Working Lunch: Edendum

 

Regular readers of Sussex Business Times will recognise our latest review venue from this time last year. With various changes to the menu and the décor, owners, Lorenza and Diego welcomed us back to enjoy the tastes of authentic Italian cuisine in a bistro-style environment.

Just over a year ago, I went to Edendum for the first time and was thoroughly impressed with the uniqueness of the menu, the welcoming nature of the staff and the sophistication of the interior.

Luckily, I wasn’t disappointed this time around either. It was a lovely day and my guest and myself were greeted at the door and shown to our table. We chose 2 seats at the back, making use of the cushioned bench running along the back wall. The only down side to this – and potentially to the venue as a whole – is that there’s a slight lack of natural light. The room expands vertically, away from the sunshine (on that day) on East Street, which is a slight shame when you want to make the most of any good weather we’re lucky enough to experience in England. However, upon speaking to the staff, I was reassured that during the height of the summer months, tables were put outside with the doors opened out to create more of an open-air space.

I asked, as usual, what dishes were recommended and was given a choice of 2 or 3 starters and 2 or 3 mains. My guest and I decided to indulge in the Gnocco Fritto Misto platter, and we were encouraged to also try the Gamberoni prawn dish. I had thoroughly enjoyed the Gnocco Gritto Misto platter previously and, remembering this, was very pleased to have it again. On second taste, I think it was even better, with the deep-fried pizza dough strips (although they’re more like cubes), cooked ham, salami and range of cheeses complementing each other perfectly. Each ham and each cheese had its own distinct flavour, acting as the main events in an ideal platter of choice.

The Gamberoni consisted of marinated king prawns, served with Roma broccoli, pickled beetroots and saffron mayonnaise. I was oblivious to the extras, but the marinated king prawns themselves were very tasty indeed.

For main course, I was recommended the Tagliatelle al Golfo di Napoli. This was a seafood pasta with mussels, mini octopus, squid and king prawns in a tomato sauce. The tagliatelle itself was perfectly al dente but also soft and light. The small portion size was also ideal, especially after the fairly large starter platter which, despite sharing with my guest would probably have filled me up on its own for the rest of the afternoon.

We were also recommended the Prosciutto crudo Fontina e fichi pizza, with mozzarella cheese, fontina cheese, figs and parma ham, as this was something that no other Italian restaurant offered. However, neither of us were quite brave enough, so my guest went for the Prosciutto e funghi San Marzano, with mozzarella cheese, cooked ham, mushrooms and extra-virgin olive oil. It’s always nice to be served a pizza that’s clearly been made with care – apparently the dough was light and tasty, with flavoursome toppings.

Although neither of us had much room for dessert at all, we pushed through and had the Tiramisu (because it was too good last time not to have again) and one I hadn’t tried before, the Gelato Caldo. This was vanilla ice cream served in a deep fried, almond ball crust with berry foam. It was extremely sweet but delicious, and a very novel idea. Even better than I could remember, we wolfed down our dessert and afterwards, couldn’t move a muscle; full to the brim, I left Edendum satisfied to the maximum.

I’m always very surprised at how quiet it is in Edendum – I would have expected on the sunny day this was, in the south lanes, for there to be tables of customers. Nevertheless, ours was the only table filled before one more was taken up just as we were leaving. So, although a slightly sparse atmosphere, I cannot fault Edendum on traditional Italian taste, it’s food quality, quantity and flavour, the décor and service. It also would make an ideal place to take a client for a meeting, with plenty of sharing options, light lunch choices, or heavier meals. With a family run feel but the style of a well-established bistro, Edendum is a great pick.

Edendum

69 East St,

Brighton, East Sussex,

BN1 1HQ

01273 733800