Sunday, April 6, 2014

Plateau: a great natural wine bar in Brighton


“I look every week at your blog to see if it has been updated” said Thierry Pluquet mournfully. “It never is. ”

How could I not respond to such a heartfelt rebuke? You always reckon it doesn’t matter that much if you let a blog slip so it’s a bit chastening when you find that readers actually mind. Well, one of them anyway ....

Anyway Thierry’s restaurant, Plateau which he runs with his business partner Vincent LeBon* is a good enough reason to update it.


It’s a fair size place in Brighton’s Lanes - slightly more than a wine bar, not quite a restaurant with the most incredible wine list.

I was there, in fact, not as a customer but giving a talk about the Discover the Origin campaign which promotes wines from Burgundy and the Douro, port, parma ham and parmesan cheese but as soon as I saw the list I knew I’d have to dip in.


My first glass was a wine I’d tried before - Le Blanc qui Tente (literally - the white which tempts) a cloudy, unfiltered sémillon from Stephanie Roussel of Chateau Lasolle in the Côtes du Marmandais which sells as a Vin de France.

It wasn’t a typical semillon by any means with far more white peach and apple than pineapple fruit but absolutely luscious. They were slightly apprehensive about pouring it for me but needn’t have been. Much more an amber than a red (see my classification, right)

The menu looked pretty tempting too so we decided to stay for supper mainly so I could order the canon of lamb with wild garlic purée, asparagus and feta a combination I thought would work really well with a light bright red.


It did with the Opi d’Aqui Les Fainéants - a blend of mourvèdre and grenache  made by carbonic maceration. just outside Clermont L’Herault. A great find.

So there you are Thierry. It was worth complaining. The question is can I keep it up?


Plateau is at 1, Batholemews, Brighton BN1 1HG. Tel:01273 733085. They’re also on Facebook

*Both nominated as Imbibe Restaurant Personality of the Year.
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