A DAY IN BRIGHTON

Last weekend while my family were under a hail storm near Biarritz, I was with my sister and my boyfriend in Brighton enjoying the nice British weather on a deck chair. It’s like the world’s been turned on its head! Since I've lived in the UK I have been 6 times to Brighton, I really like to go there for a day as it is very quick, cheap and always refreshing to go outside London for few hours (From London on Saturdays - £10.50 return or if you have a railway card it is only £6.95, check price on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk).

When I go it's most of the time with someone who has never been before. I always show them the touristic places such as Brighton Pier or The Royal Pavillon, but I also like to get lost in small streets to discover new places, so my visit are always a bit different…I would like to share with you my favourite places in Brighton.

Kemp St
I like this street for its colourful small terraced houses which were built in the 1840s. There is still some signs of the past in this street, like the Evening News building. 

Upper Gardner Street market 
Every Saturdays, from 7 am to 5pm, on Upper Gardner Street there is a lot of independent stalls that sell everything from secondhand books, antiques, records, clothes to street food and vegetables. Every time I go there I usually manage to find and buy a vintage cookery book. I have now four cookery books, they were published between 1911 and 1970. 
On Upper Gardner Street there is also a very big two storey antique shops which I really like: North Laine Antique & Fleamarket, it is the perfect place to find old fashioned plates and cups of tea for example. 

Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book with 4 Plates in Colour and over 80 Illustrations (1911), Good Housekeeping Slimmer's cook book (1970), Cookery book Stoves Ltd (1953) and Light Fare recipes for Corn flour and "raisley" cookery (1927) 

Brighton Pier
I am not a big fan of arcade games so I usually don't go inside the pier, what I like to do usually is walk to the end of the pier while eating an ice cream. 
I love the view from the pier, especially on a very sunny day, all the white buildings contrasts well with the colour of the sea and the beach's rocks. 

Blackout shop:
Located on Kensington place, Blackout is a very cute little shop. It is a girly version of Ali Baba's cavern, full of colourful jewellery, clothes and home accessories, I really like this place. I discovered Blackout last year with my friend Manon who also fell in love,especially of their collection of earrings. 

Brighton beach:
It is impossible to go to Brighton without spending times on the beach. Directly sat on the rocks or in a deck chair (£2 for the afternoon), it is always lovely to enjoy the sound of the waves and seagulls. I swam once in the Channel two years ago in July...it was a bit cold but after a while it was enjoyable - apart when you have to get out and it is very windy! 

Kensington Gardens:
It is a little pedestrian street closed to Upper Gardner street, there is a lot of great shops in this street, especially if you are looking for home decoration: I like Pussy Home Boutique, Abode living and Bert's Homestore where you can find new products. There is also another big shop full of antiques on that street too - Snoopers Attic, this place is a vintage heaven.

Cloud 9:
It is my favourite cupcakes boutique in Brighton. Located on Kensington gardens, Cloud 9 offers a large range of cakes, they all are delicious and melt in your mouth. No visit to Brighton is complete without having a cupcake from their shop. 

Oreo and Belgium Chocolate cupcakes

 Vanilla cupcake

 Rainbow cake

The Royal Pavillon:

Originally the Royal Pavillon was a seaside retreat residence for the king George IV, then during the war it was transformed into a military hospital. I like the architecture of this building, its Indo-Saracenic style makes you feel you are in India and not in the South of England. The garden around the pavillon is perfect to enjoy the sun while having a nap or listening to some local musicians near the Brighton Dome.

Lucky Beach:
Usually I always eat a Fish & Chips when I am in Brighton, but this year I wanted to find a nice burger place. Of course I could have gone to MeatLiquor Brighton but what's the point when you have three of them in London. I discovered Lucky Beach thanks to Rosie Posie's recommendation. This little restaurant is on the seafront just between the new and the old pier, and offers a great view of the beach. Their menu is a selection of sandwiches, burgers and fish & chips. We all had burgers, there were good but the beef could have been a bit less cooked to be perfectly soft and juicy. 

Street art:

Brighton is a bit like a massive Shoreditch-Bricklane area in terms of street art. One of the most famous is Banksy's kissing coppers next to the train station. 

LIMA FLORAL

To celebrate my belated birthday, one of my friends invited me to Lima Floral. Since the restaurant opened in July 2014 I heard a lot of different opinion about it and always wanted to go there. The restaurant is located near Covent Garden on Garrick Street and serves traditional Peruvian dishes. It seems that my friend has an addiction for Peruvian cuisine at the moment as I have been to Chotto Matte in February with her too.

Sea bream ceviche: tiger's milk, avocado, crispy onions, cancha corn

My friend started her meal with a sea bream ceviche (£10), it was very tasty and refreshing. However we thought the portion was a bit small considering it was a starter and not a bar snack. 

Crudo mar : salmon, rocoto pepper, blue potato, achiote oil and crazy pea

As a starter I ordered the crudo mar. I never had blue potato, or rococo pepper before so I thought for once I will be adventurous. The dish had a nice presentation...however I was a bit disappointed my potato were more purple than blue ! Regarding the taste, it was interesting but it didn't wow me. I found my friend's ceviche was a better dish.

Andean suckling pig: andean corn, oiluquito potato

My main dish was better than my starter. I had the Andean suckling pig (£26). The pork was perfectly cooked, crispy and moist at the same time. On the side andean corn and oiluquito potato went well with the dish. I loved the mix of texture present in this dish with the cripsy thin stip of vegetable on top and the green powder on the side. 

King prawn ceviche: sweet potato, yellow chilli tiger's milk

My friend had another ceviche as a main, this time it was the king prawn ceviche (£24). The plate was nicely presented and very colourful. The dish was good but too spicy for my taste, but my friend really enjoyed it.

None of us fancied the dessert menu so we ended up our meal with a cup of coffee. 

Overall I had a nice dinner at Lima Floral. Dishes were very colourful and nicely presented but they were all a bit small and pricey. Most the main courses were more than £20 and not much bigger than the starter, not very good value. I am not sure I will come back to Lima Floral for that reason. I will probably choose Chotto Matte instead. 

6/10.

Lima Floral

14 Garrick Street

London WC2E 9BJ

Twitter:  @Lima_London