Cook it: We all need friends

Impressive dining at Food For Friends

I probably make too many jokes about vegetarians, how when they invite me they never seem to consider slamming a chop under the grill to satisfy my omnivorous needs. Of course it is a joke, well for the most part. What I seldom do is joke about local vegetarian restaurants, and why? Well simply because for the most part the standard has been set so high.
This week I am reporting from the recently refurbished Food For Friends. This place seems to have been going for longer than I care to remember. Started by Simon Hope all those years ago it was certainly back then a destination for all veggies and although not groundbreaking in a modern culinary sense, it did an excellent job. But Simon sold and it changed, oh how it changed. Today F for Fs is a rather stunning gastronomic experience that has to be tried to be believed.

It sits in pole position at the corner of Prince Albert Street and certainly looks smart. Inside is clean and modern and rather chic too, there’s not even a hint of the old school lentil and sandal ethos that for so long was attached to vegetarian dining.
The new menu is packed with fascinating choices and that makes it rather hard to decided. It also makes me realise the frustrations that vegetarians face when dining out and are only offered one vegetarian choice.
Our charming waiter brought us first a new dish, an experiment that as yet is not on the menu, ah the privilege of position. It was a lush mushroom pate cleverly disguised as a fruit in a citrus gel – extraordinarily good and I have to say rather ‘meaty’!
I was joined by Mrs R, a sparkling companion and to start she chose smoked ricotta and ‘parmesan’ gnudi dumplings served in a sage butter sauce. They looked delightful and tasted even better and our only comment would be that they were too big. Now if the only complaint you have is generosity of portion size you should shut up – so I will!.

I chose the vegetarian haggis with poached egg with sautéed spinach and a smoked paprika hollandaise sauce, all delicious and again beautifully presented.
Mrs R moved on to the open ravioli of roasted butternut squash, with beetroot, walnuts and wilted spinach and a white wine and Brighton blue cheese sauce. It certainly hit the spot. I chose the double baked souffle topped with goat’s cheese served with roasted Jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut rosemary parsley pesto and wilted cavolo nero. A very big yum here, rich, yet light and wonderful black cabbage.
Pretty full after two generous courses I was slightly daunted by the thought of dessert. Mrs R was quick to choose the molten chocolate pudding with salted caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios and sent the following 15 minutes ooohing with delight. “I cannot resist anything with salt caramel” she declared and she polished off the lot.
I was rather full so chose some of their home made ice-cream and sorbets. I loved the mango sorbet, equally the passion fruit but it was a mind blowingly good white chocolate ice-cream that lit up my dessert. It was truly magnificent in its unctuous, sweet loveliness.
Presentation and service were second to none, prices sensible for such excellent cooking and, dare I say it, no chop was required!
Food for Friends, 17-18 Prince Albert Street, The Lanes, Brighton BN1 1HF
01273 202 310, www.foodforfriends.com