The Royal Sovereign

Right in the absence of a camera and the growing guilt of not having blogged for bloody ages, I'm going to start writing reviews of local places. 

The boy and I decided a while back that we would start sampling some of the roasts Brighton has to offer, and so far we haven't been (overly) disappointed.  Also Phee and I thought that, rather than saying 'oh that looks like a nice place, we should go for a drink there one day' we would actually go for a drink in some of the multitude of decent pubs in Brighton. So with out further ado here's the first instalment.

First up The Royal Sovereign

Located on Preston Street (sort of between Brighton and Hove) The Sovereign doesn't look like much. In fact, to be honest, it looks like an old boys boozer (not the good kind) surrounded as it is by dilapidated corner shops and kebabies. However once through the door your’e greeted with wooden floors, walls painted in a charming French gray-green, and tables that wouldn't look out of place in some trendy Portobello Road Cafe.

They allow reservations for half the tables and keep the other free for walk-ins (like ourselves). We had attempted to book but alas all bookables were taken, however we were told that their busiest times were between 1-3pm, there after all was good providing the roasts hadn't run out!

On entering we saw a good mix of couples and families (dogs and kids welcome) all enjoying some pretty buff looking roasts. Not only was there a table going spare, but they were fully stocked with all roasts (they do quite a variety) and were led to said table by a bright young thing (friendly and efficient!).

I opted for the chicken (billed as baby on the menu but believe me when I tell you this was no chick), whilst the boy went for the lamb. We were given just enough time to enjoy a pre-roast bevvy and, having gawped at everyone else enjoying their food, we were nicely peckish and eagerly awaited the arrival of our own.

The sovereign are not shy when it comes to portions in the meat department. I had (literally) half a chicken on my plate surrounded by roasted butternut squash, crispy parsnip, broccoli, red cabbage, and something mashed and tasty, with a little yorkie pud to finish it off. Though the subtitles of garlic and honey passed unnoticed by myself, but the meat was cooked to perfection and there was something to please even picky chicken eaters (breast, thigh, wing etc).

 

Salt, pepper, and a good combo of condiments were provided, and the bar staff were more than happy to suggest good boozing accompaniments. They have recently updated their wine list and though, to the dismay of the boy, they didn't have any Malbec, they did have a plentiful variety of others to choose from.

The atmosphere was relaxed but lively, and a good mix of people; from 30 somethings complete with skateboards, to mums and bubs. My one criticism, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, was that the music was too loud. I don't doubt that had we mentioned this it would have been turned down a bit but, as I said, I didn't really feel it was socially acceptable to mention this (what with me being only 24 and all).

All in all a proper good roast that I thoroughly recommend to any discerning Sunday Lunch goer. I have been informed since that we should have gone for the Pork, something of a Sovereign specialty. As a nod to pig based eating we did get a side dish of crackling which was immense.

Go. Eat. Enjoy!

xXx