Baby it's cold outside (and inside)...

Feeling chilly? It's my lunchtime and, due to 'inclement weather' I find myself trapped in my office! Argh.
Time to add my now overdue update on weekend activities...

I managed to get to (and back from) Brighton safely, thankfully. Whilst there I visited a few places old-and-new, ideal for a cold wintery weekend...


First off, the chain Pho has settled into the Lanes area (next door to Jamie's Italian in Black Lion St) and has gained a pretty good reputation for itself. It's part of the chain (click here for their official site) but is run by a local husband-and-wife team.

Decorated in wood and red, in a fairly standard communal tables/booth layout, the main feature is that you can watch the food being prepared. Whether you want to do this depends: it sounds a pull, but what I saw was a disgruntled kitchen assistant preparing bowls of stock base then slurping on a cup of tea- I guess it gets more exciting on busy nights!

The menu is based around two styles of noodle: round egg noodles and the flat 'pho' noodles. I'm a chilli addict and opted for the Bun Tom Hue- bright red, highly spiced soup with large prawns and flat noodles. The soups come with a selection of herbs, chilli and beansprouts which you add according to taste, along with fish sauce, chilli oil and chilli sauce. A main costs around £7-9, and is pretty filling. It's similar to Wagamama in that respect but there's more zing and flavour for your money (if you pick a spicy dish, especially). It isn't the most thrilling or unusual meal you'll ever have, but it's a great choice for a reasonably priced bite out before visiting some bars ... namely The Sussex (old fashioned boozer, office peeps and trippers and all sorts!) and the Mash Tun (a bit more of a laid back/alt vibe, played some 90s indie Friday night which is always a bonus!).

Anyway, following our little evening of fun, we turned in early...things to do, weddings to attend, shops to be shopped over the weekend (and blogs to be blogged about the above...)...