experience of Brighton was that nothing measured up.
Look forward to reading your future posts.
Patrick
Hi and welcome Patrick! Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteYes I hear the Forager is supposed to be good and is on my hit-list. I have not tried the Ginger Pig yet but people either say it is brilliant or are not impressed at all - no half measures!
I have eaten at their sister restaurant, the Gingerman at Drakes which was very good.
I would strongly recommend Bills (for dinner) and the Chili Pickle in town.
The secret to the amazing tofu is that it's smoked.. mmm. Complaining about the menu seems a little.. mean spirited, they can be put on the table after all. Also, how are the base ingerdients on the tapas the same? I thought it was insanely varied!
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous. A restaurant experience, aside from the food, is everything from the menus to the bathrooms. Maybe it's the designer in me. I don't think it's mean spirited at all - my opinion was that I thought it was a silly format and something that any sane designer should have taken into account. Plus they don't lay on the table as once the glasses and cutlery is down there is no space! Very awkward.
ReplyDeleteThe people I was with also agreed the base ingredients were similar, I can think of about ten million things I would rather eat that tofu. Maybe it's not my bag.
However, I think some of the dishes at TaT are very inventive and the recipe book is really good and beautifully designed. I've posted about it here http://thegraphicfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/02/book-review-recipe-terre-terre.html
How many vegetarian restaurants have you eaten at? they are generally a pretty dull experience,the menus are almost always the same. Terre a terre is brilliant you get a real choice of dishes you wouldn't/couldn't cook yourself at home, which is one of the reasons for eating out in the first place. I loved the food I eat out a lot in all sorts of restaurants and as a non vegetarian would happily choose this restaurant over about 80% of regular restaurants.
ReplyDelete