Review: The Cleveland Arms, Brighton

Our restaurant review this month has concentrated on what we all crave in these winter months – long, easy Sunday lunches with family and friends.  With a slight to change to this months working lunch feature and realising the importance of down time and quality family time, we decided to go to The Cleveland Arms,  it being recently refurbished and boasting an open fire and a sumptuous selection of food and wine.  Overlooking Blakers Park in the Preston Park area of Brighton, the pub is impressive on arrival with a gorgeous fresh grey and white painted exterior which adds a touch of contemporary to the traditional pub image. Set in the heart of the residential community in Fiveways, the Clevland Arms had a real sense of community appeal.

With four in our party, two adults and two children, we booked in advance and spent a bit of time with the children in the conveniently placed Blaker’s Park opposite the pub to work up an appetite for our Sunday lunch.  On entering the pub, the circular layout feels wide and airy.  The new landlords have made the effort to ensure that every type of customer is catered for.  There are small little romantic tables for couples, large areas for groups and a toy corner which allows the children somewhere to explore safely.  There is a large open fire which is most welcome in the winter months, and the restaurant area is towards the back around the bar in a bright, warm conservatory.

The landlords clearly demonstrate a penchant for attention to detail, coat hooks surround the outside walls and bar, and the fresh flowers on every table left a feeling of a cared for, safe environment.  A large screen on the wall near the bar no doubt allows for live screen events, and the pub hosts quiz nights, live music, and charity events regularly.  They even clear the decks for some yoga mornings which is an innovative idea and really suits this bright, friendly pub.

We were seated quickly and the laid back, friendly landlord Jamie talked us through the options for drinks.  The pub has a fantastically wide selection of Sussex beers and wines and competes easily with the central Brighton pubs for choice.  The food menu is impressive and I daresay caters for everyone.  We chose a selection of small dishes to share for starters and were not disappointed.  My personal favourite was the sweet and spicy BBQ glazed pork ribs with toasted sesame seeds, which were mouth-watering and moreish, perfectly cooked and served hot.  The roasted tomato and pancetta king prawns with warm bread, and then orange and thyme roasted warm beetroot salad with goat’s cheese mousse made for a perfect starter to our meal.  A rich red wine was chosen to go with our main course which encompassed roasts all round.  The beef and lamb roasts we chose could not have been more welcome on the cold sunny day.  The meat was cooked perfectly which is hard to get right, but the chef most certainly nailed it for us.  The portions were perfect sizes, with fat, light Yorkshire puddings and potatoes, all served with a delicious seasonal vegetables.  It is hard to recollect another pub in Brighton who gets Sunday lunch so spot on.  The children were more than satisfied with their food which is an accolade in itself.  We struggled on to share a dessert of sticky toffee pudding with rum and raisin ice cream which was absolutely delicious and tasted home-made.  Our only regret was not ordering one each!

The pub has been renovated recently following a change of landlords and we as a group would thoroughly recommend it.  Close enough to Preston Park but also directly opposite Blaker’s Park, it makes for a perfect destination family venue.  Certainly the food and drink are immense.  The friendly staff and owners are a welcome addition to the area and I hope remain for some time.

We will most certainly be returning as soon as we can.