Monday, September 01, 2008

the food at FOOD in Worthing is very worthwhile (near Brighton, UK)

Our last big dinner (other than superb dining at Will's brother's home) was in their seaside town of Worthing in West Sussex, about an hour plus south of London. Will's brother Jeff, and his partner, John, chose FOOD (www.protorestaurantgroup.com) just a block off the seashore and two blocks from their home. It was a great choice as we all enjoyed everything, and the only one error, an overcooked Beef Wellington, was immediately returned and replaces (although it took an extra 20 minutes to cook) with all its side dishes being replaced as well! John thought our adorable server was Swedish, and I said, perhaps, but his accent sounded Swedish by way of Scotland. WRONG! He proudly told us he was Transylvanian. His co-worker was Hungarian, and these days with the EU, we do indeed se so many people crossing the country borders for work and no matter what, everyone is always so nice.

FOOD has a second floor mezzanine and enjoyable live pianist and the decor is simple, but elegant. We asked for a bottle of Chateau Pouilly Pouilly Fuisse, but got a MOMMESSIN 2006 "2 Terroirs" Pouilly Fuisse which we gladly accepted for the same price and fell for instantly; it was love at first sip - creamy, rich, intense chardonnay to die for. As we chose some spicy starters we reversed to a simpler ANTARIO 2007 GAVI from Piemonte (Italy) which was a great choice with the OCTOPUS CREOLE (the only dish that was sort of small) that was tender and just slightly spicy, the ROASTED SALTED SARDINES and my amazing COCONUT ROPE-GROWN MUSSELS with Lemongrass, Coconut, chilli and onions. The sauce was spicy and totally intense and I had to mop up a cup of so with the big soft bread it came with.

Our entrees were all top notch from Will's (at first overcooked, but rectified) BEEF WELLINGTON in Red Wine Sauce (there was a choice of red wine, blue cheese or peppercorn sauces) served with summer veggies and a choice of potatoes (which came with al dishes but mine) of new, mashed, roasted or chips.

Jeff said the SWEET CHILLI SWORDFISH was quite good and John adored his MAPLE SYRUP LAMB SHANK which I tasted and raved about. Having had the mussels, a virtual entree size starter, my VENISON & DUMPLING STEW was probably the other heaviest item on the menu--but was exquisite. I ledt one piece of meat and asked for a kittie bag (Jeff & John have a cat) and they said they normally don't do that, but would indulge me. That's the funniest thing I find about dining in Europe; they would rather toss the food than let you take it home. We enjoyed a nice 2004 CLANCY's Shiraz-Cabernet-Merlot from Peter Lehmann with our entrees and only Will opted for dessert and I tasted his TRUFFLE & BAILEY's CHEESECAKE which was a very light whipped style cheesecake; nice after two heavy dishes--but one bite was enough. The Hungarian server offered us complimentary coffees and after dinner drinks and we reluctantly agreed, well after saying no, we quickly changed our minds and waddled the two blocks home.