VBites

I went there on Saturday 31st July with my wife as we live nearby and fancied a light bite mid-afternoon. The menu looked a bit limited, consisting in very large part of variations on a vege burger but we thought it worth a go. Inside was pleasant enough but the odd floor surface in the bar area made it look a bit "work in progress" and overall it still feels a bit like a seaside cafe, albeit a smarter than average one. We shared a starter...can't remember exactly what it was (just 48 hours after) but it consisted of some curiously fibrous soya type protein with dips. It was moderately ok but a half a portion was more than enough and the texture strongly suggested it had been reheated in a microwave. It didn't taste terribly healthy and in fact I suspect the whole meal was probably fairly high in salt and didn't come across as healthy at all except for the absence of meat. We both went for a beef style soya burger at about £5.50 each as we didn't fancy the add on's the other burgers had like soya bacon and soya cheese....it all sounded like a bit too much soya. Oven chips (out of a packet from Tesco's I'm sure) came as extra and although edible they taste fresher out of the oven at home. There were (literally) a couple of purple bean shoots as a pretty derisory garnish. The burger was edible but pretty dry and the soya patty itself so crumbly it was difficult to eat. We'd decided to share a bottle of wine although at £14.95 starting price the wine was pricy for the surroundings, especially given that the nearby pub overlooking the lagoon has extremely competitive prices. It came to just over £32 not including service for a very basic and slightly indigestible burger and chips and a bottle of wine.

What a missed opportunity....no one is going to eat here and think more positively of vegan or even vegetarian food. Committed carnivores will just think it's an expensive joke whilst I suspect most vegetarians and vegans will think they could do so much better at home. I guess that's why on a sunny (albeit windy) Saturday in July, in the middle of a leisure area packed with families and young children the place was virtually deserted. The table next to us was the only other one to be occupied in our half of the "restaurant" and their pizza looked frankly disgusting. We really wanted to like this place, being on our doorstep but sadly it was a bit of a waste of money and a terrible ambassador for vegan food. Service was quite pleasant, nothing special. We didn't raise our concerns with the waitress as there really didn't seem much point but if Heather Mills were to read this she really should take note if she doesn't want to continue to run an empty cafe.(PS. have spoken to a visitor to Hove who also recently visited the place with her family and she felt the same way about the place....boring food and overpriced). If anything this place will encourage families, especially those on a bit of a budget to go straight to McDonalds.
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Ian Grace
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Monday, August 02, 2010

Have been there several times for a healthy meal and organic vine. They have an extensive menu and drinks list. The portions are enormous which is right for me and also made great value for the money.

They are supposed to serve fresh juce but the waiting staff did not know much about it. Consequently it was quite difficult to get fresh juce from them. The waiting staff (both the girl and the boy) are very sweet but completely useless.
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Visitor - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 22, 2010

Astonished by transformation from greasy spoon to stylish, friendly cafe. Although not vegan myself sausage, mash and onion gravy was outstanding. Vegan capuccino one of the best I' ve tasted. One year old son loved the ice-cream and made himself at home in the play area. Excellent for a relaxed weekend meal with the family.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I have to admit to being a meat eater but with a yearning to eat less but although I can eat less meat at home I find it almost impossible to eat veggie when eating out. Unlike a lot of people who seem to judge this place by there opinions of it's owner I was more interested in the food than anything else.

The actual cafe is beautiful and on my visit it was immaculate and the staff were faultless. The food was a surprise and certainly better than any other veggie experience I've had before. It's not quite good enough to convince me against the meat though just yet. I'd like to see more meals that are based on good old veg and none of all the meatless alternatives because to be honest, I'm quite happy with a plate of varied veg at home if I don't want meat and I don't quite understand a meatless alternative. If you eat a meatless bacon rasher, it will never taste as nice as a proper bacon rasher. All this said, the food is certainly as good as any similar priced cafe/restaurant and I certainly didn't feel ripped off or disappointed. I'd certainly go back again but I'd just like to see how the menu changes over the months and I'd like to see fruit salad bars as well as salad bars and less of meatless alternatives, more fruit and veg I think is all that's needed. I'd love to see a self service area that had salad bar for starter, veg bar for a big ole plate of varied veg with a choice of lovely potatoes and then a great old fashioned fruit salad bar for desert. Surely then you would have the perfect healthy vegan experience.

All in all though, definitely worth a trip and I'm sure it will just get better and better. I just hope it catches on more open around the country so we don't have to eat McDonalds everywhere we go with the kids.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, October 09, 2009

Loved it! Great vegan experience and it's all about the cupcakes - so delicious!!!! Amazing location, lovely staff and incredible value for money. Check out the tapas night - the smoky vegan cheese was gorgeous.
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Heather Whittle
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 08, 2009

I had heard a lot about VBites in the local press as well as stories from friends who had previously visited. I am a meat loving carnivore so I was fairly sceptical about whether or not I would enjoy the vegan food served with meat alternatives that was on offer at VBites.

When I first arrived at the cafe I was really impressed with how well presented the building and interiors were. The staff were really helpful and guided our group through the menu and explained the dishes and the meat alternatives that the meals were made with.

I ordered a ‘chicken’ korma which arrived within fifteen minutes of the waiter leaving our table. The curry was great and tasted just as good as its meat equivalent. The chicken substitute that was in the food tasted great the texture and flavour were very similar to actual chicken.

Overall I was really impressed with VBites I will definitely be recommending it to my friends and will certainly be returning in the near future.
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James
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 08, 2009

I have tried VBites twice, we use the Lagoon a lot and with two small children it 's always handy to be able to feed them lunch when out and about. My first experience was absolutely awful - my 16 month old played in the soft area until a loose stair gate nearly fell on her head, there was nowhere to park the pram and my 3 year old and I had to sit on the very high stools surrounding the cake island, if he had fallen off there would have been a nasty accident so we decided to move into the other area of the restaurant - here you are squeezed along a back row of comfy bench seats with no room on either side to place a high chair, the high chair had to be placed opposite me in the aisle which meant I couldn't actually reach to feed her, I was also concerned that waitresses passing up and down with hot coffee could accidently spill it on a child jutting out in a high chair.

Moving on, we ordered the food which after various mix ups with the waiter arrived 45 mins later, my son's healthy burger looked like a patty on a roll with a piece of basic lettuce and a slice of tomato - very dry no taste and he refused to eat it. My daughter by this point had past the point of no return so we didn't even get to feed her, and my food the falafel pita was actually served in a doorstep size pita which soaked up any sauce or moisture and felt like I was eating carpet from the spare room! We didn't finish the meal the whole experience too stressful, I didn't have time to complain but still paid a bill of over £16 - we only drank water!

Despite this I tried again, there must be something else and after all it is convenient, this time we ate outside and opted for Spaghetti Bolognese for the kids and a piece of cake for me. To be fair the cake was yummy but it's not a healthy option and unfort the children refused again to eat the Spag Bol. despite it being there favourite.

In essence the planning of the restaurant is completely wrong for the market, ie: a cafe placed inside a children’s play area yet completely unchild friendly - and will have an accident before long. The food unfort is dry and very difficult to swallow, the kids just won't eat it - and although the cake is lovely I would rather opt for a more healthy and substantial lunch.

I have nothing against Heather, I don't know her, but I think she probably could have asked a few more people in the park about what they thought would work rather than basing it on her own ideas when in reality I expect her Nanny is the one that spends the time negotiating restaurants and play areas with Beatrice. The pricing is also too high - all in all a great concept, bad execution and I'm afraid wrong location.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Took my kids in for a nice cake treat after a play in the park. It looked interesting-the kids liked the sushi train with cupcakes on. HOWEVER it took forever to be served by an incredibly dippy waitress and when the cake came it was in extremely small slices. Just as well though because it is probably the worst cake I have ever tried. We took one bite each of all three flavours (Angel cake, mango and Guava, Coconut , passionfruit and lime) and couldn't stomach any more. I have never known my kids to leave cake! My coffee was undrinkably bitter and cold. When I finally found someone to pay the bill came to just over £16 for two pineapple juices a coffee and three tiny slices of cake. On further inspection the cake cost £3.65 a slice-for that I'd expect a large slice of perfection with icecream and whipped cream!! Another Mum in the park told me her kids left the icecream!

I have just talked to a friend who visited recently and had the most revolting bitter oven chips there with inedible ketchup at overinflated prices.

I am not a vegan or a vegetarian but enjoy vegan and vegetarian cooking. I am a frequent customer of the wonderful Terre a terre and know how good vegan food can be.

It is such a shame this cafe changed hands. It used to be a lovely place to sit with ohter families on days out to the park. Now we will bring a picnic!!!
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nikki
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Monday, August 24, 2009

It's great tho have a vegan eating place, and we really enjoyed our thai curry and basmati rice, The service was excellent, friendly, helpful and polite.

The only thing that would have made my meal even more enjoyable, would have been to have the option of whole basmati rice with all its goodness.

We will definitely recommend Vbites to our friends and family and will be visiting again soon.
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Louise Beglin
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Sunday, August 16, 2009

Absolute V-Rubbish!

We ate here a couple of days ago, we’re all carnivores, but we use the park with our kids often, so we thought we’d see what all this hype was about, having read in the free advertising that is the Brighton Argus about just how well this place is supposed to be doing.

We had a look at the website before going and it seemed “interesting”. So 4 of us tried it out; we entered the restaurant from the western side where they have the park benches for sitting outside, but we chose to eat-in because it was cool and quite blustery.

We went in to be confronted by a pseudo “Yo-Sushi” style conveyor with cakes, but no customers, but quite a number of staff seemingly just wandering around aimlessly. Nobody approached us as we stood there waiting to be seated. So we helped ourselves and wandered thru to the “seated” area. The décor is bright and spacious, clean, mirrors etc and they’ve clearly spent a fortune on the refurbishment.

So yet again we stood there, and nobody came up to us and asked if we’d like to be seated. There were no tables of 4 together so we just sat at 2 tables and pushed them together ourselves. There were only 2 single customers in the place at this time. We sat down, looked around, perused the menu’s on the table for 5-10mins, still no-body had approached us to asked take our order or if we wanted drinks. We waited and waited, in the end we had to initiate eye-to-eye with one of the staff to come over. He took the order without offering any advice or asking whether we’d tried vegan before.

So, we ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese, x2 Soya ‘Chicken’ Nut Korma, and one Taco with refried beans and some soft drinks. The order arrived within 10mins or so. The spag bol was a large portion, pasta completely overcooked and the sauce was bland, watery and insipid with some fake beefy bits (Soya protein or whatever they call it) - without doubt - the worst bowl of spag bol my kids have been served anywhere in Brighton & Hove - EVER! On top of the spag was a handful of salad leaves out of a bag just chucked on. Rubbish for £5.95 Next ; the “Chicken” Nut Korma: firstly the colour; yellow fluorescent green, yuk!.. Tasteless, flavourless, spiceless nothingness, where were the nuts? and the “chicken” texture was not to the liking either, quite rubbery, and the portion was measly, oh, and the accompanying rice was not basmati, and it was hopelessly overcooked into a stodge which in my book is unforgivable and an absolute disgrace for any restaurant to dish up.

I had the Taco, which turned out to be the best choice by far, but how can you go wrong with refried beans out of a tin, some Soya been protein, a desert spoon of guacamole and a handful of salad? It was ok, but again lacking flavour and spice for "Mexican" dish.

In summary; the food and the cooking is very very poor quality, flavourless, and not worth the money and not worth going back for a second opinion.

The service is appalling, I counted 13 different members of staff wandering around - doing nothing in the most part. They have a “Doorman” like a bouncer on a pub, wandering around with his hi-viz armband on…what the feck?? Not only does he like to strut around front of house, but I then saw him behind the counter via the kitchen areas? The chef came to front of house wearing filthy whites to seemingly interview a prospective members of staff - in the middle of service?!! What is this joke of a place? Customers would walk in and just stand there and staff would just look at them and ignore then or walk past them and not ask if they wanted a table; a group of 3 walked In and proceeded to seat themselves, and someone came over and said the table was reserved (what at 5.30 in the afternoon??) But there was no sign on the table to say it was reserved! A chap came in and asked if he could buy a beer and sit outside, the waitress replied “no, not unless you buy food…like a bowl of chips"!, so the man says ok then 2 beers and a bowl of chips!

To sum up, avoid avoid avoid, this place is like a parody of a café-cum-diner, Faulty Towers of the food world. With so many staff to pay and so few customers, i fail to see how this place will survive the winter, esp when you take-away their income from selling ice creams at the window for £2 a cone!!!
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Brighton-BoJongleurs
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Saturday, August 15, 2009