Lockdown Buddies Café Sunday Roast Takeaway Review
At the time of writing it is Bank Holiday Monday, just beginning week four of restrictions that have been placed on all our lives. Brighton’s famous and thriving restaurant scene is in now in serious need of support from us residents, as many of our much-loved eateries have been forced to close their doors to the public until this awful pandemic gets under control. Some are offering takeaway and delivery services so you can still enjoy food from your favourites. Absolute Magazine will be keeping you all up to date on what is on offer, and I will often be posting reviews of the takeaway options available here on our website so please visit regularly to keep up to date on what is going on in our wonderful city.
We recently learnt that one Brighton favourite was planning to add a Sunday roast takeaway and delivery service to their repertoire and had tested their menu last weekend by providing lunch to the key workers who are currently residing in the nearby Old Ship Hotel with resounding success. This particular renowned eatery has been around for longer than I can remember, possibly even since the dawn of time, and is an establishment I have frequented on many occasions for their famous “mega gut buster” breakfasts, fantastic range of delicious lunches and dinners, and even occasionally a drunken 4AM burger. Yep you’ve guessed it, I’m talking about Buddies Café on Brighton seafront! Yesterday was launch day for their new endeavour, so of course I decided it was my duty to try it out, and I have to say, it was very tasty indeed!
Not unlike many Brighton residents, this was the first Easter Sunday in years that I had woken up without a spirit-crushing hangover, so I was up and about early full of the joys of Spring with nothing whatsoever to do with my day. Luckily the Buddies team were in early preparing, so I was able to give them a call early in the day to arrange a 1pm collection, to break our lockdown day up nicely and give us ample time in the afternoon to slob about with full bellies. I spoke with Manager Jo and ordered a mixed pork and beef with all the trimmings for myself, and a vegetarian roast for my wife, who was slightly dubious, having only ever experienced Buddies herself whilst witnessing me devour a gut-busting breakfast. Probably not the prettiest sight to behold. We opted to collect just so I could get out of the house, even though their full menu, including Sunday Roasts, is available for delivery on Deliveroo and Just-Eat.
Collecting was easy, with ample spaces on Middle Street just around the corner to park up while I popped into the restaurant for our roast. All the tables and chairs were stacked in the corner, giving plenty of space for me to wait and keep my distance from the staff on what should have been one of their busiest days of the year. Jo was chatty and upbeat, and told me all about the great feedback the roast dinners received when they generously fed the key workers last weekend as she packed our dinner. As we were chatting the smell of home-cooking emanating from the kitchen invoked pangs of hunger that made me rush back home to serve up.
Enough about the experience, lets move on to the important bit. I have already said that the dinner was very tasty. I will go into a little more detail shortly. Firstly, I wanted to write about just the sheer enormity of the portions we received. On a typical Sunday we tend to go to the pub with friends. I will clear my plate, then polish off whatever everyone else has left on theirs. This is the first time EVER that I have been beaten, and not only that, with plenty left over for another dinner on Monday.
Everything about the Buddies roast is on-point. The melt in your mouth beef was obviously high quality and cooked slightly pink, just to my liking. The biggest meatiest chunk of pork belly I have ever encountered was perfectly cooked, full of flavour, and adorned with a layer of perfectly crisp crackling. The vegetarian option was a very nice suet encrusted wellington stuffed with a rich creamy cheese sauce and a variety of vegetables. Both roasts came with a plentiful and varied selection of seasonal vegetables, including crisp zesty red cabbage, some delectable creamed leeks and flawlessly cooked honey-roast carrots and chunky parsnips. The roast potatoes stole the show however, with fluffy and flavour some centres encrusted with a golden carapace of crunch which was somehow maintained despite me drenching them in the copious amount of gravy which was just rich enough to not overpower any of the wonderful flavours on the plate. To top it all off not one, but two homemade yorkies to mop it all up!
There are many pubs and restaurants doing takeaway roast dinners at the moment and I have sampled many over the last few weeks (as well as the probably all-too frequent occasions I am too hungover on a Sunday to leave my house), and Buddies is up there with the best of them. Everything on the plate was on-point and we were still eating leftovers two days later! Do yourselves a favour and try them out this Sunday. You will not be disappointed.
Tony Shattell
Buddies Café. 46-48 Kings Rd, Brighton, BN1 1NA
info@buddies24.net, www.buddies24hour.net