A heavy rain storm hit Brighton mid-afternoon, and as I had to be on a 5:00pm train I bailed on Pride as soon as it stopped. I’d not actually had any lunch, and as I had time I popped into Indian Summer.

East Street, not far from the Pavilion, is best known for designer clothes and high end beauty products. Lush is probably the most affordable shop in the street. There are, however, restaurants. These include Terre à Terre, which I am told is the best vegetarian restaurant in town; Maison du Vin, a bistro and wine bar; and Indian Summer. In fact they are all next door to each other.

There was a set two-course lunch menu so I opted for that. I started with Paneer Shashlik — skewers loaded with paneer (Indian cheese), pineapple, beetroot and tomatoes. That was delicious. The main course was Laal Maas, a Rajasthani lamb curry served with pulao rice, and in my case a roti on the side. It wasn’t as firey as the menu makes out, but it was beautifully cooked and the roti was wonderful. There was mango lassi too, obviously. I hadn’t been planning to have dessert, and all of the ones on offer were Western. However, the lady at the table next to me had something which looked amazing, so I asked for one too. It turned out to be espresso cheesecake, served in chocolate cups with amaretto crumbs on the side rather than a crumb base. Goddess it was good. I am so going back to that place.

A couple of logistical comments. Many British shops and restaurants don’t take Amex because the charges are higher (and, you know, it is American and therefore EVIL). Both places I ate in Brighton were happy to take my card, and the waiter in Indian Summer explained to me that Amex has a big office in the city, so everyone has to take their cards. Also he reinforced the message I got from last night: if you want a table at a good restaurant in Brighton, especially for a large group and especially at a weekend, book in advance.

I’ll have a photo stream, including all of the dishes I ate this weekend, up later in the week.