Koba, Western Road, near Waitrose, Brighton

Not my usual kind of place, being more of a ladybar. This used to be the site of the legendary Mars Bar, of 1980s yore. However, now it does a bit of food and there's an emphasis on cocktails. I've had a few here and they are consistently well-made and - especially during happy hour, at £4.20, very good value. They also do beer in bottles (Dark Star Sunbust - yum) and wine by the bottle or glass. Good relaxed vibe (man) and helpful staff.
4/5

The Florist, Upper North Street, Brighton

This used to be the Princess Victoria or PV. Its been tarted down and stripped floors and tables abound. When I visited there were 2 real ales on tap - Doom Bar (yawn) and Harvest Gold - Champion Beer of Britain in 2010. It was well kept and pretty lush. And not bad value at £3.20 a pint. 4/5

The Park View, Preston Drove, Brighton

Every time I visit my local, I'm pleasantly surprised with the selection of real ales on offer. The last time I was there there was Harvey's Best, St Austell Tribute, Sharp's Doom Bar (can't win em all), Box Steam Tunnel Vision ( a lovely 4.2% Bitter) and another one I can't remember. The staff give tasters, are knowledgable and enthusiastic about beer and will be continuing to offer some obscure ales as well as old favourites.

Bricklayers Arms, Putney

This is my regular pre-service destination when I go to worship at the oldest church in London - Craven Cottage. It's just off the riverside Lower Richmond Road ohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn the ya-ya Putney side of the river. It regularly has around 8 real ales on tap, all well-kept. Before last night's epic victory against the Gunners I had a couple of pints of London Stone, a 4ish % bitter ale with a hoppy finish.
Its a great pub which also does a bit of food and has a great little suntrap of a garden round the side. A friendly crowd of Cottagers and oppo fans.

Strada, New Road, Brighton

3 generations of us went here after the ballet on Christmas Eve. I had a slightly undercooked fiorentina pizza, others had spag bol, children's spag bol a chicken salad. Slightly better quality than Pizza Express, good service (crackers included), floor a bit dirty. Good value. 3/5.

The Spotted Dog, Middle Street, Brighton

A group of 8 40 and 50ish cycling chums had our winterval meal here last week. Although the manager doesn't normally reserve tables she made a special exception for us and she even provided crackers. We had a right old mix of pies, burgers, steaks etc and everyone was pleased with the food - its definitely as good as the Snowdrop (licenced by the same people - Dom and Tony). There were 6 well kept ales on and, although it was a little disappointing that there was neither Harveys Best nor Dark Star Hophead, the substitutes were spot on. Jenny, the manager, also brought us taster 'shots' of a lovely aniseedy mild that she had just put on.
9/10

Chilli Pickle revisited, Jubilee Square, Brighton

Aargh, if there was ever an example of a good restaurant getting too big for its boots and spoiling itself, this is it. After moving to a larger premises in the new bit of central Brighton near the library, the Chilli Pickle's standard of food has suffered and its become too poncey for its own good. Its more about the presentation (metal vesels) than quality or quantity. We chose virtually the same dishes as when we went to the old CP restaurant a few years ago and they just weren't as good. Navigating your way to and from the toilets can be tricky as well because of the full length mirrors and confusing doors to the next door hotel. The only bright spot was the Meantime IPA in bottles but that was steep at £11 a pop.
2/5 http://www.thechillipickle.com/