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The fashion for witty names that were ‘No Name’ always left me somewhat cold. Too clever by half I reckon and pretty irritating too. How often did that lack of a proper name lead to confusion? So when the rather nice premises on the corner of The New Steine and St James’s Street, formerly with no name, were given a bit of a spruce up, I was delighted to see there was also a name, and a nice name too.

The raw brick walls and huge windows give the place an airy feel and on what was becoming a very hot June day Ms P and I were rather glad of that. Lunch out was a nice treat and we both planned to make the most of it so we sat in the window to watch the world go by as we ate. Read the rest of this article »

Andrew Kay hands over his official napkin and notepad to a bunch of talented youngsters for our annual Children’s Food Reviews

Yes, it’s that time again when I rally the kids and send them off to write about meals in restaurants. And this year it is the biggest expedition ever with 14 youngsters between the ages of 5 and 16 having been out to report on our widest ever range of local eateries.

As you will see, some went with mum and dad and some went with a friend, all depending on how old they were and, of course, whether mum and dad could trust them! The great thing is that I could certainly trust that they would report back honestly. Not everyone liked everything but on the whole their responses are positive and in some cases positively glowing.
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Andrew Kay drives to Hove to enjoy the Thai delights on offer at The Green Mango

Despite almost continuous barracking from my mother, I have yet to travel east and visit Thailand. She has made many visits and thoroughly enjoys displaying her knowledge of not only the country and the people but also of the cuisine.

I have none of her first-hand expertise but I do have a passion for the food, especially since being taught by Brighton’s very clever Bookie to make a few dishes myself in, what she assures me is, an authentic manner. But the biggest lesson that I gained in her hands is that Thai cooking is a complex and demanding art that requires a great deal of time, skill and knowledge.

I took that knowledge and I use it in the following manner: whenever I have a longing for Thai food, I go out to a Thai restaurant. OK, I admit that from time to time I will throw together some food that is influenced by Thai cooking, but Thai it ain’t.

The Green Mango is a fairly new Thai in central Hove. The look is modern with a hint of the east but not overtly so. The music was, thankfully, classic soul, so I had no problem in understanding that. As for the menu, well it was pretty self explanatory, but even so I passed it back to the owner and asked him to choose our dinner with the sole caveat that pineapple was not allowed. He took up the challenge undaunted and disappeared to the kitchen. Read the rest of this article »

Andrew Kay celebrates the launch of the Fishy Fishy Cookbook with a few recipes, & a chance to win the book and dinner for two

Fishy Fishy opened in a flurry of publicity, much of which centred on its celebrity partner Dermot O’Leary. But it very quickly proved that, while Mr O’Leary’s undeniable marketability was invaluable, the restaurant was only going to cut it in today’s very tough marketplace if what they served cut the mustard. It did and it still does and now with a second branch in Poole they have combined their resources and produced the Fishy Fishy Cookbook. James Ginzler, Paul Shovlin and Dermot all share a passion for fish, not only the eating of it, but also the way it is caught and they apply those ethics to both restaurants. Read the rest of this article »