A la Colthard, Bistro Nantais, Hove

I have praised before the neighbourhood local restaurant in France known as Le restaurant du qurartier. These are harder to find here but do exist. I believe I have found one at Bistro Nantais ,an authentic French brasserie in Hove. Cafe Rouge has tried to emulate such an atmosphere and gastronomy but its a chain where the service is often below,par. As I had never been to Nantais before I dropped in to view and book a table. I was warmly greeted by Le patron and I chose a table for two by the window.

My guest was a young lady , Clarissa , in events . Many young ladies are in events these days but my friend works harder than most not just relying on her friendly manner but working conscientiously to a degree of detail which can distinguish a successful event from an also ran. She had been working all Sunday and her face had a slight pasty , sweaty air . She explained that she was made to consume more alcohol than she intended at a corporate , sporting event and was suffering now. I therefore decided on a shorter length supper of two courses for us with only a couple of glasses for yours truly. I know that feeling of post excess rather too well!!!

I chose French onion soup and coq au vin , two well known dishes of this type of cuisne and I was not disappointed. The onion soup with cheese , bread and of course onions was rich and tasty. Clarissa was similarly praiseworthy of her cauliflower and fennel soup. Both of us then found the coq au vin rich in taste. The chicken legs could have had more meat on them and the sauce was overly rich , both of us were full to bursting . I did not see any baby onions but these are minor criticisms. We both finished with mint teas. The final bill came to under £50. We were served by Le Patron himself,a friendly jovial sort of guy. I noticed in the window a Brighton HAFC shirt signed by Anthony Knockaert with the words ” best food in Brighton” and though I would not go as far as that its an authentic bistro/ brassiere at a fair price.