A vegetarian feast at 1847 Brighton

Being vegetarian, I was super excited to hear that 1847 was opening in Brighton. I’d heard lots of lovely things about the other restaurants around the country and couldn’t wait to give it a go. So last week I invited my blogger BFF Carrie to come and check out what it had to offer and for a long awaited catch-up over dinner and a drink or two.

Located on North Road, Brighton, 1847 is in a prime location in the heart of the North Laines. The restaurant itself is spacious and light, with a gorgeous feature wall of fresh plants and flowers. We arrived early and had the whole place to ourselves, I quickly snapped this shot but by the time we had left the whole place was packed! They have additional seating and a chic bar area downstairs so the restaurant is actually much bigger than it looks from the outside.

The thing I love about visiting a vegetarian restaurant is that I can chose from everything on the menu. This is a rare treat for me which always leaves me overloaded by so much choice, I’m used to only having one or two options on a regular menu! So after much pondering and discussion I had made my choices. Also, as Carrie isn’t a vegetarian, it was also great to get a meat-eaters perspective on a solely vegetarian menu. She seemed equally as captivated as I was, and as we couldn’t make our minds up we ordered dishes we could share and which was a great idea as we were able to experience more than one dish each from the menu in one sitting – always good!

First up were the starters, I chose the Aubergine Rolls – (Marinated & Chargrilled Aubergine stuffed with Roasted Buckwheat, Soya Yoghurt, Parsley & Sorel) which were artistically presented on a slate tile and absolutely delicious and full of flavour. I’m pretty sure Carrie went for the Pakora, but in all the excitement of the food, I can’t actually remember! 🙂

Next up, the Main Courses. I just had to try the ‘Fish’ and Chips, as I was so intrigued as to how a vegetarian restaurant could recreate such a typically British dish, without the main ingredient…. fish? Turns out this version was a real delight! The ‘Fish’ was Cider Battered Halloumi, this was served with Hand Cut Chips, Lemon Curd, Mint & Basil Crushed Peas. This has got to be one of my favourite dishes I’ve eaten in a long time. The halloumi was soft and delicate with the batter being not too greasy, complimenting the cheese perfectly, without being too heavy. The crushed peas were sweet and the zingy tang of the lemon curd just topped off the whole dish and brought all the flavours together. If I went back I would order this dish a hundred times over, for sure.

Carrie ordered my second choice on the menu, the Celeriac & Potato Bake (Gratin with Berkswell Cheese, Spring Onions, Roasted Radish & Carrots) this came in a generous portion size topped with tons of fresh veggies and looked absolutely divine.

We were going to just stick with two courses, but once the pudding menu was on the table we just couldn’t resist! Again, there was so many lovely options to chose from (I wanted them all!) but being the chocoholic I am I just had to go for the Warm 1847 Brownie (Dark Chocolate Brownie, Chilli Brittle, Pistachio Soil & Basil). One of my favourite tastes is Chilli chocolate so I loved the sharp bite of the chilli within this indulgent chocolate brownie.

Carries choice was the Mint & Macha Panna Cotta (Raspberries Coulis, Roasted Almonds & Tomato Granita – although Carrie went without the tomato, which comes on the side). This was quite an unusual dish, the texture of the panna cotta was almost jelly-like and the flavour was quite unique too. I can only describe is as being like a mojito in a creamy, jelly-form!  Sounds strange, but it was a refreshing and zingy flavour and is definitely one to try to next time!

Overall, we both really enjoyed our dining experience at 1847. It’s a fantastic venue, the menu is varied and the food is exceptional in quality. The best thing is that the menu is clearly marked for all dietary requirements (a vegetarians dream!), meaning it’s a great place to eat for vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free-ers alike. Saying that, it’s also great if you are a meat-eater who just fancies something different – Carrie loved it and was quite happy to go meat-free for the evening without feeling something was missing. The prices are set at £19.50 for 2 courses or £25 for 3 courses, which for the quality of food is really reasonable.

 

Head down to North Road, Brighton to check out 1847 now.