> New Currents – Oct 05
> return to review selection

We are living in interesting and changing time as regards food and drink in this country. In Brighton and Hove alone you can throw a Frisbee and be pretty sure to hit a newly opened café, juice bar or gastro-pub.

One of the perennial problems that Brighton has of course is space. So many hip or ecologically aware establishments can be people by a tensions and impatience of A City Becoming. We are fortunate to be living in perhaps the most continental and culturally embracing of England’s famous cities. So you’d think we’d be able to the vibe of a relaxed eatery down pat. Well, good food is still comparatively new to us, reflected in the pricing and the general lack of consistency. Some restaurants try too hard; some places are overcome by their own ethos; and some don’t even have nice tasting coffee.

The Joogleberry Playhouse in Manchester Street however, gets so many elements wonderfully right.

Firstly it works day, evening and night: as a café, bar and a restaurant. Secondly: it has cabaret. Thirdly – everything tastes good and the staff are thoughtful (and not because you are there to critique the place!). Finally, the restaurant is clean and spacious. Noting s picture of Vienna’s Café Herronhoff high up on the wall I saw a reflection of a continental consciousness pervading the table arrangements. Not cluttered with money-hungry covers; but spread out and inviting. Set for eating. Simple.

My friend and I were seated confidently in a central position – so we could take in the whole picture. I was informed by my companion that the Joogleberry Playhouse was a finalist for Venue of the Year at the Brighton business awards, rightly so, I would say. We ordered drinks. The Guinness was excellent – one of those things that Guinness drinkers really need to know. Had we been in more decadent a mood, we could have gone the Absinthe route – the Joogleberry bar has the finest range of the ‘liquid kryptonite’ in Brighton – I counted 9 brands in all, ranging from a relatively light 60% vol right up to the 89.9% brain rot. Dangerous.

Perusing the menu (which can also be found online) proved enticing enough, due to the variety of options: tapas, big plates (mains), fish, meat and salads and vegetarian choices plus set menus… all this as well as their cabaret and lunchtime menus along with the obligatory Christmas fayre. Maybe it was not all in-house made but this was not necessarily a prerequisite for a good time eating out.

We were hit with the CanYouJoogle? Menu; a cross-pollination of all the tapas we had been salivating over anyway.

A variety of flavoursome tuck sat before us. An elegant 4 dip selection with a selection of breads; dimsum, calamari and courgettes, chorizo in salsa (a favourite), vaby meatballs and spicy potatoes fused in an easy, international presentation. Though the sauce for the chicken wings was slightly overpowering, perhaps more suited to duck or goose – I still didn’t leave any.

The Argentinian Malbec from Fabre Montmayou christened Dancing Monkey seemed appropriate for a Friday night of jollity. A heavyweight red with a dark royal ruby hue, it serviced in a luxuriantly quaffable way, possessing a robust and grapey nose and a length that left you wanting more. Worth spending the money on, especially when you are saving on such inexpensive food.

After fine cakes for dessert we were inevitably drawn to the downstairs entertainment. I say inevitably because for most of our meal at least 30-odd beatniks, artists and glamour-pusses had sidled behind us descending into the Cabaret bar.

Here we saw how the Joogleberry has gained its critical acclaim. The relaxed atmosphere is unpretentious and unstuffy. A bohemian magical realism takes over – the Cabaret/Theatre bar decorated as a fantastical midnight Morroccon scene. The pretty lighted stars a succinct and atmospheric backdrop to both the traditional and progressive acts that perform here.

Tonight a brilliant old-time 9 piece jazz band (or nueftet – A Mighty Wind, anyone!?) called Lucy Baxter Blues Band evoked the 20s and 30s with panache and inimitable skill. How so much more soul-filling than standing in a gale-whipped queue, waiting to get past a gorilla and into an identikit nightclub full of 18 year olds. Personally, I would rather Joogle.

> return to review selection