Hastings Handbook
Restaurant Review

Pomegranate

A restaurant review for an advertiser? Might this present a moral dilemma? We’re pleased to say there was no quandary and, hand-on-heart, here’s what we thought.

Walking into Pomegranate is like going to a friend’s for dinner – a friend who just happens to be a gourmet chef. It’s cosy, informal and the staff are welcoming hosts – so we were happy to be invited by proprietors, Jo and Jamie, for an early supper on a work night to try out their new mid-week offer: Two courses for £10! We took advantage of being two by sharing a starter and dessert. Fried squid to begin, which was deliciously fresh, soft and mild – no rubber bands disguised on this plate. For the main, I went for Mackerel Salad which was generously a whole, grilled mackerel – meltingly fresh – with fried potatoes and salad, and pretty pink horseradish and beetroot relish. Locally sourced and perfectly cooked: it couldn’t have been better. My partner went for the New Orleans Steak Burger – cooked to an original recipe that Jo’s been using since she wrote it in her notebook age seven, while growing up in the States. It looked good, pink in the middle, the bun overflowing with bacon and melted cheese. His verdict? “The tastiest burger I’ve ever eaten… and the chips are pretty damn good too!”. A tough act to follow, but they were saving the best for last. The Bread-and-Butter Pudding deserved an altogether grander title: a crisp tower of layers – light outside with a crunchy glazed-sugar top, with dates and soft vanilla sweetness inside. If you ever come home from work mid-week too tired or idle to cook, for the price of a takeaway you can nip into town for a quick supper and still be home in time for The Apprentice. Pomegranate is the kind of informal, well-priced, reliable restaurant you find on the continent, and want to bring home with you. And how lucky we are to have it on our doorstop here in Hastings. The whole meal for two – complete with drinks and coffee – came to less than £30.

Pomegranate is at
50 George Street,
Old Town,
Hastings TN34 3EA
01424 429 221
10am to Midnight