Pebbles on the Port, Brighton

Yachts in front of Pebbles' Pub & Restaurant, Southwick. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Yachts in front of Pebbles' Pub & Restaurant, Southwick. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Pebbles on the Port is not a nifty kind of drink, it’s a brilliant little pub and restaurant in Southwick – nearer Hove than Brighton – that I discovered today after a long dental treatment

Pebbles on the Port - pub & restaurant, Lady Bee Marina, Southwick. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Pebbles on the Port - pub & restaurant, Lady Bee Marina, Southwick. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

They have been there for two years – smack on the edge of the Southwick Yachting Marina. It’s a very active boating community apparently, and they enjoy Pebbles’ musical nights.

Swiftly, I found myself with a glass of French chardonnay (Reserve St Roche) in hand, food at my finger tips, and the water at my feet.

When a swan curled its head up to view the watchers in the pub, I thought it might be a good time to move a little further back.  It was just a tad too breezy for my taste, anyhow.

To vary the scenery, which included a wide variety of yachts and occasional motor launches, there was a slightly rumpled looking musician clambering off an old-fashioned, wooden yacht clutching his guitar and amplifier.

Musician from the little wooden boat gets ready to go. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Musician from the little wooden boat gets ready to go. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

It must be tough having to deal with an audience as soon as you put your head out of the galley.

I like trying out simple things when I first discover a new eating place.

Garlic Mushrooms, Pebbles. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Garlic Mushrooms, Pebbles. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

My starter for lunch was garlic mushrooms, which came hot and with plenty of greenery.  The garlic mayonnaise was robustly good.

Fish &Chips, Pebbles. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Fish &Chips, Pebbles. Photo, VDuBourdieu©2011

Excellent fish and big chunky chips complete with peas and more greenery followed the entree.  All that for £15.40, plus a smiling waitress!

Later, I asked what the fish was.  It turned out to be Pang, a Vietnamese river fish, so you’re not going to be eating fish from the harbour. That might be a good thing; I wouldn’t go swimming in there.

Better still, Pebbles must be one of the few places in Brighton where you can actually park free.  Keep a sharp look out on the left after passing Hove Lagoon, driving through Portslade on the A259 towards Shoreham.

Pebbles on the Port
Lady Bee Marina,
Southwick, Brighton BN42 4EG
Tel: 01273 257042

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Aphrodisiac Menu: Hotel DeBrett, Auckland

DeBrett’s Valentines Day Dinner, from 6pm

View from Devonport to Rangitoto Island on the left. Photo: VDuBourdieu 2010

View from Devonport to Rangitoto Island on the left. Photo: VDuBourdieu 2010

Make it a feast to remember on Valentine’s Day at Hotel de Brett in Auckland.

You could just about fly there in time if you were to book quickly. (Check Skyscanner out for cheap flights on Cathay Pacific: currently £1090.)

Imagine sitting under a canopy of stars in Hotel de Brett’s cosy atrium, where you could enjoy five divine courses, interspersed with the top aphrodisiacal foods.

Michelle and her team have researched the top aphrodisiacs, and incorporated as many as they can into a special menu for Valentine’s Day.

Michelle Deery of Hotel DeBrett, Auckland. Photo, VDuBourdieu 2010.

Michelle Deery of Hotel DeBrett, Auckland. Photo, VDuBourdieu 2010.

At $99 a head, bookings are essential, but don’t worry, if you miss out on the big day, you can still try this enticing new menu for a few more days.

The erotically-inclined ingredients include Waikanae crab, oysters, salmon, quail eggs, avocado, duck, Angus beef, snapper, truffle and chocolate

See the whole menu here.

This delightful hotel right in the centre of Auckland city has just turned two – that’s right two years’ old – and it’s a wonderful place to stay. Full of quirky detail and designed for comfort, I can recommend a stay.

With its bright, striped carpets, luxe beds, and debonair, black-themed bathrooms, Hotel DeBrett offers a boutique experience at a price that won’t leave you weeping over your credit card in a week’s time.

Best of all, Hotel DeBrett is right in the middle of Auckland City, within 40 minutes by car of the airport, and only minutes on foot from the harbour.

Heavenly Vegetarian dish, The Kitchen, DeBrett's. Photo, VDuBourdieu 2010.

Heavenly Vegetarian dish, The Kitchen, DeBrett's. Photo, VDuBourdieu 2010.

Here, you can take off by ferry or yacht for Devonport, Birkenhead and Waikanae, or travel by yacht further afield to the many of the islands nestling in the harbour, the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands.

February events picked out by Hotel DeBrett

•    Headland Sculpture – Matiatia Wharf, Waiheke Island – to 20 Feb
•    A Hut of One’s Own – Brick Bay Sculpture Trail – to 31 Mar
•    Outrageous Fortune – The Exhibition, Auckland Museum – to 1 May
•    Beyond the Darkside – A Pink Floyd Tribute – The Civic Theatre – 12 Feb
•    Shakespeare in the Park
•    Auckland Lantern Festival – Albert Park – 18-20 Feb
•    Max Gimblett, Sumi Ink – Auckland Art Gallery – 21-22 Feb
•    Don McLean – Aotea Centre – 24 Feb
•    Neil Diamond – Vector Arena – 26 to 28 Feb
•    A Day On The Green – Crowded House  – Villa Maria Winery – 27 Feb

Every one is different: bedrooms at Hotel DeBrett, Auckland.

Every one different: bedrooms at Hotel DeBrett. Photo, VDuBourdieu 2010

Hotel DeBrett Valentine’s Day dinner

Monday 14 February from 6pm, $99 per person.
Phone: 64(0)9969 1545 or Email: kitchen@hoteldebrett.com