Im not a vegetarian but I think this place may have changed my mind! The food here is absolutely beautiful.

I am a carnivore. Terre a Terre in Brighton is the best restaurant I've ever been to, serving the best food I've ever eaten. Every time. There - I've said it now. I'm still a carnivore, but when I cheat on meat, I do it with Terre a Terre. Barry Sherwinwww

Fab food ! We are not veggies, but after reading A.A Gills review we had to try the restaurant on our next visit to Brighton. We did not know what to order, so had the Tapas and wine offer at around £36 for two. It was a knock out and we were blown away with the flavours and cooking skills. On leaving I purchased the cookery book, which I have only done at one other restaurant in my long life! I also took home some chilly chelli jelly (sp)which we used on the corn cakes, which I now cook at home, thanks to the gorgeous cookery book. We are going back this week for the Tapas and more jelly to take home. The cookbook is a real eye opener to me of the time and effort needed to produce food of this quality, the kitchen staff must be so dedicated.

After reading AA Gill's glowing review, my husband and I thought we'd give Terre a Terre a try. I love The Gate in London (zesty, light and exciting vegetarian) and was excited when I saw the menu at Terre a Terre. It looked inventive, adventurous and bold. Then...the food came. The Tapas a Terre for 2 was overkill in every way. I know it is supposed to be a sample of the restaurant's offerings, but all of the competing heavy flavours made getting through it labourious and overly filling before the main. The soba salad was heavy and bland and..garlic bread? Why bother putting that on? The corn fritters were tasty but along with everything else the plate just amounted to creative stodge. Then the mains came. I ordered the Kalamata Kataifi described as 'shredded filo lemon baklava layered with feta, pine nut, parsley and oregano, served with hot lemon soup, saffron and tomato Greek gigantas, a kalamata rocket, mint and blood orange salad and chestnut honey balsamic.' But the entire dish ended up tasting the same due to the prominence of the sauce which had a distinctly earthy flavour - almost mushroomy - which I had a strong distaste for. Very strong. I got through about 2 bites. And they were musty and stodgy bites. I was too polite (silly) to send it back - what can you say 'I just really don't like it?' so had it wrapped for my mom who was babysitting in case her palate could handle it. The wine we bought was in the medium bodied section of the menu but was syrupy and heavy and a chore to get through (at £25) and felt like hangover wine which it turns out it was i.e. 2 glasses = hangover. We left £100 lighter, but definitely more nauseous, and I regretted ever listening to Mr. AA Gill who is usually so discerning. On the plus side the wait staff was nice and helpful, the atmosphere was lively (but cheap). Overall - overrated and overpriced.

I have eaten here a few times recently and each time it has got progressively worse.... First off the service is not all that, there was one waiter that was reasonably personable and seemed as if he knew something about the wine, but did not know anything about the actual food- what the place apparently prides itself on. The other waitors were cold and forgot to bring us simple things we ordered like a bread basket... it is not that hard to remember surely, especially when they charge £4.95 and forget to take it off the end bill. When looking at the menu the food sounds exciting, unique and quirky, I ordered something called a 'walnut whip' a dish promising to wow me and excite my taste buds (style over substance!!). What I actually got and paid £13 for was glorified cheese on toast with walnuts.... it was a huge let down. The place seems to be about adhering to the Brightonian style of eco friendly, lets be vegan fashion, and little about the quality and substance of the dishes they produce. Everything me and my partner ate on our last visit was under seasoned, I mean two rosettes surely means the chef knows how to use salt and pepper?

OK . Food good but pretensious....service fine but I found the whole place sterile & lacking ambience. I prefer Food for Friends.

Whether you're a serious carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, or you simply want a healthy meal, Terre a Terre should hit the spot and then some.

The Venue
With its rustic decor and warm ambience, Terre a Terre deserves its reputation as one of England’s best spots for vegetarians. A friendly design of simple, warm colours and even friendlier staff complement this upscale restaurant, but the full-flavoured menu and thoughtful wine list definitely completes the experience and is the reason so many regulars recommend the restaurant.

The Atmosphere
The restaurant's vivacious food carries over into the atmosphere with smiley staff and contented customers chattering away and raving about dish after dish. This vegetarian restaurant is about as far away from earnest as you can get and even its ever lengthening list of awards hasn't made it the slightest bit pretentious.

The Food
Defying the stereotype of bland health food, the menu at Terre a Terre is consistently innovative and creative, attracting not only vegetarians, but diners of all stripes. Light appetisers include Wasabi Cashews and Hoisin Tofu with pickled ginger. Starters are based on a variety of flavours from around the world, such as the Blue Cheese Souffle and Walnut Pepper Salt and the Iddli Spice Puff Cakes and Bad Boy Brinjal curry. For the artfully presented main course, try the Polenta Plumps and Toy Box Tomatoes – parmesan ricotta and polenta beignets, served with warm caponata, balsamic baked nicoise vegetables, fried capers and a big rich olive cassoulet with pine nut and basil mince. There are so many flavours to savour but fantastically they complement each other so well they just meld into one delicious dish.

The Drink
With such diverse ingredients you may struggle at first to pick a wine to match your dish but this is one area where the staff really come into their own, plumping for bottles that always work beautifully in spite of the dizzying mixture of ingredients in each dish. All of the wines are organic and you'll even find the odd bottle of biodynamic wine too. If you're not a wine buff, take your pick from organic traditional cider or beer or let your meal digest over a snifter of cognac, just one of the many spirits on offer that also happen to be organic.

The Last Word
No animal was harmed in this first-rate union of veg-heads and flesh-eaters alike and even if you're a reluctant diner at any vegetarian restaurant you’ll hardly notice the lack of meat in the dishes at Terre a Terre as you'll be too busy scraping your plate clean and singing the praises of the chef.