The Bath Arms

Roast dinner:  £8.95 - £10.95
Avg drinks prices:  Bottle cider £3.90, pint lager £3.65, soft drinks £1.95
Desserts approx £4.95

The Bath Arms is one of Brighton's hidden gems. Tucked away in a corner of the South Lanes and overshadowed by the football-showing, cheap-burger-serving might of The Font, it's easy to overlook the traditional red-and-white decor of this haunt. However, I assure you that doing so is a huge mistake.

Small in size but surprisingly spacious, the main bar is surrounded by small tables and benches, but to the left is a large eating area, with tables that can seat up to 6 - if you have a big party though, prepare to be separated as there is no space huge enough to fit such a big group.  However, this won't really matter; the whole place has a 'living room' feel to it, especially in the winter.  It'll just be like sitting round at your auntie's house. In fact, everything about this place is 'real' - real ales, real ciders, real crisps (none of that Walkers crap), a real fireplace with real flames, real service and real, genuine, hearty food. The bar staff are equally 'real' - there's none of that pretentious air in The Bath Arms; they're just genuinely lovely people who will do all they can to make sure you enjoy your food and drink.

This is a place that remains traditional - in an age where we are expected to make our own way to the bar to place our orders before carrying our own drinks through the melee to our table, it makes a refreshing change to have waiter service in a cosy pub. The staff are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly and are willing to assist in making some (inevitably) difficult choices when it comes to your food. Service is relatively quick, too - any faster and I'd be wondering about their methods in the kitchen but a wait for food is long enough to make you realise that they really are cooking from fresh, but not so long that you are twiddling your thumbs whilst your stomach growls angrily at you.

As far as the food goes, main courses are divine. Changing daily, all food is locally produced and prepared fresh in the kitchen and manages to avoid the pretentious flourishes so well used in Brighton. A staple on the menu is the hearty portion of wild boar and cider sausages atop a creamy mountain of real mash with just the right amount of meaty gravy. Ratatouille comes in a steaming bowl and managed to convert a vegetarian friend back to the world of mediterranean vegetables after some terrible ratatouille-related experiences in the past. The fish and chips came on a huge plate, with thick-cut chips that are served at just the right temperature, though the mushy peas on the side were a little bland and left a lot to be desired. My only criticism with the main courses is the lack of vegetables - a friend who'd ordered the salmon with polenta was disappointed that she would have to pay extra for her helping of veg. It seemed a little like we were being ripped off - after all, aren't veg part of any meal?

However, this all pales into insignificance when you sit down for a Sunday Roast, and, let's be fair, this IS a blog about roasts. Choices are limited to three and you never know what those choices will be until you arrive, but whatever you choose is guaranteed to be served beautifully. The chicken, skin-on, is crispy and herby; the beef is rare and melt-in-the-mouth; the pork is sumptuous and salty without being tough, and if you're lucky to get pork belly, the crackling will be bubbly, thick and crunchy. The vegetarian choice is bursting with herby, citrussy flavours and the vegetarian gravy is not a cheap, meat substitute - they really go out of their way to ensure that veggies feel included. All roasts are served with roast potatoes (chewy and crunchy at the same time), seasonal vegetables (usually roasted carrots and parsnips with cabbages in winter; spring greens, green beans and carrots in the summer months, all providing a lovely sweet side to the dish) and a home-made Yorkshire pud.

The cabbage alone is an experience - spiced; crunchy without being overcooked and bearing a hint of cinnamon and apple - wow.  I don't even like cabbage, but this is something else.  The carrots are honeyed and crunchy; the broccoli is still crisp and the green beans are nowhere near soggy.  For veg that can so easily go wrong, it's all done perfectly, and the ever-changing menu means you'll always be surprised.

The only downfall is the gravy - not the taste but the amount of it.  Unfortunately, the chef can scrimp - but this is me complaining, and I do like my roasts to be almost swimming in the stuff.  If you only like a sprinkle of the wet stuff, then you'll be fine.  It's not a huge problem, either - the staff are always passing by and asking if you need anything, and a quick word in their ear will ensure that before you know it, you've got a little pot on your table to do with as you wish.

The desserts are also beautiful - my marscapone chocolate pot with chocolate flapjack was small but enough, the juxtaposition of crunch and cream a delight. The sticky toffee pudding is light and airy, the custard creamy and velvety without being saccharine-sweet. Choices are few, but the compact menu is only beneficial - I have a feeling you'd be sat for hours attempting to conquer option paralysis otherwise.

Sandwiches and bar snacks are also served - fresh and decently portioned, they're well worth the fiver or so you'll pay.

I have been to The Bath Arms a fair few times recently, and it's testament to how good it really is that I am willing to put the Roast Hunt on hold to satisfy my stomach. However, now the sun is starting to peek through the clouds, I am sad to say that my visits will wane somewhat - thanks to its position, The Bath Arms is a perfect winter pub, but with a severe lack of outside space and its dark-wood interior, it would feel simply too suffocating in the height of summer. I have to say, I'm a sucker for a beer garden when the sun is out, and The Bath Arms simply cannot deliver this.
To summarise, the Bath Arms is the perfect place for a date, an outing with friends or an evening meal with visiting family. In fact, it's ideal for all occasions - the atmosphere is warm and forgiving on these cold nights and the accommodating staff make the hunt for the pub in the first place totally worthwhile.

9/10 (point lost to lack of beer garden - in the winter, easily a 10)

4-5 Meeting House Lane, Brighton BN1 1HB
Tel: (08721) 077 077
Booking recommended at weekends; credit/debit cards accepted

The Temple Bar

Roast dinner: £8.50
Mixed roast special: £10.95
Avg drinks prices: Bottled cider £3.90; pint lager £3.75; half pint pepsi £1.60

Ah, what a wonderful day for a roast... The sun is shining, the sky is clear and blue (and thanks to grounded planes, all that fly in it are avian) and just down the road a good few thousand people are sweating their bollocks off thirteen miles into a marathon. What better way to celebrate Brighton's first long-distance Roman throwback than with a cold beer, a pile of meat and veg and a smug grin?

We arrived at Temple Bar with high expectations - reports had been good. Formerly the slightly-pretentious and over-expensive Star and Sailor, The Temple Bar had been rechristened and (hopefully) had managed to shake off those Brighton fashionista wannabes and upper-middle-class knobends so well known down the Hove Actually end of Western Road. It was fairly early and the front windows, floor-to-ceiling, had been flung open allowing the sunlight and accompanying heat to flow into the pub. The new, green paint job given by the new landlord accentuated the vintage cuteness of the place - kitschy prints jostle for space on the walls next to newspaper cuttings, creepy pencil drawings and beer posters and the dark wood of the central, in-the-round style bar made it seem grandiose and regal. Things were looking very good indeed.

Not knowing what to opt for in the drinks department, I asked the barmaid's advice on pear cider. She recommended the bottled - I forget it's name, but it was a bloody good call - sweet and silky, almost like a retro pear pop. Perfect for an early lunchtime treat. We then sat down to peruse the menu, and damn, what a menu - chicken, lamb, beef and pork roasts all on the cards, in addition to the truly unique 'mixed roast' - think a carvery, but without the chavs and OAPs. They also do a pretty sweet selection of other dishes including a veggie roast and a salmon dish, cous cous and sandwiches. However, this is a blog about roasts, so we shan't concentrate on these other delights (but hey, I recommend checking it out midweek for some gastronomic heaven, if the look of the smoked salmon dish the guy behind me had was anything to go by).

Initially we were somewhat upset at the lack of Yorkshire puds on the chicken and pork roasts. Sacrilege! Instead, these are served with a sausage meat stuffing. However, undeterred we made our order - a chicken, a lamb, a beef and two mixed roast specials. This was looking exciting.

A three-minute wait later, the first of the roasts arrive. Amazing! Sadly, it wasn't to be - they swiftly returned and removed the plates from beneath my companions' slightly salivating mouths with an apology and a deft hand. Cruelty. We'd glimpsed what was to come, and it sure looked good. A large - nay, HUGE - pile of perfectly cooked meat; pinkish beef, supple lamb, crispy crackling and plump juicy chicken breast all sat atop a mere mountain of boiled, stewed and roasted veg. No cheap get-outs there, either - on one plate alone, we counted (take a deep breath): broccoli, cauliflower, two types of cabbage, roasted parsnips, carrots, butternut squash, celeriac, swede and the most perfect roasties you've ever seen. All topped off with a puffed-up Yorkie crown. Thus, we sat back, bottom lips firmly pushed out, and waited for our real roasts to arrive.

We were not disappointed. The plates were massive. Ginormous. Epic. Well, almost completely undisappointed. They did manage to bring me a lamb dinner instead of a beef, and I had to wait an agonising twelve minutes as my companions tucked in before I finally received my beef delight; however, I later decided that twelve minutes and a fresh new plate was preferable to a lightning-quick changeover and old food. It was worth the wait. The beef fell apart in my mouth; the roasties were crunchy, slightly charred and soft in the centre. The broccoli was bright and firm; the cabbage slightly sweetened and spiced. The parsnips were juicy and a delight to eat. The whole thing was a pleasure to behold, and a pleasure to eat.

My companions' views of the mixed roast were similar. Well, they did make noises that I'd usually expect to hear in an upmarket porno, so I think it was good news. They groaned and 'mmmm'-ed and 'ahhhh'-ed their way through what was quite frankly the Everest of meat piles, and seemed to love every minute. However, towards the end, the groans seemed to err on the side of discomfort and queasiness as opposed to sexual delight, such was the challenge of polishing off everything on the plate. My beef roast alone had long since beaten me, and I'm not one to easily admit defeat when it comes to food. In fact, if I had only one criticism of this place, it's that they simply serve far too much. We really had no choice but to spend the rest of the afternoon sitting on a bench in the sun, drinking more pear cider, doing The Observer crossword, chewing the proverbial and watching the world (and the exhausted marathon runners) go by. What an epic Sunday.

To conclude? A truly outstanding example of roast mastery, and what better way to begin this blog? The Temple Bar will truly be a hard act to follow.

9.5/10
The Temple Bar, 121 Western Road, Brighton BN1 2AD
Tel: 01273 721 501
Bookings accepted (and recommended); credit cards accepted