Food & Drink: Dome cooking

Pre theatre dining hits a new high with Peyton & Byrne at Brighton’s Dome arts complex

I have, on the whole, mixed feelings about pre-theatre dining. When so many people moan to me about the cost of an evening out with ticket prices and the costs of dinner, drinks and a programme mounting up I will often say, eat at home first and make theatre the main event, or inversely dine out and make that your evening’s entertainment.





All this said, my tickets for I’m Sorry I haven’t A Clue came with an invitation to try the Dome’s new pre-show menu. Funnily enough I had popped into the Dome foyer a few days before for a spot of post lunchtime concert fare and was more than impressed by a tasty chicken and ham pie served with properly seasonal salads. And I love their homemade fig rolls!

Excited enough about the show I was rather looking forward to our dinner, as was Ms C who is a massive Radio 4 fan and not averse to a spot of food either. The deal is that you book and order in advance. Now I know some people don’t like this but I’m pro cutting down on food waste and this is an excellent way of doing just that.

We were directed to the Founders Room which was laid as a restaurant complete with white linen, quality glass and cutlery – it was candlelit and looked very smart. Once seated the service was first class, I had a glass of rosé and a bottle of sparkling water in a trice and before very long our starters had arrived.
Ms C kicked off with a ham hock terrine served with sourdough toast and an excellent piccalilli, I know because I stole some. There was plenty of it and a decent amount of toast. Why is it that fancy restaurants give you toast to go with terrines and patés in such dainty portions. There were of course excellent miniature loaves too which neither of us could resist.

I had chosen the salt croquettes with tartare sauce. From my time in northern Portugal I have loved this dish and a later encounter with south American food had reaffirmed that love. These were generous but not silly big and the sauce was superb, really well balanced. They were also piping hot.

I knew when I first read the menu that Ms C would make a beeline for the baby back ribs. She chose well, again generous, but more importantly well cooked. The meat simply fell from the bones and that is important when your next move is into a theatre setting. With it came game chips and a really good wintery salad. Now Ms C is no salad fan but she actually commented on how nice this was, high praise indeed.

I had chosen a roast chicken salad. Now a lesser menu might have declared this a chicken Caesar, and that silliness makes me cross as there is really no such thing and invariably a Caesar salad is not what it claims to be anyway. This salad comprised a beautifully cooked and sliced chicken breast on a bed of baby gem lettuce with a creamy but light dressing, croutons, fried capers and shavings of Berkswell cheese. It satisfied on many levels, hints of mustard added spice, the cheese saltiness and the croutons crunch. It was very good, perhaps a few too many croutons but plenty of delicious capers.

Ms C dislikes nuts and worries about puds as they so often contain them, but she was more than happy with an excellent selection of cheeses that again came with a homemade pickle and plenty of oat cakes.

I went crazy and chose the Gooey Valrhona chocolate pot with salted caramel and homemade shortbread biscuit. My word I chose well, the chocolate element was indeed a dark and sophisticated goo. The addition of a foundation and lid of rich and salty caramel meant that there was no disappointment in the delivery and the three shortbreads had, I think, just a hint of lemon. Prettily served in a Kilner style jar, it was about as good as a pud can get.

All this left us with just enough time for a tea and a coffee, both excellent. What was even better was having our table saved for the interval and being able to leave our coats safely there. So no standing about, no crush at the bar, we were able to order interval drinks, and no waiting. In fact we were offered the option of having pud in the interval too, but chose not to. Now what is not to love about this?

I may now have to revise my views on pre-theatre dining as this was done with such style and elegance. The food was first class, well considered and generous, especially when priced at two courses for £16.50 and three courses for £19.50 and the wine list is short but well constructed too. I only ask this, post theatre dining? I rather like that option and here in Brighton it is nigh on impossible to find anywhere that stays open late enough to do that.

To book email preshowdining@peytonandbyrne.co.uk stating the performance you are attending, with date and your menu choices which will be shown on the Dome website. Tables must be booked and menu choices received at least 48 hours prior to the event.

Pre-theatre dining is available for the following performances:
Van Morrison, Mon 17–Tue 18 February
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sat 22 Feb & Sat 22 March
The Overtones, Sat 1 March
Russell Watson, Thur 10 April
Sarah Millican, Fri 25–Sun 27 April

Follow me: latestandrew