Sing For You Supper – Gars

Andrew Kay keeps on singing at Gars

Everybody needs to find their inner karaoke number. I have several now and woe betide anyone who gazzumps me. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Why karaoke? This is my food page after all.

Let me explain. A few weeks ago I gathered a small group of my colleagues together and off we went to Gars for a very early Christmas party. We have been to Gars for the Latest Christmas celebration several times and in a straw poll it comes out tops with all our staff.

Gars has been around for many years and I have been going there since day one. It manages to combine great classic Chinese cuisine with some newer culinary ideas and all in stylish surroundings. The staff are excellent and the addition of karaoke to the mix makes it an ideal option for any kind of a party. Our motive was not early Christmas but just to have fun and fun was had by all, even the karaoke shy and karaoke virgins were singing by the end of the evening.

“If asked to choose one fun party place to dine in style this Christmas then Gars gets my vote”

Food of course is at the core of what Gars do and it really is first class. We started with prawn crackers and drinks and then settled down to platters of excellent ribs, the fattest prawn toast in christendom, crisp salt and pepper squid and perfect grilled dumplings. We then had scallops steamed in their shell and giant prawns, totally delicious and super fresh.

The main course was served banquet style and it certainly looked the part with two whole steamed fish, one giant sea bass and a huge grey mullet as centre pieces. There were also delicious mussels, superb fillet steak, prawns, rice, noodles and several curry dishes including a rather good lamb one. We drank great wines too, Sheridan Cooper do a great job with the Gars wine list and we had a flight of wines matched to the foods, a great option that they are happy to provide.

The downstairs private dining room has recently been refurbished and now sports quirky Fornisetti wallpaper and shiny mirror finishes. It feels private too so you can let you hair down and sing away without feeling too exposed. And it’s not long before even the shyer members of the team had a mic in hand and were belting out songs from the shows.

If asked to choose one fun party place to dine in style this Christmas then Gars gets my vote.

Gars, 19 Prince Albert Street, Brighton, 01273 321321. www.gars.co.uk