Andrew Kay enjoys a delicious lunch in the sun at Breeze Brasserie

Hot & cool

I breeze by Breeze on a regular basis as it lies on my route to and from Atelier Latest, and I cannot think why I don’t go in more often. I have eaten there a few times now and have never been disappointed by the food, the prices or the service. Maybe it is the location, halfway between home and work, that deters me, which is so irrational that I apologise for the silliness of it.

Anyway, I was due a catch-up with the lovely Ms L, one of my food and literature cohorts, and it seemed like a reasonable place for us both to get to. As it happened it was a beautiful sunny day and a table on the pavement was available, so we were more than happy to sit in the sun opposite one of the city’s prettiest squares and enjoy the fine weather.

The menu at Breeze is good in that it has a wide variety of choices but without being too long. I get bored easily reading long menus and it also worries me that too many dishes could point to too many freezers and microwaves.

Having been before I knew this not to be true. Anyway, we started with a much needed large glass of white wine and a bowl of well spiced olives. The house wine is better than good and it was wonderfully chilled for such a hot day.

There is always a temptation to go back to things on a menu that you have had and loved in the past, but Ms L was very strict and insisted that I try something new. I did however point her toward the crisp chilli squid with a sweet chilli sauce. This came piled high on fresh leaves and the chilli sauce is clearly not some supermarket out-of-a-jar job but one made in house. Thankfully she loved it as much as I had in the past. I decided to try the mint and pea risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella. They arrived looking dauntingly large, but the light and fresh flavours were so good that I did manage to polish off the lot, including another clearly home-made sauce that dressed the plate. It was an excellent start to the meal, that was for sure.

Ms L decided to stick to a seafood theme and chose linguine with prawn and chilli. Now I love prawns but they are off limits right now so I looked on with envy as she tucked in. She’s a tough cookie when it comes to food so I was anxious that she would enjoy her main course as our venue had been my choice. She ate a few mouthfuls and put down her fork. Looking across at me she declared it to be delicious. The pasta perfect, the prawn taut in texture and sweet and the chilli present in exactly the right proportion. I heaved a sigh of relief, she loved her lunch.

I decided to try the lamb steak with mint and honey. I probably shouldn’t have eaten so much red meat but it was truly delicious with a deep sauce that cleverly tasted of honey without being too sweet, and of mint without tasting medicinal. It came with great vegetables too and in a proper, dare I say it, man-sized portion. It’s such a relief to be served a dish that fills you nicely.

I confess that we also went for a second glass of white with our main course but put it down to a need to rehydrate – okay, I know alcohol does the opposite but give a boy a break.

I was far too full for a whole pudding so we agreed to share the lemon tart. This too was delicious and sharply refreshing, just what we needed, well maybe not needed but wanted. Coffees were also good, my double espresso very dark and piping hot.

Breeze has a great atmosphere, fun and relaxed, the style is quirkily vintage and there is no pressure, you can go in for a simple coffee or a beer, a snack or a full blown blow out dinner. Prices are sensible, you can dine quite economically or you can push the boat out should you wish. Above all, it lacks pretence, it’s a place where you can relax and enjoy some great cooking, classics, modern twists and lighter options, and right now with the sun out it has a great al fresco vibe.

Breeze Brasserie, 98 Trafalgar Street, Brighton, BN1 4ER,
01273 693377, www.breezebrasserie.co.uk

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