SUZANNE HARRINGTON is a journalist and author from Cork who lives in Brighton.
Where do you live?
Brighton.
I moved to this area because…
London was doing my head in.
One of the best things about living here is…
Vegetarian shoes, gay dog walkers, guarana cafés, independent booksellers, unintentionally hilarious hipster coffee shops, dirty music venues, freaks, weirdos, oddballs, the fact that everyone is a yoga teacher…and the sea!
One restaurant I love to go to is…
Terre à Terre on East Street — the only place in town where you can put gourmet and vegan in the same sentence. Not cheap, but worth it.
My local is…
Metrodeco Tea Rooms on Upper St James Street.
And I love it because…
They have gorgeous 1930s furniture (which you can buy — there’s a showroom downstairs), but mostly for the easy welcome and bespoke teas like Shades of Grey. It’s very dog friendly with handmade gourmet dog biscuits off silver plates for a quid.
On my downtime I love to go to…
Dukes at the Komedia, the most civilised cinema in the world. Good films, proper bar and café, and you can bring your hot food and your drinks to the big squashy sofas in the cinema itself. Heaven.
An insider tip on my area would be…
Neue Froth Kunsthalle contemporary commercial gallery is home to some serious talent. Most Saturdays at the Community Arts Centre in a hidden basement under a barber shop sign there is a one evening-only show, a different artist every week.
Best place to go for a first date would be…
Marwood Café, because if your date doesn’t like it then you know they’re a dud.
One place not many people know about but I love is…
Bom-Banes, a cave of wonders run by the talented Jane Bom-Bane, a musician, host and provider of great food. The food is almost secondary — go for the puppet shows, the interactive tables and Jane’s own performances which often involve mechanical hats.
If you try one thing in Brighton try…
Treasure hunting in the charity shops from the bottom of St James Street.
The place that I love to bring visitors is…
For a walk up high on the South Downs, followed by either a swim and an ice-cream at the Ovingdean beach café on the Undercliff walk in summer, or a veggie roast Sunday dinner at the Thomas Kemp pub a great local pub in winter.
What do you collect?
Books. Lots and lots of books.
My favourite shops are…
Anywhere that sells handmade lights by Lost & Foundry, where old treasures and random stuff like — antique typewriters, roller-skates, old tins and vintage toys — are reborn as elegant, unique and humourous lighting.
Biggest extravagance?
Two expensive kids, two massive dogs. Oh you mean, like, stuff? Shopping at Infinity Foods, an amazing wholefood shop where you can pay a quid for a banana, but it will have been grown with organic unicorn tears.
If there was soundtrack to my area it would be…
Praise You by Fatboy Slim. It reminds me of 30,000 Brighton & Hove Albion supporters on our feet at the Amex Stadium, roaring our heads off.
Although that was before they starting sliding down the league table.
Suzanne Harrington's debut book The Liberty Tree, published by Atlantic Books is available now
