Vanilla Restaurant & Bar

We went to Vanilla as a treat and had a wonderful evening. We went for the 3 courses for a £28 each, plus wine, it came to about £85 which was admittedly a bit more than we would regularly spend but it was really lovely and for the quality, very good value for money.

The service was spot on, not too in your face and not too stand offish. Although one waitress did pour water into one of our wine glasses on top of the wine but it was low lit in the restaurant so it was an understandable mistake. At the end of the evening we were offered a cab home but we needed to walk off the dinner! We had the pork belly and chorizo starter, I had steak for main course and my boyfriend had venison, both were perfectly cooked and the vegetables were delicious. I liked that they include vegetables in the price, too many places charge extortionately for potatoes etc. Then my boyfriend had the very rich, but delicious chocolate brownie for pudding.

The only negative point was that there was a 'party bus' of about 30 people which stopped off on its pub crawl and was extremely noisy and at one point a really drunk woman wearing not very much put her head around the door to the restaurant and shouted some obscenities at the diners, which wasn't very inkeeping with the atmosphere. I know I sound snobbish which I'm not, but we were enjoying a nice intimate meal and a huge rowdy party is great but not at that venue.

Overall it was a lovely evening and I would recommend it for couples for special occasions, very romantic.
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Amy
Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Myself and my girlfriend visited Vanilla last night (4th March 2008). Although we were actually the only ones in the restaurant, we both had a great night. The food was amazing, by far the best we had during our visit to Brighton. The Pork belly with Chirizo starter was the highlight, the food was great, steaks cooked to perfection. At £28 each for three courses we felt it very reasonable. Between these courses we were given a celery soup and lemon sorbet. All complimentary. Once we had finished they called a taxi for us. Would highly recommend this place to anyone.
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Ben Harrison
Wednesday, March 05, 2008

This is the first time that i have reviewed a restaurant on-line but after visiting vanilla with my wife last Tuesday I have to say that it was an unexpected surprise! The food was great, the restaurant was very quiet and romantic and the waitress was very polite and professional, a perfect night out.

The bar is very stylish and the cocktails were beautifully presented. Granted, its not the cheapest place in Brighton but it just goes to show that if you spend that little bit extra the quality jumps dramatically. I have eaten in most restaurants in Brighton and this was by far the best eating experience I've had in a long time. Well done to all at Vanilla...
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Robert. K
Monday, February 25, 2008

We have just arrived home from visiting Vanilla. I have never spent my energy and time getting on to the internet after visiting a restaurant in my entire life....but this is the one exception.

At nearly £100 a meal for two I expected a very good meal and service. Unfortunately this was not the case. The waitress who served us told us and every one else she served that this was her first night so..... (please be gentle). Which would have been OK if she hadn't placed our first course in front of another couple. The woman of the other couple who had my first course, unfortunately also had a very bad cough and cold. I noted this with detatchment, as at this point I didn't realise that she was sitting there with my lobster and ravioli!!! But then I noticed they called over the waitress and said that they didn't order this food. So with some confusion she went back to the kitchen and a few minutes later realised that it wasn't their course but ours. So she took their plates from them and proceded to give it to us. Now accuse me for being picky but ...would you like to be served lobster in ravioli after you have watched someone sneeze and cough into it?

I did eat it as I didn't want to make a fuss but as I was doing so I kept thinking about the alternatives. Perhaps I could have protested that I was not going to eat it, but then, as we are all too worried about when eating out, perhaps my main course would be tampered with. So... as is often the case, a restaurant parading as good is very poor if they do not have the trained staff. I am not blaming this poor girl, as it was her first night and she was clearly out of her depth. But there should have been a manager who was overseeing her training in an expensive restaurant. It is the least that could be expected. So I will never return to Vanilla . Just watch out for the new waitress who is unsupported. I feel cheated.
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Christine Green
Saturday, January 05, 2008

We hired out the whole restaurant for my birthday on 17th November for 26 people and I can only say, what an absolute fantastic job they did of taking care of myself and all my friends, making sure everything was ok with the wine, the food.

They personalised the menu for me and let me decorate the room to my own taste.

10/10 for effort and food.
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Liz Willetts
Thursday, November 22, 2007

Booked Vanilla for our wedding anniversary on 2 Nov. What a joy! We were warmly greeted by the waitresses and a glass of sparkling wine was promptly brought to our table to celebrate our anniversary. I requested a romantic table and they duly provided us with an intimate table for two .

The restuarant is small and has the feel of of a large dining room in someone's home and it had a warm and cosy ambience. (I therefore wouldn't recommend it for large parties).

The food was excellent and every effort was made to meet our requirements (my husband loathes onions and garlic).

The service was also first class and perfectly paced. The waitresses had a lovely attitude. The music was also pitched just right.

I could not fault the restaurant in any way whatsoever. My only regret is that we live in Southend ( a place which is awash with restaurants and where we dine out regularly) and so we are unable to dine at Vanilla on a regular basis. However, we go to Brighton at least two times a year and I would want to eat a Vanilla every time we stay there.

I know that this review may seem a little over the top but I can only stress that I do not work for Vanilla, I was just so impressed with the whole experience.
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Virginia Spring
Thursday, November 15, 2007

Delicious food, amazing cocktails, and really friendly, welcoming staff. It's quite expensive but definitely worth the money. Perfect for a romantic evening.
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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Went to Vanilla on tuesday last week, where I had a fabulous time the staff and service were great.

Keep up the good work guys!
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jeff brighton
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Had dinner there last Saturday, great food, great atmosphere and the cocktails were the best I've ever tasted and let me tell you I've been to some good bars in my time.

My experience at vanilla really made my weekend, I'd strongly recommend that if your passing through Hove to give it a try, because these guys really know there stuff.
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charly
Thursday, May 24, 2007

Had dinner there last Saturday, great food, great atmosphere and the cocktails were the best I've ever tasted and let me tell you I've been to some good bars in my time.

My experience at vanilla really made my weekend, I'd strongly recommend that if your passing through Hove to give it a try, because these guys really know there stuff.
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charly
Thursday, May 24, 2007