A la Colthard /24 St Georges

One of the interesting aspects of a restaurant is how it deals with something unusual even a crisis. Thus it was that on Saturday a French girlfriend and I went to 24 St Georges in Kemp Town, Brighton. I had been there before and considered it okay but nothing brilliant. It’s a restaurant set in three small rooms indicating that this was once a small house and these were the ground floor rooms. This makes it slightly claustrophobic. We did not get off to a good start as they could not find the booking which was listed under the wrong time.

I ordered for starters a scallops dish which was a bit gooey and my friend a composition of vegetables. My friend could not finish this as confessed she was feeling unwell with a gastric upset. We both ordered turbot on a risotto bed. Again I thought it only average. The turbot was too dry and the risotto uncomplimentary to this. But here as Americans say is the deal. My friend said she simply could not eat the dish. I took pains to explain to the waiter that for reasons other than the quality and nature of the food my friend was too ill to eat the dish. The manageress was summoned. She offered two options: a total money refund of the dish  or packing up the food for us to take away. I’m not a big doggie bag fan as the concept is based on serving far too large helpings in the first instance. However both options particularly a refund were more than generous. I said as the restaurant was totally innocent a refund was inappropriate and the food was duly packaged in plastic bags and given to us. I finished with a desert of poached pears which I enjoyed. It was time as my friend now looked unwell to get her home as soon as possible.

I will not say 24 St Georges is a great Brighton restaurant unlike the Jetty where I have always eaten well and recommended which I would term exceptional but I will say given a difficult and delicate situation as an unwell diner never looks good in a restaurant this was handled extremely well and worthy  of praise. One oddity is that if you want the fixed price menu you must indicate this in advance. This is something I have never seen and if they notified me of this I must  have missed it. I would like to publish a more praiseworthy review. With an elderflower, prosecco and vodka cocktail and a bottle of Picpoul- mostly consumed by yours truly as I would not like to have worsened my friend’s condition(!!!) – the final bill came to £120 – not outrageous – and I left a generous tip but in terms of the vital ingredients of a restaurant (flavour, comfort, ambience,value and wine list service) I could not only give it full marks for service.