» Kids’ Food Feature: Yum Yum Yum
Andrew Kay hands over his official knife, fork and pen to a bunch of kids who hit the town’s eateries and come back with their verdicts
Yes, it’s true: they’re back, they’re bad, and they’re hungry. Well, they’re not so bad really. In truth, they do rather a fine job of this kid’s food review section year on year, and it gives both my feet and my waistband a bit of a rest too.
Over the years this has become one of our most popular annual features and it always surprises us. For starters – forgive the pun – very few kids are interested these days in children’s menus. That said, there are one or two places acknowledging this and coming up with kids’ menus that are both approachable and inspired – as opposed to your typical sausage, fish finger and beans route.
Kids’ tastes are becoming more and more sophisticated year on year. When we first did this we struggled to find kids who wanted to go out for anything exotic. Now we have them fighting for sushi and sashimi and keen on a hot curry.
The biggest surprise was the number of children we asked who were keen to eat meat. In the past we have seen a lot of kids who eat vegetarian or pescatarian, but there were whoops of joy when I sent out invitations to visit a steak grill or a restaurant famous for serving great game dishes. Ages ranged form seven to seventeen with all points between.
This year we have Indian and Japanese restaurants; British and Italian; formal and relaxed. And once again there are strong opinions, as they say – out of the mouths of babes. Well, into the mouths of the babes went the food and out came the following.
I hope that you enjoy them as much as we have, and that you find them a useful guide as to where your children might enjoy a meal that will keep you grown ups as happy as the grown downs.
The Elizabethan Cottage Tandoori
Dad couldn’t come as he had been to the dentist so there were three of us plus Mum. The first bonus was that Mum could park really close by. The building is old-fashioned looking, but in a good way. It was our first visit and we thought it was great. Inside is very welcoming, cosy with nooks and crannies, and each table is quite private.
We went on a Tuesday and it was busy with mostly families, but it wasn’t noisy at all. The waiters were very friendly and looked after us well. We ordered drinks and they brought us poppadoms and chutneys. We love Indian food but normally have takeaway. Mum wanted dishes we hadn’t tried before. But we wanted ones we knew we would like. For starters we ordered onion bhajee and Mum ordered king prawn puri. The bhajees were delicious – crispy and tangy. I don’t think Mum actually knew what a king prawn puri was but she seemed to like it (it was an Indian pancake and was really nice and fresh tasting).
For our main we ordered two dishes and one side dish, plus three pilau rice and naan bread. We always have chicken korma, so we had to order that. We also ordered a king prawn curry and bombay potatoes. We shared everything and it was all hot, fresh, spicy and delicious. That was lucky because the friendly waiters kept popping up to ask if we were happy (yes), if we liked the food (yes), and if we needed anything else (generally no). Lots of people were having sizzling Tandoori dishes and we would definitely have that next time. The portions are huge and it was a good idea to share. We couldn’t finish it all, so our waiter gave it to us in takeaway boxes!
They had a long list of desserts which all sounded tasty, including plastic toys filled with ice cream called Punky. We found a pudding-shaped hole and ordered these!
We will definitely go back to the Elizabethan Tandoori with friends and family. It is so different to the usual places to eat out in town.
Becky Clark 12
Elizabethan Cottage Tandoori, 130-136 Old London Road, Brighton, BN1 8YA, 01273 551307
Pablo’s
When I arrived, I was shown straight to my table and given a menu. The waiter introduced himself as Ed – he gave a warm and friendly service, and told us about the children’s offer on the adults’ menu: any pizza or pasta for £3.50. The children’s menu was very well laid out, the writing was very big and easy to read. On the back there was colouring and the waiter had a pot of crayons, which gives children something to do while they were waiting for their food.
The place has a very good and friendly atmosphere. The décor through-out is clean, bright and modern. It was a very hot day, so it was a welcome break that they had air conditioning. Even though the downstairs is quite small, the layout works well and it feels quite spacious.
We ordered cold drinks which arrived promptly. Shortly after, we browsed the menu and ordered. I decided to try tagliatelle alla carbonara and Dad chose the quattro formaggi pizza. These were both reasonably priced at £5.25 each on the adult menu. It didn’t take long for the food to arrive, which is good for families, particularly those with small children who get bored easily.
The main course I ate was very nice but was a very big portion, so I didn’t manage to eat it all. What I did eat of it tasted lovely; it was just right, with just enough cream and the bacon. My dad said that his pizza was cooked well with a nice thin base.
The dessert I chose was called Minty: it was mint choc chip and chocolate ice cream, cream and chocolate sauce. I loved this dessert because of its name; it is so simple but fun. The mint flavour of the desert was not too rich or sickly and was nice to eat after having a main course.
It’s location in the North Lanes, warm and friendly service combined with its good prices and good quality food makes this a popular place to eat. I will definitely go back there again.
Alice Forward (16)
Pablo’s, 36 Ship Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1AB, 01273 208123
Moshi Moshi
I hadn’t taken my daughters to a Japanese restaurant before, so they were excited about going. We were greeted by a very helpful Michaela and were shown to a great table right by the sushi conveyor belt, much to the girls’ amusement and curiosity. Inevitably the questions began: “What’s that one?…what’s that one…?” It could have gone on for hours but Michaela brought us a selection of amazing fresh juice blended creations which diverted their attention. And the taste fest began.
Firstly, we tried a fantastic sushi and sashimi platter. For those not accustomed to Japanese food (or those wee ones who haven’t tried it yet) sushi generally comes in two forms – maki is a filling, often seafood or vegetable, wrapped in sticky rice wrapped in nori seaweed; nigiri is a ball of sticky rice with a sliver of raw fish or seafood on top. Sashimi is simply thin slices of raw fish. They are all traditionally eaten with pink ginger, soy dipping sauce and wasabi, a paste made from Japanese horseradish.
Tilly wolfed everything with eager eyes – Tabitha stuck to the maki, especially liking the soy dipping experience. Both bravely tried wasabi, but found it a little too hot for their pallet!
I must mention the crash course in chopstick technique that all uninitiated in Japanese cuisine must undergo. The girls tried valiantly, with quite a bit of success – but rule number one: if all else fails and you’re really hungry, use your fingers!
Next a selection of side orders: crispy gyoza pork dumplings, Yakitori chicken skewers, and vegetable and fish tempura. Tilly inhaled the former and Tabitha demolished the latter. To finish, we had a dessert from the conveyor belt: Mochi rice cakes with sweet adzuki bean filling – unlike anything the girls had tried before, they devoured it regardless. I was really pleased that my sometimes picky daughters had tried a world of new flavours and enjoyed it immensely.
Tabitha (7) and Tilly (5)
Moshi Moshi, Opticon, Bartholomew Square, Brighton, BN1 1JS, 01273 719195
Sevendials
First impressions as we walked in was that it looked rather posh and grown-up. Then we were shown outside onto the terrace which was nice because it was such a hot day and it was more relaxed. We were shown the children’s menu but it was slightly too basic for our tastes, so we chose from the a la carte menu. At first we both wanted the same thing: the pan-fried rib eye steak, proper chips, slow roasted tomato, wild garlic sauce roquette salad and red wine sauce – but then I saw the Sussex lamb with roast garlic mash, provencal courgette and purple basil, and I decided to have that – as long as I could have the proper chips too as they looked really tasty.
The waiters and waitresses were really nice. They brought drinks, bread and then tiny espresso cups of chilled gazpacho – which was really delicious. The food came quite quickly. My mum had “something light”: the organic salmon on crushed Jersey royal potatoes, English asparagus and sauce vierge, which looked really yummy. We all tasted eachother’s food and everyone liked it all. Rae gave her roquette salad to Mum but the plates were all clean by the end. We all thoroughly enjoyed our main courses. It was really delicious. Even the courgettes were surprisingly good.
Then we ordered the dessert. We both ordered the sticky toffee pudding. It was light and rich with a lovely creamy vanilla ice cream. Mum had a little room for lemon posset, but Rae finished it off as she loves all puddings. It was a real treat.
Our food and drinks came to about £25 each but there was a menu of the day which had a starter and main course for just £10. We had a brilliant lunch. I wish we did that more often.
Rae (12) & Flora (11) Durgerian
Sevendials Restaurant, 1 Buckingham Place, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3TD, 01273 885555
Pho
As a creature of habit, I had never tried Vietnamese food and had no idea what to expect. Fortunately, I wasn’t disappointed. Healthy, fresh and low in fat, Pho offers the perfect summer menu.
To start, Uncle Andrew and I shared both spring and summer rolls, and a light but sumptuous mango and pork salad.
I tried Vietnam’s national dish, the delicious Pho noodle soup with chicken. Uncle Andrew, who has been many times now and is already a fan, had the prawn curry which he loved.
The atmosphere was vibrant, the restaurant quickly filling up from the moment we arrived: a clear sign that Brighton is hooked on Pho’s great value, low fat yet gratifying grub.
My evening finished on a high with banana fritters, the perfect partner to honey and ginger ice cream – a dessert so good, it has to be bad!
Dining out at Pho has been a wonderful surprise, introducing me to a new culture through a restaurant I will definitely be returning to.
Bell Foxwell (17)
Pho, 12 Black Lion Street, Brighton, UK BN1 1ND, 01273 202403
Terre à Terre
Andrew Kay, the food reviewer for Latest 7, was struggling to find someone to review Terre à Terre because it is a vegetarian restaurant. Apparently, all the children he approached wanted to eat meat. So it was with trepidation that I agreed, as I, too, prefer meat or fish to vegetables.
I’m glad to say, I enjoyed my meal tremendously. The food was nothing like the vegetables I have at home. It was beautiful to look at, the combination of ingredients was innovative and exciting, and there were loads of spices and flavours that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
We ordered something from the kids’ menu and something from the adults’ menu because I wanted to taste both. We had parmesan-coated olives filled with fresh ricotta cheese to start, along with garlic focaccia. I’ve lived in Italy for a few years of my life, and these were as good as anything I’ve had there. I also had the kids’ smoothie, which was so tasty you could taste every single fruit in it.
For the main course, we chose the Terre à Tapas, which is for two people to share. I’d been told that this is the best thing on the menu, because it gives you a tour of the whole menu in small tapas-sized dishes. I especially liked the corn cakes with avocado. I also liked the fritters with pastry in between, which were neither too spicy nor bland. There was halloumi, noodles, and perfect salad leaves dressed exquisitely. I was excited when the platter arrived and I tried a bit of everything first of all; I then went back to each food and finished it. I could not believe I could eat so many vegetables! It was to share but my mum had very little. The only flavour I thought was slightly clashing with everything else was the Indian dips.
I ordered the cheesecake for dessert. It was great – very cheesy and filling. I loved the sambuca raisins spread with sugar – I think it was the first time I have had them. I had a memorable eating experience at Terre à Terre and I hope I’ll go again soon.
Benjamin Röhl (11)
Terre à Terre, 1 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ, 01273 729051
Picasso’s
This is a family-run Italian restaurant – or ristorante as they say in Italy. It is quite small downstairs but has an upstairs too. And people were sitting outside too, drinking wine. We went on a Sunday evening and even though we arrived a bit late it was very welcoming with a great atmosphere.
Picasso’s is n proper Italian restaurant with red checked tablecloths covered in paper and real Italian waiters who say “Prego”, “Buon Appetito” and “Grazia” and talk quickly to one another in Italian. We even saw them making a huge fuss of a baby. There was very lively music, all in Italian though we could recognise the tunes of some of the songs like ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’.
There was a variety of other people when we were there. The service was great because it was fast and friendly. We were given menus as soon as we sat down and ordered drinks first which came straight away.
For starters we shared calamari fritti between the three of us and it was delicious. For our main course we chose from the main menu. There is a special kids’ menu during the day but in the evening kids can order smaller portions off the main menu. We both chose small margarita pizzas and Mum ordered lasagne. We also had a side order of French fries just to try.
The ‘small’ pizzas were giant, thin, crispy, gooey and very delicious. We just couldn’t finish them so we were given the leftovers to take home. Mum managed all of her lasagne which wasn’t too huge. The French fries were quite unusual: they were round like thin roast potatoes, but they tasted great. Perhaps Italian French fries are always round?
There were lots of pudding choices on the blackboard, including profiteroles and different ice creams. We shared a vanilla and strawberry Panda ice cream, which came with strawberries and cream.
We had a great time. The food was amazing and when we left the waiters all said “Ciao Bella” which made us feel good.
Esther Jackson (12)
Picasso’s, 41 Market Street, Brighton, BN1 1HH, 01273 748801
Foxy’s Roast & Grill
14-year-old boys are generally not fussed about vegetables, particularly the green variety. So, I was very pleased to be asked to check out Foxy’s, a grill/restaurant just down from Hove train station.
It’s a small, but intimate place – indoors the only seating is at the long bar, but there are a few tables outside on the pavement. If you are sitting at the bar service is very much like being in a bar or pub.
The menu is concise and not too busy, it’s largely an American style menu, offering a range of meat based dishes: burgers, steaks, ribs, chicken and the like, plus a couple of fish dishes, brunches and light lunches and salads. There are no starters which suited us fine, although of course you could just order a side dish if that’s all you wanted. Dad ordered the gourmet burger which came in ciabatta, with red onion jam and the ‘works’. Too big too handle he had to resort to a knife and fork. His mouth is not that big! He also ordered side dishes of confit potatoes, which are roasted in the drip pan along with onions and garlic, and coleslaw. Very tasty and filling.
I’m a big steak fan although it took me some time to work out the system of measurements. Basically, you order either fillet, sirloin or rump (t-bone is also available at a whooping 18ozs) with prices given per 100 grammes. My Dad had to do some mental calculation (he’s a pounds and inches throwback) before we hit upon 300 grammes of sirloin.
One of the features of Foxy’s is that the chef/waiter will produce a large piece of steak on a board and you decide how big you want it. You actually get to see it before its cooked, which is also done before your eyes. I ordered it medium rare and that’s exactly what I got – a nice bit of pink flesh inside, very succulent. I also had confit potatoes plus garlic mushrooms.
Drinks wise Foxy’s has a decent selection of beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks, and hot drinks. A good move, particularly in hot weather, is for the glasses to be chilled before the drinks are poured. Refreshing oustide and inside! All in all a great place for older kids and grown ups to indulge their passion for meat in an unfussy, relaxed and informal atmosphere. There’s also plenty of non-meat dishes, but not too many greens!
Luke Hemmings (14)
Foxy’s Roast & Grill, 90 Goldstone Villas Hove, BN3 3RU, 01273 776 661
Oki Nami
I love this place. This was our first visit and we will definitely be back. We have been to other Japanese restaurants and we love sushi but we wanted to try out the new kids’ menu here and see if we would be able to bring our young cousins when they visit.
This restaurant is calm, peaceful and airy. The staff are really welcoming and friendly. The kids’ menu has three options which are all homemade, free-range, freshly prepared and healthy: chicken yakitori (skewers of chickeni with teriyaki sauce), sakana ten (goujons of white fish in a light crispy batter) and tofu teriyaki (lightly fried organic wedges of tofu with teriyaki sauce). All three come with sticky Japanese rice and stemed vegetables. All of them are £3.95 and and include a drink.
The chicken yakatori was tender and sticky; we were glad to have finger bowls. The fish was fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside and came with with a tangy soy and ginger dipping sauce. Both of these were absolutely gorgeous and would both have been our favourite, until we tasted the tofu. I do not know how but their tofu is light and crispy and unbelievably tasty. The rice was sticky and delicious and the vegetables were perfectly cruchy.
The owner, Mike, was there and he came and talked to us. He was friendly and funny and talked to us about healthy food in a non-boring way, including healthy treats.
The interior is modern and airy with big windows, a long bar and a spiral staircase. There was origami hanging from the ceiling like bunting and we were admiring this when we realised that our chopsticks were wrapped in origami paper with printed instructions. After a bit of confusion when we all tried to help each other, we realised we were all making different things! We ended up with a boat, a bird, and – after quite a lot of help from the waitress – a rabbit! We would definitely bring younger kids here, even much younger ones. But teenagers and adults will like it too.
Natalie Clark (12)
Oki-Nami, 6 New Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UF, 01273 773777
Sam’s Of Brighton
We went to the restaurant on the afternoon of the Men’s Singles Final at Wimbledon. Dad managed to park right outside the restaurant which made mum very happy. Inside we were shown to our table by our waitress Fuz!!! The restaurant was much bigger inside than it looked from the outside. We were having a late lunch at 2pm but the restaurant seemed quite busy.
Fuz brought us the menus to choose our lunches and asked what we would like to drink. She also gave Kit pencils and paper to draw with. It seemed quite grown up and I liked how the menus were displayed on the walls in large white picture frames. Mum really liked the wall of family photos that were all in black and white – her favourite. Dad told us that Sam’s used to be owned by a famous actor ‘and that not a lot of people know that’.
We ordered our food and drinks and really enjoyed the basket of bread we were given whilst we waited for our food. Kit chose the Sunday roast from the children’s menu with bread sticks to start, I had roast pork from the a la carte menu and enjoyed ‘real chips’ for my starter. Dad had the adults roast beef and butternut squash soup to start, mum had courgette and feta tartlet with new potatoes and the shellfish risotto to start.
The waitress was nice and checked with us that we had everything we needed. When we had our starters I tried one of mums tiger prawns which was really nice. We all tucked into my real chips and Kit ate far too much of the delicious bread.
Our main courses then arrived. My roast pork was very nice especially the roast potatoes, however Dad’s roast beef was even nicer so for the purpose of the ‘review’ we had to share. Kit gave his mark of approval by clearing his plate. Mum said her meal was very tasty and filling.
After a short break we then got to look at the dessert menu.
Fuz suggested Kit and I should have the magic ice cream with its special ingredient, magic star dust, which was awesome. Dad had the passion fruit cheese cake which must have tasted good – he kept it to himself, and we all had a taste of mum’s chocolate Amaretto fudge pot which was really nice.
We all agreed it was a lovely Sunday lunch and headed home to watch Wimbledon which dad had recorded for us.
Flynn (10) & Kit (6)
Sam’s Of Brighton, 1 Paston Place Kemptown Brighton, BN2 1HA, 01273 676222
