From the plaster figure of a Jane Bom-Bane herself above the front window to the mechanical tables inside, everything about Bom-Banes is eye-grabbing.
Luckily style does not completely swamp content the menu features hearty Belgian fare which should ensure you leave the restaurant with a full stomach and a head full of music and laughter. At the heart of the cooking here is stoemp mashed potato, vegetables and, if you like, bacon.
After a plate of stoemp and sausages washed down with Belgian Beer followed by a Big Bombowski (vodka, Kahlua, milk and cream), you might think your mind is playing tricks with you as the entertainment unfolds. Just to prove it isn't here is the inimitable Jane Bom-Bane performing for the diners.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXbPrsL7PIU
This restaurant is the stuff of hallucinogenic dreams. My table had a salt shaker which made the chimes on the wall play. Another table spins, another goes up and down, another has Brighton pier along with its own tidal wave feature!
Not only that, but the goats cheese salad with beautiful, the owner came and had a chat with us and was really friendly. Wine was good, great selection.
I just had a really good time! I think that's the defining thing for me - that I left feeling really happy, full and having a new experience in a tiny restaurant which was like looking into the owners imagination.
Go to Bom Banes - I guarantee if you have a sense of humour you'll have a really good time. Just don't take it too seriously.
Bom Banes is a really unique venue, the interior has an almost Moroccan vibe with a rustic spiral staircase, dark red and purple walls and old guitars and lanterns.
Its a modern European restaurant specialising in Belgian food, they also function as a coffee house and music venue. You may have seen the establishment in Kemp Town, it has fiberglass woman hanging from the outside with fruit on her head!
Live music can be found there on a regular basis downstairs from the restaurant. They also have movie nights and Bom Bane the musical where customers are entertained by the singing staff! Its a really interesting place to grab a morning coffee or evening bite.
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