Stephen F.

Review of Via Cafe

21 Nov 08, 11:03

Via is Nia

Check out the reviews of this place here:

http://www.welovelocal.com/en/se/brighton-and-hove/brighton/cafes/nia-bn14er.html

Loads of people in Brighton think this place is called "Nia" because the sign on the outside was really badly written (the "V" looked like an "N")

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of English's Of Brighton

19 Apr 08, 19:57

Excellent Brigton Seafood Restaurant

English's can be found at the centre of the North Laines area of Brighton just a couple of streets away from the seafront.

It has a well deserved reputation for serving up some of (if not the) best seafood in Brighton and if you're going there you're going to need a pretty fat wallet as quality comes with a pretty hefty price tag.

So, unless you're super minted, you're best off saving up for a special occasion and then going proper mental when you get there by tucking into the scallops to start followed by the biggest whole grilled lobster you can afford and washing it all down with a bottle of Champers or Chablis. Add on the excellent creme brulee for desert and a coffee and you can easily find yourself breaking the £100 / head barrier.

Worth every penny!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of New Steine Hotel

25 Mar 08, 21:13

Quality Brighton B&B - At a price

Taking its name from the Brighton square that it's situated on, the New Steine is a quality B&B - or as they, like so many others B&Bs nowadays prefer to be called "boutique hotel".

The square itself is typical of seafront Brighton - full of late regency houses (most of which have also been converted to hotels) that overlook a pleasant gated lawn area in the centre.

Inside it was obvious that the hotel had recently undergone a full refurbishment as everything was spick and span with not a glimpse of chintz of flock wallpaper to be seen anywhere.

The room we were allocated was big, spacious and airy. However, the same can't be said for the en-suite shower room where any attempt at cat swinging would have surely ended in failure.

The staff were all really friendly (offering us free drinks and plenty of conversation on arrival) and they seemed genuinely eager to share their knowledge of Brighton to help us get the best of our stay.

Bad points were the price - though I suppose £95 for a double / night is probably the going rate in Brighton nowadays for the peak Easter Bank Holiday - and the location of the room itself. As revelers are want to return from a night on the tiles at all hours of the morning I'd try to get a room that's NOT located on the ground floor near the front door (ours was 103) - either that or pack a good set of ear plugs.

Still I wasn't there for a good night's sleep so it suited me to a T.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Nia

25 Mar 08, 20:25

Great Cafe in the North Laines

This place is great cafe to drop in on anytime of day. It's typical of the type of cafe that have begun to usurp the old fashioned greasy spoons that used to be all that was on offer in Brighton - all shabby chic mix-and-match furniture (including school desks for some tables) and offering a good mix of cafe food favourites served with a twist as well as more up-market dishes.

However, at the moment it appears to be closed for a re-fit (as at March 08) so I can't vouch for how it looks, or what they end up serving in a couple of month's time.

Let's hope they sort the signage out whilst they're at it as, thanks to the use of a swirly italic font I've always been confused as to whether it was called "Nia Cafe" or "Via Cafe" - something this site seems to suffer from too as I'm guessing this is the same place! http://www.welovelocal.com/en/se/brighton-and-hove/brighton/cafes/via-cafe-bn14er.html

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Kensington Cafe

25 Mar 08, 20:03

Average Brighton Cafe with run-off-the-mill breakfasts

As the previous reviewer remarked, the best things about the Kensington Cafe are its location and its outside balcony that overlooks the hustle and bustle of the main pedestrianised shopping street in the North Laines.

If offers pretty good baked spuds with any topping you could imagine, but it's the English Breakfasts that let it down. You can go for a "Big Veggie" or a "Big Meat" neither of which are anything to write home about. The sausages taste cheap and processed and both the toast and bacon had more in common with cardboard than cordon blue.

Still, you pays your money and takes your choice. Though if it were me I'd venture a couple of streets further north to the corner of Trafalgar Street where you'll find the excellent Nia Cafe instead.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.