Andrew Kay enjoys an impromtu solo lunch at The Bath Arms

In the weeks running up to the festivities Brighton’s potatory establishments were pretty crammed with yuletide revellers, all out to have fun, which mainly means, to get very drunk indeed. I guess with the technological changes seen over the last decade, fewer and fewer will return to the office to have sex in stationery cupboards, a thing of the past (stationery cupboards, not sex) and to photocopy their bums. Although I’m sure that should they wish they will invent some other kind of mischief, and good luck to them I say.

This merriment meant that finding a quiet spot of lunch was something of a tall order. I was caught between appointments in the centre of town and in no mood to be surrounded by people being jolly with other people who, for the most part of the year, they have simply no time.

It was cold and drizzling and I needed to take shelter and eat, so I fell into the door of The Bath Arms where I had been hearing some good reports. It was warm and cosy inside and I received such a warm welcome that I immediately relaxed and found a nice corner table to hide at.

I was remarkably hungry as it happened and so when the menu arrived I was pleased to see a wide choice of robust classics from which to choose. But first I wanted a drink, a proper drink and a pint of North Laine bitter certainly hit the spot.

I have of late rather shied away from choosing potted shrimps. Coming from Lancashire I grew up on these tasty but tiny morsels, and I know that preparing them is a time consuming fiddle, but more than worthwhile. So why avoid them? Well the portions I have been served have been so tiny that a few years back they might have passed as an amuse bouche. The message is, if you can’t serve a decent portion then don’t serve them at all. So why choose them now? Well I really fancied them, and I am pleased to report that I was certainly not disappointed. The portion at The Bath Arms, whilst not huge, was certainly decent, and the flavour was excellent too, perhaps a little light on mace for my taste, but properly spiced with plenty of sweet little brown shrimps to make me happy. I liked the salad on the side too and the excellent dressing and properly crisp toasts. A word to all other restaurants, if this pub can get this dish so right without being mean then so can you.

“Given my choice of a dish that can so often be a let down, I went on to choose a main course with a similar pedigree. Cassoulet!”

Given my choice of a dish that can so often be a let down, I went on to choose a main course with a similar pedigree. Cassoulet! How many times are we told that the dish we are eating in the real deal, the proper recipe, the authentic one? I give up on that and really do not care. In much the same way that across Lancashire, hotpots vary in both ingredients and method, so too does cassoulet. I’ve eaten them deep in southern France and found them to be dull and I’ve eaten them in Paris and been delighted. Is there a definitive cassoulet? I suspect not.

The Bath Arms do a pretty good job and serving it with buttered greens was a brilliant match and I guess not traditional in any way, after all, we all know how bad the French are at cooking vegetables (I await a backlash from that one). This came in a deep individual marmite and I longed for a wider dish so the garlic breadcrumb on top would be crisper and more plentiful. The beans were superb, rich and sticky in a luscious tomato sauce and there were plenty of them too. The confit duck leg was good too, simply falling from the bone in slippery chunks.

If I had one complaint it would be that the big chunk of Toulouse sausage, and it was a big chunk in fairness, was the only chunk and it was so good I wanted more. Had I known it was there alone I would have cut it up and savoured it. I think it needs a whole sausage in there really, but it’s a minor point and I truly enjoyed my whole meal, enough to say that I will return.

I have recently been in Taunton and for those of you who complain about Brighton’s restaurant scene then I condemn them to a week there trying to find a decent meal. There is of course the much feted Castle Hotel, at the top end of the market, and an excellent Indian called Blue Mango. Outside in the depths of the country there are plenty of decent pubs too but I was amazed to see how expensive pub food is down West! In desperation one evening and alone I popped into a chain restaurant, where I ordered some calamari followed by a chicken breast in gorgonzola sauce with a side of rosemary potatoes and a side of winter greens. The calamari was awful, overcooked and tasteless, the mayo synthetic. The chicken came with mushroom sauce and no cheese so I sent it back. The winter greens came as a tiny portion of French beans, broccoli florets (soggy) and asparagus. Now to my mind that does not say winter greens. I sent them back too, only to be told that they were what had been sent from mission control. The chicken came back with cheese and leeks and was okay, but not great and certainly not a patch on the good fare that I enjoyed at The Bath Arms and a whole lot more expensive.

Hats off to Brighton and Hove’s independent restaurant scene I say!

The Bath Arms, 4–5 Meeting House Lane, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HB,
01273 731864

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