Dines Out: Donatello

I was recently interviewed by the lovely Laura Lockington about my 25 years writing this column and asked some rather probing questions, some of which were clearly pointed at trying to get me to bitch about some rather familiar places. I wasn’t having any of it. Much as I can complain about places that are unjustifiably expensive and pretentious or places that are simply not meeting any sort of standard of food safety and hygiene, I do love places that deliver with honesty good food, whether it be posh nosh, a family feast or a bag of chips. Right now I love BeFries in West Street and all they do is chips, very good ones. I also still love Barnsley’s in Baker Street, so much so that I celebrated my 60th birthday there.

It is 25 years since I started doing this and my first ever column was a review of Donatello in the Lanes. I went along with the sadly deceased Louise Rennison, a good friend, and it made the whole thing a delight. Louise was a vegetarian and Donatello was and still is an ideal place for non-meat eaters whilst at the same time satisfying my inner carnivore.

Back then it was a fraction of the size it is now, but it was and still is immaculate, smartly decorated and brilliantly affordable. It is what it is – a friendly family restaurant offering well priced and tasty food. It has changed over the years to reflect fashions in food, but at the core it is much the same as it ever was.

I do love places that deliver with honesty good food

I recently went along to a small gathering to taste wines in a new space, a Moncaro wine room, with of course Moncaro wines. It was good fun, the wines are excellent and excellently priced too with a sparkling verdicchio that knocks the bubbles of any prosecco in my view. The evening was hosted by owner and family head Sue Addis. I love Sue, I admire her business acumen and her straightforward attitude. She took me on a quick tour of the premises and I have to say that she never holds back when it comes to keeping the place looking good. And the kitchen, well it is the cleanest commercial kitchen I have ever been in, and I have been in a lot. I wish mine was that immaculate. So 25 years on for me and for Sue and I am delighted to say that it is as valuable a dining asset for the city as ever.

1-3 Brighton Place, BN1 1HJ Brighton 01273 775477 donatello.co.uk

Hats off also this week to the team at High Weald Dairy where the delicious Brighton Blue cheese wins yet another award. Brighton Blue has been recognised as one of the best cheeses in the world in the 30th annual World Cheese Awards. At the awards held in London last week as part of the Taste of London Festival, Brighton Blue was pitted against more than 3,000 cheeses from 35 different countries. Against some tough competition, it was recognised as one of the top 66 cheeses in the world, receiving a prestigious Super Gold Award.
High Weald Dairy, Tremains Farm, Treemans Road, Horsted Keynes, Sussex RH17 7EA www.highwealddairy.co.uk Tel; 01825791636