Foodilic — Restaurant in Great Britain

Was asked to review it this as it’d recently turned vegan. The first time I went to review it, even though I was booked in - they were closing! this did not bode well, but I went back with an open mind. However, It was lacked heart, a fact that was obvious a matter of weeks later when I learnt on the Vegan Brighton Facebook Group it’s now selling meat again - whilst still advertising they’re vegan - unbelievable!! very disappointing... Review (which wasn’t published) follows:

Brighton Foodilic on North Street is a well established and popular restaurant, so we were excited to hear that the Western Road branch has recently become fully vegan.

The menu boasts fresh and healthy ingredients with some unusual combinations such as ackee and scrambled tofu for breakfast and a vegan ‘fish’ supper with nori wrapped banana blossom on the evening menu. We were impressed with the colourful salads which were fresh, zingy, tasty and satisfying. I wasn’t personally too keen on the addition of copious amounts of orange zest in the sweet potato salad but my friend loved it. There was plenty of choice with the salads however, so if one doesn’t appeal, it can easily be avoided without leaving a void on your plate.

We also tried the aforementioned banana blossom breaded ‘fish’ with sweet potato fries and tartare sauce. The banana blossom has a fibrous texture which was marinated and tasted very good. The nori it’s wrapped in provides the ‘fishy’ taste and the tartare sauce was nicely piquant and complimented the dish very well. The sweet potato fries weren’t bad but a little charred around the edges.

We shared a raw carrot cake for dessert and found this to be rather lacking in the joy you want from a cake with a mouthfeel of essentially finely grated carrot, and although the flavours were reminiscent of a carrot cake, the texture really wasn’t and neither of us felt compelled to finish it.

I wish I could say more about the menu; we did ask the serving staff a few questions about some of the options but felt they didn’t have the full knowledge the menu deserved. There’s no detailed information regarding the menu on Foodilic’s website either.

Overall there were some aspects that Foodilic obviously do really well: their salad fare is well established and deservedly popular and provides a hearty meal in its own right. Other things we felt could do with a little more refinement; particularly the ambience. I understand their busiest times are breakfast and lunch and it was quieter when we visited between 6:30 and 7:30 in the evening, so this may have contributed to our experience but the first thing that hit us when we walked in was the unappetising smell of bleach. Cleaning items such as brooms seemed to be permanently on display. A radio was on in the background and not quite tuned into the station. A radio is a welcome thing in my own kitchen but it didn’t quite hit the right note here. The waiting staff were friendly and keen to help but could do with an investment of time to fill the gaps in their knowledge regarding the menu.

Finally, if Foodilic really want to be on point with vegans (and let’s face it, anyone who cares about the environment), they really ought to invest in compostable cups rather than the single use plastic ones they...

FOODILIC has always been my favourite place for fresh food. Well the one in Western Road anyway. I don't like the one in North Street Brighton coz it always looks dirty. When i used to work at Mc Donald in Western Road (nest to this place) i used to sneak out to go order my food for either my break or to take it home when i'm in night shift. It was that delicious eventhough we get free food from Mc Donalds i preferred Foodilic foods most of times. FOODILIC has an amazing selection of vegetables. I like their Roast Chicken, Beef Stew and Lasagne. I still want to know how they cook their chicken because its always tender, succulent and taste delicious with its sauce. They have rice and vegetables cooked in different ways and its all delicious. Aubergine and mushrooms, string beans and pumpkins, mixed salads all are mouth watering. They also have deserts and slices of different colored cheesecakes mostly if not all are vegans or vegetarians. For now like all the restaurants they are only doing takeaways and deliveries. But when they open dining is amazing in this place because they have this EAT ALL YOU CAN for £7.50 excluding desert of course, and the restaurant itself is a great place to dine. They have this massive wooden tables for big families or dining with friends or you can dine with 3 other people or just yourself. The staff are well friendly (don't be surprise if one or two do not speak a good English) always smiling, well attentive and have a positive attitude. Trust me if you dine here you will have an EXCELLENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. Basically, it's like dining at...

When I went to the store I immediately felt this is the right place.

I love the way the food is prepared and presented. I was treated by one of the staff (sorry I forgot to ask his name) who warmly welcomed and invited me to try two of the main courses, the beef stew and the bean stew, both of which were so savory.

I chosed his top 3 salads since I was so indecisive when facing so many great options. He went into great details about the ingredients in each salad and said a sunny day would be better for a particular salad in a very humorous way (it is heavily rainning today). Until all my questions were resolved, the staff was always very patient and welcoming and I really appreciated his generous style.

All of the salads were served warm, not cold, which is very friendly to people like me who are just starting to be vegetarians.

I ended up taking away a large salad ( 1 main course + 3 salads) + a carrot cake and a cinnamon swirl (super tasty and would highly recommend it! ).

Will definitely be back and hopefully next time I can remember the name of this lovely staff...