LOST in the Lanes | September 2021
Nammie Matthews
- September 3, 2021
Tucked away in a quiet side street of Brighton’s Lanes, you’ll find one of the city’s most popular brunch spots. Yet even with its rotating group of regulars, it still seems like half of the city has yet to visit LOST in the Lanes. It had even been a while since we had visited (a long while before Brunches launched). So, we thought: let’s change that.
So, first thing’s first: book ahead. LOST’s disciples are among the most loyal we’ve seen, and you can guarantee this place is going to be packed each weekend, thanks to its all-day menu, Instagrammable interiors (think huge pampas/dried flower sprays overhead) and friendly service.
Then there’s the food. The brunch menu is made up of a few dishes you would expect from such a restaurant – there’s a full English (and its various veggie/vegan iterations), banana bread and a simple beans on toast. But then there’s plates suited to the more adventurous among us: an aubergine scapece, smoked ricotta and courgette, or pan fried chorizo – each given its own Mediterranean or Middle Eastern twist.
While deliberating the menu, we order drinks – a flat white, and one of the LOST house smoothies. The Hasbean gold has the benefit of appealing to both of my vices at once: healthy and wholesome, but also a little bit naughty. A blend of Hasbean coffee, dates, peanut butter, almond milk and banana, it comes in at £4.95 but is entirely worth it. Perhaps if I had a smaller stomach (I don’t), it would constitute a meal in itself.
Eventually, I opt for the pan roasted chorizo (£14), while my partner goes for an old faithful: the LOST breakfast (£12).
They arrive, and of course they’re both stunning. The LOST breakfast (Butchers sausage, streaky bacon, field mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes and organic poached eggs served atop a slab of sourdough toast, with homemade hash on the side) is perhaps smaller than my partner would have liked, but tasty nonetheless – the quintessential rustic take on a traditional classic that Brighton brunch restaurants do so well.
The pan roasted chorizo – new potatoes, orange-braised fennel, romesco, toasted almonds, samphire and dill – though, is phenomenal. The fennel and fresh dill notes balanced out the deeper harissa flavours and the chorizo perfectly, with the portion size the perfect accompaniment to my earlier smoothie.
“LOST’s disciples are among the most loyal we’ve seen, and you can guarantee this place is going to be packed each weekend.”
We leave fully fuelled for the Saturday ahead, and hugely satisfied over the quality of our dishes – even though it was a little bit pricey (yep, even in Brighton terms), costing approximately £37 for everything, including tip. But, in terms of effort, efficacy and ambience, LOST hasn’t changed at all since its earlier days. We won’t let it go so long before we visit again. Promise.
Nammie Matthews
Editor, Brunches of Brighton
Nammie is the editor and creator of Brunches of Brighton, which launched with a collection of reviews in 2018. As a freelancer in journalism and communications, she covers everything from breaking news stories to writing web content for exciting start ups, having worked with the Sunday Times, Culture Trip, Escape the City, and more.
Outside of the 9–5, you’ll find her putting her all into a spin class, cooking up a treat or planning her next out-of-town adventure – when she’s not checking out the latest brunch spot, of course.
