Food, Days Out and Travel stories from Brighton, London and the Rest of the World

Friday

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown

To my knowledge, The Gingerman restaurants has a pretty good reputation with the locals of Brighton and Hove. It’s where people choose to go for a special meal and it’s where, in the case of our friends, they chose to have their super wedding reception with a fish and chip supper. The best fish and chips our friend from Cardiff said he’d ever had.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac




On top of this, the set of four restaurants, comprising of the Ginger Pig, Gingerman, Ginger Fox and Ginger Dog have received some tip top accolades, most recently from GQ, naming the Ginger Pig one of their Top Ten Best Pubs in the UK.

The one closest to where I live in Kemptown is the cosy pub, the Ginger Dog. A fine dining pub where dogs are welcome, a roaring fire warms the room on cold nights and at the back, a good sized dining room, replete with red banquette seating hugs three walls.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac


It was my first visit for dinner and I had high hopes after a recommendation from Kemptown friends. Greeted by Nancy we were offered any table we fancied, it was a Tuesday evening, it was 7 pm and there were only two other parties, so we had a few good options.

Settling in the corner we ordered a glass of red and white wine while we decided on what else to order. I asked for some suggestions and chose the red Bobal de Sanjuan from Ucles that turned out to be the new barman's favourite red. He had just visited the vineyard outside of Valencia, a piece of news that sparked off a whole load of conversation about the architectural delights of Spain's third largest city.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac


The white that was also recommended was a very nice medium dry option, the Mas Puech, made from the Picpoul grape. To further stall for time while such weighty decisions as should I go cauli steak or Cuttlefish were being mulled over I ordered a butterbean skordallia on flatbread. A perfect sized snack for two, it reminded me of the creaminess of a hummus spread but was made with butterbeans and topped with crunchy butterbeans and the odd zing from a sprinkling of herbs. Very tasty and very much worth trying if a snack is all you need.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac


For starters, we ordered a plate or artichoke, black fig, labneh and zaatar (a middle-eastern spice mix) to share. It arrived on a black plate with the morsels delicately scattered across the plate. The fig gave the dish a hint of sweetness that combined nicely with the more earthy taste of the artichoke and was very enjoyable.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac


For mains, my Welsh One ordered the rib-eye steak in a red wine sauce, which we both tried and found to be very tender and very tasty. Meanwhile, I went for the cauliflower steak, pomegranate, freekeh (dried green wheat) and dukkah. As happens whenever pomegranate appears on a plate the little red jewels made the dish look so pretty and the mixture of nuts and pulse was full of flavour. It was a really great addition to the menu.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac


I was not surprisingly full after all this and so chose a liquid dessert to end the meal. Nancy told me the Ginger Dog is the only one that offers liquid desserts and I chose to try their chocolate orange. A mix of Patron XO Tequila, Cointreau, Mandarin Napoleon Liqueur, Dark Chocolate Sauce, Cream, with Chocolate Orange flakes on top. This, it turns out is a favourite at the Ginger Dog, and the cocktail tasted unbelievably delicious! It's the best cocktail I've had in Brighton all year.

Foodie Friday - The Ginger Dog, Kemptown, photo by modernbricabrac


Whether you're an existing fan of the Ginger brand and have yet to try this eastern outpost or are new to Brighton and want somewhere casual and understated with a warm welcome and super food, this is my Kemptown recommendation for you. Great wine, great cocktails and really great food.

With huge thanks to the Ginger Group for our fabulous supper.

Ginger Dog, 12 College Place, Brighton, BN2 1HN

Happy munching

Sarah xx


photo 
Sarah Agnew
Blogger, Modern Bric a Brac
    

To find out about the best places to eat in Brighton and London plus beautiful places to visit, click here to Follow my blog with Bloglovin

SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig