This isn’t the first time The
Coal Shed has got a mention on my blog, Joe took me there to celebrate our first
married Valentines a few years ago and it was divine. The Coal Shed is a
gourmet steak and seafood restaurant in central Brighton. When I use the term
Gourmet, it’s not a nod to the G in ‘GBK’, but the actual meaning of the word! As
well as making a lot of noise around Brighton, it’s been named as one of the
best restaurants on the UK by Observer Food Monthly awards as well as being recommended
by the Telegraph and the Guardian.
With my current lifestyle The Coal Shed is usually a
special occasion stop, but the Lunch/Pre-Theatre menu allows us to pay more
frequent visits. We were recently invited in to sample the latest lunch menu,
which offers 2 courses/ 3 courses for £15/£17.50. What I love about this menu
is that it is very small, there are 3 options for each course, with at least
one option being fish for those who are not huge meat eaters.
We were seated by the window, which is always great for us
as we love to people watch. The restaurant has a nice intimate feel without
taking away from your private dining experience. The staff is super friendly
and helpful without being too intrusive, I recommend taking any wine
suggestions they might have. We got some bread to nibble on while we pursued
the menu, the smoked butter that came with it was possibly life changing.
We both ordered the Salt Beef, Mustard Leaf, Raddish &
Mustard Cream Salad to start, it was refreshing and light with some really strong
flavours coming through from the mustard leaf. For main, Joe had the Minute
Steak, which as you can imagine was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was
served with Chunky cut chips and a small salad, but Joe also ordered a delicious
side of Macaroni Cheese.
Feeling more adventurous and not wanting to just order
another steak, I ordered the Braised Oxtail, Pancetta, Parmasean mash and
Cavelo Nero. It arrived as a cottage pie; the parmesan mash was delightful,
without being overly rich or sickly. As for my first experience of Oxtail, it
was amazing, why I have never tried it before? It was cooked so that it fell
apart and was so tender. The Cavelo Nero was also delish – I think it’s Kale.
Despite being very satisfied, we decided to go for a third
course. Joe, predictably went for the cheeseboard, which he was very happy
with, whereas I decided to have the Hazelnut and Praline Torte served with Mascapone
Sorbet. When my tiny dessert was put in front of me I thought “where is the
rest of it?” but once I started eating it, I realised that it was the perfect
size. It was very rich, but hit the spot perfectly.
If you haven’t been to The Coal Shed yet, I would say go,
you really won’t regret it. If you can’t afford to go A La Carte, definitely go
for their Pre-theatre menu. Do you have a restaurant you go to for special
occasions?
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Love Lilla xx