XYZ Food Reviews: Stealthily sampling eateries to help you find great places to eat in the city!
Where: Green Kitchen, 8 Preston Rd, Brighton, BN1 4QF
Book / order: 01273 684 158
Approaching Green Kitchen, their shop-front is bright and welcoming, with a buzzing outdoor seating area on offer for those brave enough to gamble with the British summer weather. Not for me though, I head inside where I am greeted by friendly staff and a pleasantly relaxing atmosphere, rare to find in this busy area of town!
The chairs and tables are rustic and the walls are decorated with local art, it’s the perfect environment for a quiet lunch with friends or a spot of people watching. They even welcome dogs, encouraging you to submit pics of them enjoying their visit – it’s winning me over already!
Picking up a well designed menu it’s a challenge to choose with so many yum-sounding options available; largely consisting of 100% vegan versions of your favourite traditional dishes, such as burgers and full English breakfasts. The breakfast menu is served all day and boasts incredibly well priced dishes for Brighton (from £3.95), including Baked Bananas and Scrambled Tofu. The lunch menu also catches my eye with its wide selection of sandwiches and sides.
Browsing the menu, a Deliveroo driver comes to collect an order – when asked, the staff shared that people often order for breakfast in bed at weekends, or dinner up until 10pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Filing this nugget under “potential hangover cures”, I decide to settle on the burger menu. There’s the option to build your own burger, combining a choice of patties – black bean, chicken-style, portobello mushroom and more with Mexican, Jamaican or Italian-style toppings.
After deliberation I play it safe with the recommended House BBQ Burger (£9). Using seitan as an alternative to meat, this ¼ pounder is topped with melted vegan cheese, homemade streaky-bacon-style rashers, Ryan’s tangy BBQ sauce (I don’t know who Ryan is but I trust he’s good at what he does), caramelised red onions and pickles.
After a short wait the burger arrives at my table, complete with a generous helping of fries, homemade coleslaw and a side salad. I’m offered a selection of sauces (tomato ketchup, obviously) and we’re off!
My first thoughts? I’m glad i’m very hungry because this burger means business! My plan of action, mainly designed to draw minimal attention to myself – is to tackle this one with a knife and fork. Like love at first bite, I’m instantly greeted by the sweetness of the caramelised onions and the tangy-ness of the BBQ sauce.
Now, I’m a firm believer that all of the best burgers should be messy to eat and this one is no exception, with the pickles being the first to escape the confines of the soft bread bun, riding a wave of lava-like melted cheese to short-lived freedom.
The star of the show is the patty itself though, I’ve had a lot of veggie-burgers in my time, but this one takes things to the next level with its succulent melt-in-your-mouth texture and smoky flavour, and what I enjoyed most was the unexpected spicy kick at the end.
As far as the sides go, the salad and chips served their purpose, but the coleslaw deserves a special mention for its great homemade flavour that left me wanting more – well done coleslaw.
Next up, although more than content I spot something out of the corner of my eye – a salted caramel chocolate brownie (£3). For the price, it’s a well-sized slice of chocolate heaven. Intensely rich and creamy, yet somehow still 100% vegan, it tasted even better than it looked! Savouring every last bit, another customer ordered one to takeaway and I felt us bonding across the room over a mutual happiness for this tray-baked delight.
Green Kitchen’s aim is simple – to provide a varied range of great vegan food in a friendly, inclusive and welcoming environment. They live by their word, creating a safe haven for vegans and vegetarians alike with their well thought out dishes and an extensive choice that is often found to be lacking from other places.
Be sure to check out this little gem of a place in Brighton.
Secret eating, words and pics by Sam Barnes
Facebook.com/greenkitchenbrighton
Greenkitchenbrighton.com
As you can see by their 5 star status at their Trip Advisor page, we’re not the only ones who think this place is a must-try…
