» Food & Drink
Andrew Kay finds good food on his doorstep at the Kemp Brasserie
Kemp fire
The notion that familiarity breeds contempt is not far from the truth. We so often dismiss things that are close to hand for silly reasons. I had failed to take up the option of dinner at the Kemp Brasserie and for no real reason except that it was somewhere I walk past almost every day. Then one evening Mr R and I were too tired to cook and headed to the pub where we thought we might find sustenance. On the way I spotted a board that offered a set meal for a tenner with a glass of wine. ‘Why not?’ we thought, and had a very enjoyable meal; generous, tasty and in very pleasant surroundings.
“I was in belt-loosening mode and ordered a steak with pepper sauce”
So pleasant all round that we decided to return for a stab at the à la carte. So on a busy Friday evening we bagged a table and settled in for dinner. The Brasserie has a large and, it would seem, popular bar to one side, but we headed straight to our table and the easy task of deciding what to eat. I say easy because the menu, short as it is, has some favourite classics and a few surprises.
I kicked off with a crab salad. Mr R is becoming concerned at my current craving for crab. It’s not the food as such but the time involved in waiting as I pick my way across it. This, however, was picked crab meat in a lovely mound that was more than generous but not daunting. It kept me pretty quiet but not for the 45 minutes that he has become accustomed to. Mr R’s layered beef, tomato and cheese salad was architectural in both style and scale and very well executed too; a robust rustic dish that put a big smile of his face. As did the main course of pasta with chicken in a spicy cream sauce. There are a few pasta dishes on the menu and I have to say that they are not only generous and well made but also very attractively priced – something we all seek in this belt tightening age.
I, however, was in belt-loosening mode and ordered a steak with pepper sauce. I know, pretty simple, but so easy to get wrong. I have, over the last few years, been served some truly disgusting pepper sauces. One classic occasion it contained no pepper at all and on another so many pickled green peppercorns that it tasted like cream and disinfectant. I am pleased to report that my pepper sauce at Kemp Brasserie was top notch, and by that I mean simple, classic and frankly not messed around with. The steak was equally good, blue as requested and tasty. The vegetables on the side were pretty good too, and by the end of the course I was comfortably satisfied, so much so, that I was rather loathed to change the situation by indulging in one of their puddings.
Mr R, however, was having none of that and headed straight for a fat slice of banoffee pie. Now I am so tired of the arguments over the authenticity of the recipe or of its origins that I seldom choose it myself. I care little whether it has pastry or biscuit base, whether the cream is au naturel or flavoured with coffee. It’s a good pud in its multiplicity of forms and he found no fault with it at all.
I decided to keep him company with some sorbet, a lighter option I hoped, but as with all the food, the portion was very generous, and pretty good too – not home-made, I suspect, but good quality.
Throughout we drank copious amounts of wine but with little fear as the pricing policy here is pretty modest, and although the owner apologised for a wine list that was in disarray, we found things to go with what we were eating and by the glass rather than by the bottle.
Kemp Brasserie has a good feel to it, relaxed and informal, sensibly priced but not at the expense of excellent friendly service. Nor were we driven along by a team hell bent on seeing us in and out so that they could sell the table again. In fact, we were encouraged to linger and enjoy the jolly mood of the place.
The food was good and tasty, good value and certainly worthy of a repeat visit. I would also say that compared to a great many pubs, who sell food at restaurant prices but not in a restaurant setting or with full table service, the Kemp Brasserie is selling food and service for far less and in very comfortable surroundings. We finally waddled and wavered the few hundred yards home with me wondering, why oh why, had I not taken advantage of the place more often?
The set menu offers, which appear on a blackboard outside and in the window, appear to be ongoing but do check. Even so, the à la carte menu is remarkably fairly priced and full of generous dishes even at the lower end of the price range. Did I like it? I did. It was tasty, filling, friendly, not overpriced and a short stagger home; all good in my book.
Kemp Brasserie 24–25 St George’s Road, Brighton, BN2 1ED, 01273 626060
andrew@thelatest.co.uk
