The Ginger Dog

My wife and I have just eaten at the Ginger Dog. First class. It was nine below zero outside so we didn't want to travel and as it is only three minutes away from our daughter's flat we decided to give it a try. It turned out to be an excellent experience.

The place was warm (there was a good fire going), the staff welcoming. We didn't like the table we were sitting at - no problem move to one we preferred. Good well priced wine and an interesting menu. The food was very well presented, the portions were a good size and above all it tasted delicious. The service was efficient and friendly.

I would have liked to lingered but we had to rush off to get back and do our stint as babysitters. Unfortunately for our daughter (and her partner) the place was full as we left so I doubt they were able to share our experience by the time our granddaughter settled down and they got out. However the place is child-friendly early evening and the restaurant gave us a loyalty card so the family can judge for themselves. And next time we visit we will give it another try.
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Derek Manley
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The Ginger Dog is our local 'treat' restaurant, and we usually go about once a month. One thing we really love is that there is a choice for vegetarians at each course, and an interesting or innovative choice at that. Means my partner isn't stuck eating goats cheese tart and mushroom risotto again...

This month we went on a Sunday evening, which meant that lots of things on the nicely concise menu had sold out. This was a real shame...but handled very well by the staff. I must admit, I got somewhat grumpy when told my chosen main course was no longer available. However, our waitress delivered our cocktails with the magic words 'on the house' and the world seemed brighter again.

The food was, as usual, impeccable - juicy mussels and a crisp, refreshing jerusalem artichoke salad to start, followed by steak and the samosa main course, finished up with scrummy apple fritters and rich pot au chocolat. We rolled home replete.

Not cheap, but worth the quality ingredients and real imagination and flair in the kitchen.
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Rachel Adler
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, February 21, 2011

I am a big fan of the ginger group, who bring a little extra joy to this wonderful city. The staff are lovely across the group and at the ginger dog, they are great. Andrew (my namesake) deals with all in an equally friendly manner and is a great 'front of house'. We had the roast today and both the traditional beef and more innovative shoulder of lamb were perfect, as were roasties, carrots, mash, runner beans and yorkshire pud. Note that we arrived at 1230 so ordered the food at its best as is necessary for all roast dinner establishments. Only the gravy was not top drawer but still fine. The wine list is extensive and few pubs or restaurants boast so many by the glass. There is wine for most tastes and wallets too and beer by the pint. Try it, if only for the hat lights over the bar which add that touch of Brighton charm.
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andrew
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, October 24, 2010

Popped in for a quick lunch on a recent trip to Brighton. It had only open for a few days but was clearly already popular - the phone was ringing every few minutes with booking requests. Liked the look, especially the quirky touches like the bowler hat lights above the bar.

Our burgers were pretty good. Good quality meat, proper chunky chips and a tasty red cabbage and onion slaw. We weren't asked how we wanted them cooked and perhaps should have spoken up as they were served far too pink for our taste. To their credit, one of the staff noticed and offered us a drink on the house.

Seems like a welcome addition to the area. Would return for the evening menu to see how the place looks and feels after dark. Final tip: avoid the organic cider, it was warm, flat and vile.
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-K- - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, May 12, 2010

When we heard the "Ginger" group people were opening one of their pubs up the road, the wife and I were pretty excited. Their first week of opening seemed to confirm that our fellow KT residents shared this view, with the place appearing to be full every time we went past. Got our act together and booked a table last Friday night. Menu was "compact" - choice of 6(ish) starters and mains plus 1-2 specials on the board. In terms of interest, the starters promised more than the mains. I went for quail scotch egg + black pudd salad (and was impressed), but then struggled to find a main course. Ended up chosing the steak - mainly in order to compare the standard with that of the recently departed "Here" (what happened there?). Unfortunately, it didn't stack up. Steak and chips and er thats it - would it be too much to ask for a little bit of decorative green on the plate as well? Veg side dish options were cabbage (no really!) or carrots which we ordered, and gave 2 out of 10 on the carrotometer. Not impressive. We'll be back of course, probably even within a couple of weeks or so. Hopefully the Ginger Dog will get into its stride and become a welcome addition for Kemptownies. Price is the top end of what you'd normally pay in a pub (esp the wine), and there are probably other places close by the score higher on the quality/price equation. I'll keep you posted.
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D+A the foodies
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, May 10, 2010