from Sussex, with love

Tête-à-Tête at Terre à Terre – Brighton Restaurant Review

I was going to add this at the end of my Wittering post yesterday but I decided that it was so mind-blowingly incredible that it deserved it’s own post entirely.

We were hoping to have a meal out with the in-laws on Monday evening in Wittering before we headed home. Unfortunately most of the pubs around the village only serve food at lunch times (massively missing a trick there) which ruled out about 80% of the local places we could eat. The other 20% either didn’t cater for Vegetarians (as many seaside restaurants don’t) or didn’t cater for Alex’s very fussy mum who basically only eats plain chicken!

So after hours of Googling menus and consulting Trip Advisor we decided to call it a night and head back home, but we still needed to eat and the thought of the half rotten red pepper and lonely bag of red lentils back home was far from appealing. We drive home via Brighton and as I reached the outskirts of the city I had a sudden, and very uncharacteristic, brain wave.

Back in July we had been on a day trip in Brighton for Alex’s birthday and had become rather hungry while roaming the lanes for bargains. We wandered around for ages trying to find something that would appeal to my fussy veggie fella and were failing miserably when we stumbled upon  a rather humble looking restaurant called Terre à Terre; on closer inspection we realised it was a veggie restaurant – hurrah!

The food was insanely good, but we were so hungry at that time it was hard to judge it fairly over the grumbling stomachs, so when we neared Brighton on Monday evening I decided it was time to give the restaurant a second visit. It did not disappoint.

I couldn’t take too many photo’s because the lighting is really cosy and there were lots of other diners that I didn’t want to annoy with my flash, but the restaurant itself is gorgeous. Deep reds and soft leather seating with mellow lighting make it a really comfortable place to sit and enjoy a meal and the attentive, welcoming staff make you feel at home instantly.

The menu is extensive and full of the most tantalising veggie delights! What I find most impressive is that, unlike other Vegetarian restaurants I’ve been to, Terre à Terre still like you to be full up. Maybe I’ve just not been to good veggie restaurants before but I usually find that they focus solely on the vegetables within the dish. Terre à Terre centres their menu around the flavours and the impeccable combinations that they can create, while still adding in an element of comfort food (cheese, polenta, corn, maize, potato) so that you feel deliciously full and perfectly satisfied.

We opted for the Terre à Verre which is a tapas selection for two of items from all around the menu. It also comes with chunky chips and aioli dip and a carafe of organic wine – all for £39.25!

Here is what arrived…

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I’m going to try my best to remember everything above (bar the salads) so from left to right it’s:

– Beetroot and Vodka Soup

– Ratatouille with fresh Burrata (basil leaves and olive salt finished with basil oil)

– Deep Fried Fat Grana Padano Green Olives (Stuffed with ricotta, garlic, chives and lemon zest)

– Arepas Chilli Candy (deep fried corn cakes rolled in spice dust served with chilli chelly jelly, avocado hash, oregano and lime mojo and a candied chilli)

– Sesame Hoisin Tofu (served with pickled ginger and wasabi)

– Wasabi cashews

– Aubergine Zhuganoush, better than Baba! (with spice Dust Lavash Tanoor, hot crisp flat breads with fresh coriander)

– Better Batter and Lemony Yemeni Relish (soft buttermilk soaked halloumi dipped in chip shop batter, served with vodka-spiked preserved plum tomatoes, bright fresh pea mint hash with pickled quails egg and sea salad tartar, finished with lemony Yemeni relish)

And of course the chubby chips & Aoili dip!

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There are literally no words to describe how flipping incredible this food is!! The flavours are put together so delicately and so cleverly that everything tasted absolutely perfect. Every item on this tapas selection works! You can even mix and match some of the relishes with other items and it still tastes phenomenal!

I have literally never eaten better food. I choose those words wisely too because I am not a vegetarian – this isn’t just the best veggie food I’ve eaten – it’s the best food. Full stop.

Alex has become slightly obsessed with try to find recipes for me to try of each item but we just can’t find things that come close! Terre à Terre have picked and developed flavours from all over the world to make something truly unique and mind blowing.

OK I’m going to shut up in a minute. But first… I let the waitress choose my pudding for me. Check THIS out:

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She chose me the Churrosimo (Cinnamon sugar spice dusted doughnut straws) which were incredible on their own… she also selected the dip that I got with them because I couldn’t decide. This is the point where Terre à Terre literally knocked me off my feet and sealed their place in my heart forever.

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Double dip salt caramel sticky and chocolate dipping sauce … wow.

I have never had anything for pudding that tasted as good as the salted caramel top layer of this sauce! And as you slowly dunked your Churrosimo inside the glass, it perfectly coated the straw – one half in chocolate, one half in salted caramel. Eugh.

The only thing that can beat the taste of this is the Better Batter Halloumi.

If you are in Brighton and need food – actually, even if you don’t need food – and are a vegetarian, or like vegetarian food, or have never tried vegetarian food, or just own a mouth – you NEED to go to this restaurant.

I have never come away from anywhere feeling that content. The staff are also amazing and the whole atmosphere oozes class (without making people feel out of place or costing the world!). Alex is literally the most fussy man on the planet and he even devoured the salads (this is unheard of!)

OK – extreme nauseating love over. You can find out more about the restaurant here: http://www.terreaterre.co.uk/

If anyone has recommendations for veggie recipes please pop me a link as I am now fully inspired to get stuck in with creating more of these at home!

Disclosure – I was not in any way paid or compensated to write this review. I paid for every penny of the meal and would do so again ten times over!  I should note though that the lovely waitress gave us an extra piece of better batter because I begged (it was the one I remembered being utterly incredible in July) but it in no way affected my intense love for the meal!

 

 

About 
Kelly is a twenty-something lover of all things nerdy. Cocktails and lie ins are her favorite things, neither of which she can enjoy since becoming a mum for the first time. She writes about everything she loves and loathes (with a little indifference thrown in for good measure!) She also blogs over on the BabyCentre about life as a new mum.

4 Comments

    • ScissorsPaperRockly

      September 19, 2013 - 2:33 pm
      Reply

      Ah that’s amazing, thank you!

      I’ve been following you for a while now and have spotted lots of great reviews of the Brighton restaurants on your blog so I’ll definitely be paying a few more a visit!

  1. Barry Sherwin

    September 19, 2013 - 11:07 am
    Reply

    I am a carnivore. Terre a Terre in Brighton is the best restaurant I’ve ever been to, serving the best food I’ve ever eaten. Every time. There – I’ve said it now. I’m still a carnivore, but when I cheat on meat, I do it with Terre a Terre.

    • ScissorsPaperRockly

      September 19, 2013 - 2:35 pm
      Reply

      haha exactly Barry – the meat isn’t missed at all here. Truly exceptional food!

      My best friends husband is a total carnivore and has refused to come with us – I think I can wear him down and am hoping he will be just as surprised!