Oh I do like to be beside the seaside-No.3 The Bristol Bar

When: 27 August 2011
Where: The Bristol Bar, Paston Place, Brighton
I paid: £3.70 for a pint of Kronenbourg

I'd originally intended to review a pub in the town centre but Brighton on a sunny Bank Holiday Saturday is not a particularly pleasant place to be. Scores of daytrippers and tourists descend on the seafront and surrounding streets and whilst I appreciate the obvious boost to the town's economy, it can make trying to find a relatively peaceful pub at 5 o'clock an almost impossible task. So after a few frustrating minutes wandering around the lanes I decided to cut my losses and head up the coast to Kemp Town and what a wise decision it turned out to be.

  Just half a mile away from the centre but far enough to be invisible to the tourist radar, stands the Bristol Bar. A large Regency building with a hotel attached, it's situated on the main seafront road but the guests only car-park at the front helps to minimise the sound of the passing traffic. Inside, it's large but cosy, with wooden floors and panelling and many momentos scattered around the bar with a strong nautical theme. There is plenty of comfortable seating available but like most of the other punters I made a beeline for one of the wicker chairs in the window. For the Bristol Bar's biggest selling point (well there is another one, we'll come to that later) is the view. The sea positively glistened in the early evening sunshine and I defy anyone to sit there and watch the waves crashing over the Marina arm in the distance and not feel that everything is alright with the world (or at least that they want to hang around for another pint). The relaxed atmosphere was spoilt at that moment by the barmaid deciding to put on a Michael Buble CD but hey, you can't have everything.

The pub offers a comprehensive menu of homecooked food and I watched the couple on the next table tuck into a massive plate of cheesy chips, priced at a very reasonable £2.40. Better still, if you overindulge then you can always work off the excess calories with a game of table tennis in the pool room. This for me vies with the view to be the Bristol Bar's biggest selling point and I ended up staying far longer than intended as I got involved in a few intense games with the regulars. To cap the evening off, the resident DJ came on and played a brilliant mix of funk, soul and blues that could've been tailor made for me. The Bristol Bar is pretty much the perfect pub......just a shame about the Buble.

Dog Friendly: Yes           Games: Did I mention they have ping pong? A few board games. No TV.

Food: A full menu, reasonable prices. Didn't indulge but it certainly looked good.

Outside seating: Tables chairs and wooden benches on Paston Place, gets a bit cool in the evening when out of the sun but you still get the sea view.

Quiz: None                       Live music: Jazz on a Thursday night

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10......Just can't overlook the Buble, sorry.