Andrew Kay enjoys a Sunday lunch in The Garden Room at The Holiday Inn

All too quiet

The question I am most often asked is where to find the very best Sunday lunch. The answer I give is simple: at home. I truly believe that Sunday lunch is a meal best cooked at home in the way our parents and grandparents prepared it, so much of the pleasure is associated with memories and in particular the memories of childhood.





My childhood was a meat fest, my grandfather was a butcher and Sunday was the day he prepared the cooked meats for his shop, a sagging sideboard laden with a wide array of roasts at which we were encouraged to choose what we liked. It was the precursor of the carvery I guess, but without that greed that so often can be seen at the modern version.

The sad truth is, in these days of fast and convenience foods, too few of us will prepare a Sunday roast. I am guilty of this, just like the next man or woman, and I find myself dining out on the Sabbath, perhaps my only religious act these days.

When Mr M called and invited me to join him at The Garden Room in Brighton’s seafront Holiday Inn I was at a loose end, without a joint of meat in the offing at home, so I leapt at the chance.

I ate at The Garden Room many years ago with a group of friends and it was not too awful a carvery experience. The clientele was genteel for the most part so the greed factor was not too apparent and there was live music, jazz if I remember, not my favourite, it always sounds to me that the musicians have forgotten the tune even though my muso friends assure me they have not.

We met a little early and had a sharpener before walking along the seafront and taking our place in the dining room, only to find that we were dining alone, alone that is apart from some ever so nice staff and two young musicians who were setting up. I’m glad to say that it was not jazz but some very fine guitar playing and a crooner of real talent tackling the great 20c songbook.

First out was a cocktail, we have a bad cocktail habit, a bramble and a very well made one using creme de mure correctly and not the oft substituted creme de cassis.

The menu is just under £20 for three courses which is pretty much on a par with any pub in town for the same number of dishes. Mr M started with whitebait, a dish which is out of bounds to me what with the gout. He loved it and I have to say I did look on with envy as the little fishes disappeared into the paprika mayonnaise and then down his gullet like some shoreline wading bird.

I was happy though as my black pudding on toasted brioche with poached egg was pretty damned fine if perhaps a little too generous with a roast to follow.

Mr M moved on to a chicken breast served with braised little gem and vegetables. He liked this too but had one complaint: there was too much of the lettuce. Oh, that too much was my only ever complaint, when so often it is too little!

I went all trad and ordered the roast beef. This too was good as were the accompanying vegetables and a spot-on Yorkshire pudding. My only quibble would be that the gravy was already on the plate. Other than that it was good, good French beans, carrots and first class roast potatoes and we (when I say we, I mean I), ordered a side of creamed leeks which were superb.

We drank a bottle of good viognier, I love that oily texture and hefty flavour and it worked pretty well with the beef on a hot day where a red might have been a drink too far.

Mr M finished with an Eton Mess, good he declared, as he is a fan of Eton mess in its many forms these days. I chose banana pancakes which I liked because I like pretty much anything with a hot banana involved.

It was a good meal, served by charming staff to nice music, and it deserved to be better attended. The view is great, raised as you are to a height that affords a decent sea view. But with no signage outside or in, no menus to peruse on the promenade or banners saying ‘Eat Here, it’s really rather good’, it is perhaps understandable that it does not draw a crowd. I hope it does because with some encouragement it could be a rather good alternative to dining at home. www.holidayinn.com/brighton