Firstly, what is OctoberBest? From the 5th to the 21st (slightly longer than previously, but I love that it now stretches over my birthday) OctoberBest is back; a restaurant festival involving the best restaurants in Brighton offering special £20 menus or deals.
I love the concept of OctoberBest because it allows different audiences to try new restaurants, and gives me a reason to head back to some of my favourites. With the menus kicking off on the 5th I was lucky enough to be invited along to two of the preview events. I headed to Gingerpig, the Hove branch of the ginger franchise (and my personal favourite) to try their three-course twenty-pound menu.
The Menu
The OctoberBest menu for Gingerpig is a great showcase of all Gingerpig does best. A three-course menu with two options for each course and a drinks pairing with each. The starter and main have a meat and vegetarian option to choose from which makes it great for everyone. For £20 each it is a great offer with plenty of food! They're offering the menu Monday to Thursday 12-3pm & 6-7pm and Friday from 12-3pm
The Starter
For the starters, you can choose between a whipped cod roe with pickled onion served with a sourdough crisp, or their arancini with truffle and mushroom caponata.
I opted for the arancini and was not disappointed. The arancini were crispy on the outside and creamy inside and mixed with the sharp olives and earthy mushrooms it was delicious. I was lucky enough to try the whipped cod roe and although I was sceptical, it was delicious; a smooth dip with sharpness from the pickled onion and the sourdough crisp was something I really enjoyed as well.
Note: the bread pictured isn't part of the Octoberbest menu but is available on their menu, I highly recommend a try just for their homemade butter!
The Main
The meat option for the main was BBQ pork shoulder with deep fried macaroni cheese and charred peppers, and the vegetarians had the choice of Soft Polenta with spinach, celeriac, gremolata and hazelnuts.
Now, any dish that has a deep-fried cheese option is always a winner for me, so I (of course) chose the BBQ Pork shoulder. The pork was falling apart melt in your mouth delicious! Combined with the charred peppers and jus, it was refined but comforting and the mac n cheese... oh the mac n cheese. It was crispy on the outside without being dense and tough on the inside, a perfect level of cheese with the sharp onions made a perfect combo.
I didn't try the polenta but it looked great and something different for the non-meat eaters
The Dessert
There's only one option for the dessert, but you really don't need another.
A soft peanut butter cake topped with sweet but sharp plums, alongside a homemade creamy plum ice cream and served with the cutest marshmallow on the side, it was a light enough pudding to not push you over the edge. I've never tried Madeira before, but as it was paired with the dish, I gave it a go and it was delicious. Madeira is a sweet Portuguese wine and a great end to a meal,it wasn't horribly sweet like some dessert wines so a great combination to the pudding.
To book Gingerpig, and try this stunning menu call 01273 736123 quoting OctoberBEST or click the link here. And to find out what the other 24 restaurants involved in the festival are offering next month then head to Brighton's Best Restaurants
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