Picture soft jazz and a large menu of great, fresh food. Imagine slowly sipping a glass of organic rosé after a tiring summer's day doing very little while Brighton's busy Lanes shopping area bustles on outside the window. That's Food for Friends for you. I'm not entirely convinced I need say any more - but if you insist ...
Established in 1981, FFF has long been one of Brighton's favourite vegetarian eateries, and it's easy to see why. Although it changed hands in 2004 and became a more refined type of establishment than the hip, hippy counter-service joint it had traditionally been, the ethos has remained the same, and the clientele has remained loyal.
Due to the irrepressible rise of the nearby Terre à Terre, many assume Food for Friends is only the second brightest star in Brighton's veggie firmament. But that's unfair: it offers good, wholesome food without too many pretensions. And it caters for children too.
The tempting piles of appetisers - bread, olives, Baba Ganoush and the like - could probably feed a Berber family for a week, so be wary of over-indulgence unless you've traversed the desert to get here.
Generous portions are a theme that is carried through the entire menu, with expansive starters and mountainous mains. There's no single regional cuisine dominating proceedings: everything is represented, from European to north African, Middle Eastern to south-east Asian. It's difficult to discern any over-arching theme other than the fact that it's vegetables all the way (although tofu also gets a look in, of course).
Thai sweetcorn fritters were a zingy start to the night, while a goats' cheese tartlet provided something slightly more traditional. The main courses are either hot dishes or large salad plates, and either make for a good meal: a grilled halloumi, mango and avocado salad with cashews was complex enough without being overwhelming. The potato curry, one of the nightly specials, was filling without being spectacular.
You shouldn't be able to fit pudding in after all that, and the heavy desserts may come as a slight disappointment after to the sharp, fresh ingredients of the previous courses. A lemon tart brulee could have been two simple desserts, but ended up making one overcomplicated one.
Everything is organic, which means you get the satisfaction of supping untainted grapes - but also the feeling that things are slightly more expensive than you might have imagined.
Still, if you look carefully through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you'll see the jealousy in the eyes of the bewildered partners being dragged around the shops outside. Nor is that envy misplaced. Food for Friends' brightly lit premises are possibly the perfect place in Brighton to escape the hurly burly and enjoy a long, relaxed lunch.
