Of course all really special eating places need an excellent chef and they don’t come much better than Peter Bruschi who was trained as an apprentice back in the 80’s with the iconic Roux Brothers. That training clearly laid the culinary groundwork for him to develop his own unique style of delicious European food with a strong French influence Paula, Peter’s wife is the other half of this talented duo who opened Blenio just over a year ago having sold their award winning restaurant in Tunbridge Wells called ‘Right on the Green’ . Paula is very much front of house and with her background in corporate hospitality you can be sure to be greeted by her charming smile and warm personality when you walk through the entrance of Blenio.

The next thing which strikes you immediately is the décor of the bistro as it is strikingly French with blue paintwork, exposed brickwork and pots of various herbs on each of the tables and some attractive pictures adorn the walls. Frankly when you sit in Blenio’s you are completely oblivious of the fact that you are in the heart of the city, rather than some leafy boulevard in Provence! It also has the benefit of a charming mature garden where weather permitting, you can eat out under the branches of a very large fig tree!

But above all things it is of course the food which makes Blenio’s so memorable. If it’s breakfast which you fancy, then from 11am until 3pm (weekdays) 10am to 4pm (Saturdays) and 10am – midday (Sundays) this is the place to satisfy your needs, whether full English (well we are talking about breakfast after all!) at a modest £6 or let the Francophile in you take over and order toasted brioche, drizzled with a warm berry sauce £5.25 or choose from delicious freshly made croissants and pastries.

If a lighter meal is more your thing, then go for the bistro menu ranging from fresh pea and mint risotto £7.50 or moules mariniere with french fries at £7.90 to pasta pesto £6.50 with lots more delicious dishes in between. Also look out for their speciality hearty home made stews which are served with rice and crusty bread & butter at £6.50
If you do want something more substantial then you will certainly not be disappointed with the a la carte menu offering a choice of starters like pan fried quail with delicate chilli vinaigrette and green bean salad £6.95 or curried king prawns with apple and chive salad £7.

Main courses include Sussex lamb with roasted vegetables, puy lentil and dauphinoise potatoes at £15, traditional monkfish bouillabaisse with accompaniments at £13.50 or pan fried polenta with ratatouille and aubergine parcel with parmesan crisp at £9.50 and once again many more dishes from this main course menu to stimulate your taste buds.

If you still have room for pudding – would for instance pineapple ravioli with strawberries & crème fraiche centre £5.95 fit the bill?!

Blenio also has a take away service of freshly made sandwiches, so try chicken caeser at £4.50 or prawn and avocado at the same price and of course the home made cakes and pastries as well as a range of speciality breads can all be purchased to take out.

A truly complete French bistro experience right on the doorstep of Regency magazine’s residents and one that in my opinion you would be foolish to miss!

Open Wed/Thurs/Fri from 11am – 3pm and 6pm – 10pm (last food orders) Sat 10am – 4pm and 7pm – 11pm Sunday 10am – 9pm (last food orders) Closed Monday and Tuesday).
Phone 01273 220220 to make a reservation which is recommended for evenings or for booking a table for traditional roast Sunday lunch. Their website is http://www.bleniobistro.com.

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Tim is actually from Ohio USA and has lived over here for 11 years.  One of seven children, it was his mother’s great skill in the  kitchen which instilled in him a love of good food and an interest in cookery which became even more important as he grew up.

However for many years he had a key financial job in student services at Richmond University and then moved into inter cultural communications at the University of Westminster.  But then, as happens to many people at a certain point in their life, he simply decided that the time was right to make a major change to his working life and finally do what he really enjoyed and that was to give himself the opportunity to cook really good food on a commercial basis and a specialist deli seemed the perfect answer.

Maugherman’s offers a choice of no fewer than 10 to 12 varieties of pasta sauces, including vegetarian and all ingredients are sourced locally in Sussex and can either be eaten in with a choice of pasta or taken out to enjoy at home or in the office. There is also a wide range of salads and a great choice of delicious panini’s, freshly made sandwiches and wraps. However the pleasure does not stop there, because every day there is also a wonderful variety of home made cakes, pastries and shortbread.

Of course being an Italian deli, you will also find a fantastic range of oils and dry pastas by Barilla and De Cecco, as well as cheeses and salamis and it is therefore not surprising to hear that he already has a great following of Italian residents in the city. Tim is also shortly to be granted an alcohol licence and he intends to stock a range of carefully selected European wines.

Maugherman’s Deli also offers office and business catering as well as bespoke hampers for such events as Glynebourne. However of one thing I am certain, with a great range of produce on offer, together with the efficient friendly service which I witness on  my visits and combined with Tim’s own culinary skills, I know that this is one local business in the heart of the Old Lanes will go from strength to strength.

Maugherman’s Deli
121, Brighton Square Brighton BN1 1HD
Tel: 01273 723522
email: maughermansdeli@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.maughermansdeli.co.uk

Opening times: Mon-Fri 8am – 5.30pm
Sat 9am – 5.30pm
Sun 11.30am – 4.30pm

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