1. Greece: Harbourside Inn, Newhaven

Harbourside Inn
Fort Road (at Gibson Road)
Newhaven,
East Sussex
BN9 9EL
01273 513340

Following a review in the Sussex Express newspaper, we booked to visit this establishment in the up and coming Newhaven wharf area. The newspaper article gave the reader the impression that there were many Greek dishes to choose from. There were, in reality, just a few: Moussaka, Greek Salad, Calimari and Lamb Kleftico. This really is a Newhaven pub with a few Greek dishes, so we will be reviewing a traditional Greek restaurant in the future. This issue aside, we had a good dining experience.

We recieved a warm welcome and settled down to look at the menu. There is a children's menu at £3.95. This seems to be a fairly popular place but when we arrived, there was only one other table of diners at 6:00 p.m. on a Sunday (the Karaoke starts at 7:00). Orders are placed at the bar. Our very generous plate of nachos arrived reasonably quickly and was expertly constructed with the sauce, guacamole, cheese and jalapenos lasting until we greedily gobbled the final, tangy tortilla chip. A good deal for £5.45. Blim had a quarter-pound burger with bacon, cheese and onions with chips and a salad on the side (£5.95) and just able to get that last of the lovely, chunky chips down. I had moussaka and Greek salad; a good, filling plate for £7.95. The moussaka is obviously homemade and was very tasty- not at all greasy as is often the case. The Greek salad was refreshing with some of the best feta I have tasted: not too salty and very creamy. I would, however, have liked the hot moussaka and the chilled salad on separate plates. Badgerman had the only traditional main course the Lamb Kleftico, served with tomato, mushrooms, fried onions and a choice of jacket or sautéed potatoes. He chose sautéed which were beautifully cooked and yummy. The lamb was very tender and tasty and again the portion was generous.

There is a standard, limited assortment of desserts on the menu, though the apple crumble is homemade. Badgerman and I managed to find room to share one of the special desserts, the homemade brownie in 'choccy' sauce. It was a delight! Soft, lightly cooked, packed with cocoa and smothered in velvety dark chocolate sauce, really worth saving some room for at £3.95.

The bill for three, excluding tip, was £48.95 for food and drinks- at usual bar prices.

Though the Harbourside Inn would not really qualify as a true 'ethnic eat' it certainly was well worth the drive.

Rating
Ambience: 2
Service: 3
Food Presentation : 2
Food Quality : 3
Value for Money: 3