Safe bet

Andrew Kay collects his chips at Brighton Marina’s Rendezvous Casino

There was a time a few years back when the Rendezvous Casino at Brighton Marina was attracting a lot of praise as a place to eat. It was justified too, the food was very good. But a few years back those chefs moved on and opened their own place to equal praise, and for some reason I forgot about the ease with which one can eat at almost any casino and how affordable it can be too. There has certainly always been a policy of selling high quality dishes, Dover soles and fillet steaks, at prices that few other restaurants could afford to do, and sometimes a sole and steak is just what the doctor ordered.
My friend Mr M, a food festival cohort, informed me that under the new management, the casino restaurant was hitting its stride again. So off I went to meet him there for dinner and no gambling. I say that because gambling doesn’t really do much for me, but there is no obligation to hit the tables if you simply want to dine or have a drink for that matter.
The first nice surprise of the evening was that the restaurant was in the more than capable hands of my old friend Anna, a seasoned catering professional. I knew that we would be in for a very nice time; she can balance quality service with friendliness in a way that few ever master.
Over a G&T Mr M pointed out a few rather understated notes on the menu. Tucked away they point out that rather a lot of the produce they are using is locally sourced. Now I know it’s a trend that some places have adopted, even if all they mean is that the tomatoes came from the local Co-op. But there they had listed the farms. I was impressed.

Anna took us to what I know is the best table with a view of every corner of the room, from the slots to the roulette. The menu is by no means trendy, if anything it is a little old fashioned but I was in the mood for that. Mr M seemed equally happy and started with some very good chilli prawns, huge specimens sat on a salad dressed with more chilli sauce.
I chose the scallops which came with toasted bread. I will be honest and say that the portion was not huge but it was certainly made up for in the quality of the cooking. Each was perfectly seared on the outside and just warmed in the middle and beneath them was as good a puddle of beurre blanc as I have had in some time, no gimmicks or tricks, just clean and precise cooking.
The chef sent a message out to apologise to Mr M that the fish supplier had only sent in fillets of Dover Sole. Now we both know that it tastes better and stays hotter when served on the bone normally, but the fillets were cooked to perfection, snowy white and perfectly tender. I did look on with a sense of envy, until my steak arrived.

“The menu is by no means trendy, if anything it is a little old fashioned but I was in the mood for that”

Now I would nearly always choose a rump or a rib-eye or a sirloin over a fillet. Fillet is so often over-priced and under-flavoured. But Anna was very keen to recommend the fillet and I have to say it was sensibly priced. It came on a large plate with a spray of roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine, a field mushroom and a bucket of chips.?Anna had asked if I would like a sauce with that and I asked if they had a blue cheese one. She nodded and there it was, served in a white china sauce boat and as good a blue cheese sauce as I have ever had. I confess to not liking the bucket thing but I will get to that later. The steak was good, not as rare as perhaps I would normally like but still rosy pink and succulent.
Puds were pleasantly old fashioned, a fruit crumble for Mr M and a sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream for me. Coffee came in a cafetiere and was very, very good and brandies were served warmed over a cup of hot water, a very pleasing old school touch.
So about that bucket – well it really lies at the heart of my only complaint. You see the food is good, really good, the meat excellent, the fish fresh and the cooking precise. I really could not fault any of it, although cherry tomatoes cooked on a vine are like culinary landmines if you don’t prick them. No, the cooking is good and the service is exemplary. What it lacks is style on the plate. The look of the food is dated; the tableware, that quirky variety of squares, oblongs and oblique angles that was so popular in 1999, but now just looks odd. And especially when the food is rather traditionally British in essence rather than artfully dainty nouvelle nonsense. And the bucket? No, no no. Please put the chips on the plate where they will stay hot and crisp and mop up some of those nice steak juices and the blue cheese sauce.
I know this is nit-picking and believe me I feel mean, but really, they could fill the place every night with produce cooked this well if it only looked better on the plate, or indeed if the plates looked better. Casino culture is changing, the licensing changes make it a more relaxed place to visit and the prices are far from scary. Given a choice of a drink here before a film or in a pub and I would go to the casino every time. I would get a seat and a very warm welcome.
Rendezvous Casino, Brighton Marina Village, BN2 5UT
01273 605602
infobrighton@rendezvouscasino.com
brighton.rendezvouscasino.com