Andrew Kay hands over his official knife, fork and spoon to the Kids of Brighton & Hove

The kids are all bite!

“Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”

Well yea, indeed we have! For ten years now I have been directing food into the mouths of Brighton’s younger population and soliciting their views. Without a doubt it is one of the highlights of Latest 7’s year, always attracting a huge audience and always giving us lots of pleasure.

Since we fist created this feature all those years ago it has grown in both size and popularity. Back then most of the kids were presented with a children’s menu, but times have changed. Some places still do the kid’s menu thing, far better now than back then, it has to be said, but many now encourage children to eat from the main menu and some offer half portions to accommodate those smaller appetites. It is certainly a sign that both restaurants and children are becoming more discerning – and that can only be a good thing.

What we love most about this feature is the way that kids are willing to try new stuff. When I was a kid, back in pre-history, I cannot imagine that I would have been offered squid, let alone chosen it. These days youngsters are as comfortable with calamari as we were easy with egg and chips.

I’d like to say a big thank you to all that took part, the 17 restaurants who joined in, the 17 kids who went along and not only stood in for me for a week, judging their meals, but also for keeping those pesky parents in check who insist on coming along – well done all of you.

The Hove Bank
Blythe King, aged 7
The inside of this building was huge, it used to be a bank. I liked this restaurant, the atmosphere was good because all the people eating were happy. We were shown to our seats by a really nice waiter called Steve. Before the main course I had a chocolate milkshake, it was divine! it was so thick and creamy (with ice cream in it) that I had to suck the straw really hard.

I felt very comfortable on the banquette seat, it’s almost like a bed – you could lay down if you’ve had too much food. Although this restaurant has lots of meat and burgers I love fish, it’s my favourite! I had haddock and chips with some peas in a pot from the kids’ menu, I nearly chose the Margherita pizza, I love that too. My food was fantastic, there was lots of white fish and yummy crispy batter.

I was pretty full after the fish and chips but when Steve asked me if I wanted another drink I said YES and had another milkshake, this time it was strawberry with real strawberries and more ice cream in it…delicious!
Mummy and Daddy always say I have a sweet tooth and dessert is always my favourite course. I chose Smartie Pants for pudding…wow! It had meringue and strawberry sauce and whippy ice cream and loads of Smarties! There was also a dessert called Smelly Belly Buttons, ice cream covered with lots of chocolate buttons – next time I come I’m definitely having that!

The Hove Bank Steak and Ribs, 64 Western Road, Palmeira Square,
Hove, BN3 2JQ, 01273 721182, www.thehovebank.com; also The Old Bank Steak and Ribs, 120 St George’s Road, Kemptown Village, Brighton,
BN2 1EA, 01273 682200

Agua Dulce
Luke Hemmings, aged 16
Prior to coming to Brighton to open Agua Dulce, the proprietor – Carlo – had run a restaurant in the south east of Spain for nine years. The only bad thing about Brighton, according to Carlo? The weather!

But the food is certainly great…as a newcomer to tapas my Dad persuaded me to go for a selection of dishes while he went for the locally caught monkfish (in his words, succulent and lovely). From a selection of 30+ dishes I went for Calameros Fritos (squid), Pollo Estilo Andaluz con Ajo (boneless chicken in an Andalucian garlic sauce) and Patatas Alioli (boiled baby new potatoes, then deep fried and served with homemade garlic mayonnaise). As well as the tapas, there are the Chef’s Special Suggestions menu, meat, fish, salad, soup and homemade paella dishes.
For dessert I had the crème brûlée, while Dad had the almond tart with ice cream. Both lovely. The atmosphere was friendly, and not quite so formal as other restaurants. You can even sit at the bar and enjoy snacks and/or a drink if you wish. There is also a private functions upstairs. And every Thursday there is live flamenco while you enjoy your food.

Agua Dulce, 10–11 King’s Road, Mon & Tues 5.30–11pm, Wed–Fri 2.30–11pm, Sat 1pm–late, Sunday 1pm–10pm. 01273 328672 www.aguadulce.co.uk

Brasserie 1960
Charlie Kneath, aged 9
I went to Brasserie 1960 with my mum.
It is an Italian/French restaurant. Our waiter showed us where to sit, she was called Anna. She asked us what we would like to eat. I asked for spaghetti bolognese from the Kids’ Menu and a coke. My mum had pasta with a tomato and chilli sauce and parsley.

When I had my spaghetti I thought it was absolutely tremendous. The bolognese was very tasty and meaty. It was a very large portion but I ate it all. I was so full although I had a little space for an ice cream, in Italy it’s called Gelati. You had a choice of flavours, vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. I thought it was a tricky choice, but I chose chocolate. It came in a small bowl with chopped strawberries.

The restaurant felt like I was on holiday in Italy. Anna was very posh and enthusiastic because she was dancing to the music. Also when I looked at the chef he smiled at me. I would like to go again.

Brasserie 1960, 41 Market Street, Brighton, BN1 1HH, 01273 945045
www.como-restuarants.com/brasserie

Breeze Brasserie
Cosmo Elford, aged 9
Mum and I really enjoyed beautifully presented dishes at this spacious brasserie with comfy sofa seating. Whilst deciding on the menu, Mum sipped a fresh cocktail, Long Island Iced Tea (£6.50) and I had J2O (£2.30). I chose spicy squid and Mum had spicy prawn for starter (£6.50). The squid was tender and the prawns were juicy, both came with fresh salad and fragrant dressing infused with Indian spices.

For main, Mum tried the chef’s recommendation, oven baked cod wrapped in Parma ham served with minty pea sauce and spicy carrot puree (£14.95). It was a colourful, summery and flavoursome dish.

I had LA burger with salad and homemade chips (£9.25). The burger was well cooked, juicy and delicious. “Very, very nice! But SO BIG, I’m exploding,” I said. At the end, we shared warm apple and pear crumble (£6.50).
This brasserie offers an impressive 19 mains, all imaginative sounding with influences of Italian, Spanish, Indian, and all made from local produce. A simple kids’ menu, breakfast and lunch are also available.

Breeze Brasserie, 98 Trafalgar Street Brighton BN1 4ER,
01273 693377
www.breezebrasserie.co.uk
Opening 9.30am–late

Chaula’s
Luca Brooks-Edwards, aged 9
Indian and Japanese food are my favourites so I was looking forward to going to Chaula’s Indian restaurant in Little East Street. My dad said they specialised in food from the Gujarati region and that the owner had run a successful restaurant in Lewes for many years.

The entrance had a light picture of a rising sun that kept changing colour and the main room had a huge mural down one wall telling a story from India. We had poppadoms to start which were really crispy and not greasy like some I’ve had. There was mint yoghurt and mango chutney and something I’d never had before, fried coconut, which was really good piled on top of the yoghurt on the poppadom.

For a drink I had a mango lassi which apparently is very popular in India. It’s made with yoghurt and is sweet and was so nice I had a second.

There were lots of vegetarian choices on the menu, but I ordered the crispy fish – tilapia in corn flour batter – as a starter. The fish was lovely but the sauce was a bit too spicy for me so I had some of my dad’s lamb chops which had been cooked in a tandoori oven. I also tried some of my mum’s pani puri, small veggie parcels filled with potatoes and beans and topped with crispy noodles. I’d never had them before and they were really cooling.
I always have the same as a main: chicken tikka masala with plain rice. This was nice and creamy and the chicken tender. My dad had chicken methi with fenugreek leaves, one of Chaula’s specials, while mum had a huge pancake thing called a masala dhosa. I was a bit full by then but we all shared a ras malai, a traditional Gujarati milk pudding.

The staff were very friendly and I think we’ll be going back there again.

Chaula’s, 2–3 Little East Street, Brighton, 01273 771661, www.chaulas.co.uk, also Chaula’s, Eastgate House, 6 Eastgate Street, Lewes, 01273 476707

Como Cucina Italiana
Sadie Spector, aged 9

Como is very posh and grand to look at. The waiters were polite but didn’t talk to us at first (they said “Buon appetito” though which I was very invited by), but then Giuseppe served us and he was very friendly. There was a ‘Silver Menu’ which looked good, but I chose fresh pasta filled with roasted peppers, courgettes, aubergine and ricotta with basil sauce. The flavour was great and because most restaurants have small portions I was pleased mine was big.

Mum enjoyed her rigatoni pasta a lot, too. We had a good view of Ship Street from where we sat and the seats made you want to sit up a lot which is good for your digestion. I had a lovely dessert – a sour apple sorbet, and the presentation was amazing with a fresh mint on top.

Como Cucina Italiana, 36 Ship Street, East Sussex, BN1 1AB, 01273 208123
www.como-restaurants.com

Gars
Luke Butler, aged 10 ¾
When I got to Gars the people were really nice and gave us the menu and asked what we would like to drink – I had a coke and so did my mum. There were lots of lovely things on the menu and it was hard to choose so we went for a shared starter called the Imperial Choice which had King Prawn Tempura, Chicken Satay, BBQ Ribs & Fried Squid with salt & chilli, we also had steamed pork dumplings. I ate practically everything, even the cucumber decoration shaped as a flower.

For the mains we had ¼ Crispy Aromatic Duck with pancakes, spring onions, cucumber and a really sweet plum sauce, the waitress cut the duck up at the table so it was easier for us to put in the pancakes. It was amazing and I ate it really fast. I was really stuffed but when they asked if we would like pudding I chose a chocolate ice cream; Mum had a vanilla ice cream. It was really delicious, the best ice cream I have had! I would definitely come here again.

Gars, 19 Prince Albert Street, Brighton BN1, 1HF, 01273 321321 www.gars.co.uk
Open 12pm–11pm every day.

Tea at the Brighton Hilton Metropole
Poppy Miller, aged 10 & Rhiannon Price, aged 8
When we arrived, the service was great with a very friendly waitress who showed us to our big leather chairs and we chose the Mad Hatter tea for children. The first thing to arrive was our candyfloss milkshakes which were vanillay, ice creamy and with a hint of candy floss on the top. The cocktail waiter made them and they were so delicious we each had two!

Mum had tea and chose White Earl Grey with rose petals served in a glass pot with
a really cool sand timer to help time how long the tea should stew in the pot to make it perfect. The restaurant manager said,
“But if you want it stronger, leave it in longer,” which made us laugh.
We were given a ‘princesses only big bizzi bag’ and then our food arrived on a special old-fashioned tea plate with three layers. At the bottom were little white sandwiches, some with ham, some with marmite and some with cream cheese.

The rest of the tea was sweet, with pots of candyfloss, little chocolate éclairs, jam tarts, strawberries dipped in chocolate, a whole stick of Brighton rock and a pot of sliced rock sweets which we shared out.
It was very sweet and puddingy, which most kids would like, but we did think that just a little more savoury might be nice. But we both decided to give it four stars out of five and ate every single thing except the cream cheese sandwiches. We would recommend this tea to other children as an awesome experience.

Brighton Hilton Metropole, King’s Road, Brighton, BN1 2FU,
To book please contact Brendan Shannon – Food and Beverage manager 01273 775432, www.hilton.com/brighton

The Stoneham
Flynn Middleton-Paine, aged 12
The Stoneham Pub and Pizzeria is located in Portland Road, West Hove. It provides a large pub and restaurant area as well as gardens to both the front and rear. We went for supper early on a Tuesday evening and found it filling up with families and groups of friends having a meal on the way back from work as well as diners coming in for their evening meal.

The interior is spacious and modern with a relaxed atmosphere with the pub having its own cat, Popeye, who was also pretty relaxed.

Dad and I ordered our starters and main course. The starters came quickly and I enjoyed pizza garlic bread with rosemary which was large and delicious. Dad had a goat’s cheese on Ciabatta with caramelised onions with a mixed salad leaf and honey mustard dressing; this again was very plentiful and, according to Dad, very tasty.
After a very filling starter we had a break before our main course which arrived from the open-plan kitchen. Dad ordered a Turkish spiced lamb rolled pizza with a hot chilli sauce, which was hot! Again the size of the serving was generous. I went for the four cheese pizza which was topped up with a good layer of cheese which again was very appetising.

Dessert was a mix of local ice cream and I had the mint and honeycomb with Dad preferring the banoffi pie flavour. All were delicious. The meal was very nice with the pub providing traditional Italian-style food in a relaxed setting. The staff were very friendly and we were served by Boris and Kate under the constant supervision of Popeye the cat.

The Stoneham Pub and Pizzeria, 153 Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5QJ
01273 383840, www.thestoneham.co.uk

Pho
Adam Bailey, aged 9
I was really excited about going to Pho, (you say it like it is spelt with an F) I’d never tried Vietnamese food before. The atmosphere is so cool with real bamboo plants and twigs as the wall and we sat in a really nice booth seat near the front door. My sister Georgie came too and she thought the music was really good with the Mystery Jets and Kelis.

Our waiter was really helpful and helped me choose Chicken Noodles as the noodles and the chicken are served separately but on the same plate. To start we had prawn crackers which were delicious with my favourite plum sauce. My homemade lemonade was awesome and my mum’s apple, mint and lime juice was even better and it didn’t even have sugar in it!

Plum sauce was free, so instead of ketchup I had this with my Chicken Noodles which were delicious and I used the kids’ chopsticks. To finish I had a banana fritter which was really crispy and yummy, and some vanilla ice cream.
The only question is “When can I go again please Mum?”

Pho, 12 Black Lion Street Brighton, BN1 1ND
01273 202403, www.phocafe.co.uk

Pizza 500
Katja Kettles, aged 6
I was surprised to find this restaurant so close to home and my school, I hadn’t seen it before. Leo showed us to our table, there were records on the wall and they had Italian radio on which was fun. The menu had lots of pictures on it, Italian sausages, cars and motorbikes. My dad liked the red Fiat Cinquecento outside! I ordered some juice; they had my favourite tropical juice, Yahoo! 

I couldn’t help stare at their ice cream making machine, it looked like a very, very big version of my Sylvanian Family toy one, and I bet it makes great ice cream, lots of fun flavours and colours.

We ordered a Marinara pizza, tomato, garlic and oregano to start with. Mum and Dad said Italian food is always good to share, so we did, it was very tasty, crispy and tomatoey. We also had a plate of Italian meats and fat black olives, I ate all the olives! Mum said the menu offered great choice and was very reasonable too. We had gnocchi with ham, really light and savoury, some fried potato and peppers and spicy sausage which were yummy, but if you don’t like hot tastes then they do a no chilli one too. The Caprese salad of tomato and mozzarella was really good; Mum said the buffalo mozzarella was the best in town, a taste of Naples. I finished with sorbet; I tasted honey, mango, strawberry, lemon and celery, but decided on strawberry. Mum ordered a little piece of tiramisu and some of their torta della nonna, both very famous Italian puddings, I ate most of them, delicious!
When leaving Mum said, “I think we have just found a little piece of heaven.” I didn’t know God liked Pizza too? PS: they do takeaway too, Mum promised I could order a delivery soon, can’t wait.

Pizza 500, 83 Preston Road, Brighton, BN1 4QG, 01273 911933, www.pizza500.co.uk, Opening Hours Tuesday – Thursday 6pm – 11pm; Friday 12pm – 2pm and 6pm – 11pm; Saturday 6pm – 11pm; Sunday 6pm – 10pm

Terre à Terre
Tabitha Cotton, aged 9
When Dad told us we were going to Terre à Terre for lunch to taste all the dishes, I was very excited because we have been before and I love it there. We went on a Saturday so it was nice and busy. When we arrived, the waiter was very nice and brought us some WikkiStix to play with while we ordered three fresh fruit smoothies which were really yum and very red!

The menu looked really interesting but I couldn’t decide, so Dad ordered a whole selection of dishes to try. Everything arrived at once so we tucked in. I grabbed the Better Batter dish because it’s one of my favourites. It’s Halloumi cheese done in a chip shop batter with big chunky chips on the side. Tilly and Kit demolished the Rosti with tomato sauce and cheese on the top before I could get a look in, but that’s ok because they didn’t get any of my Batter. The other dishes which we all tried were the Arapas Corn Cakes with avocado guacamole and sweet chilli sauce (I dipped my chips in the sweet chilli sauce – extra yum), the mini falafels and houmous, and finally the tofu cooked in hoisin sauce (my second favourite after the Batter). For pudding we ordered the raspberry jelly and ice cream, and the banana fritters with runny choccy sauce. Scrum! Our waiter also brought us three baby Chinos – frothy milk with chocolate dust on top. They were the best! We had a really nice time and tried lots of new things. Personally, I think that Terre à Terre is a great restaurant for kids everywhere and I can’t wait to go again!

Terre à Terre, 71 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ
01273 729051, www.terreaterre.co.uk

Chilli Pickle
Natalie and Becky Clark, aged 14
The Chilli Pickle is a big, bright Indian restaurant in the centre of Brighton. We were greeted by friendly staff, including owner Dawn, who went through the menu with descriptions, recommendations and even a bit of information about Indian culture.

There were both adults and children’s menus – both bursting with mouthwatering dishes and authentic street foods. We decided to choose one meal from the adults’ and one meal from the kids’ menu as a sample.

We opted for the Chicken Xacuti King Thali (adult) and a Masala Dosa (kids). Both came with a colourful selection of both spicy and mild dips and the King Thali came with a huge naan bread. Sweet and fruity yoghurt-based lassi was the perfect drink and looked good too. There was so much food and so many different flavours, we couldn’t manage any dessert. But we could have enjoyed Indian sweets or a selection or ice creams and sorbets.

The toilets were the prettiest, cleanest, most beautifully decorated toilets we have ever seen. Overall: The Chilli Pickle is a beautiful restaurant, perfect for families and adults. Authentic Indian with a modern twist and amazing food. Everything at The Chilli Pickle looks as good as it tastes.

The Chilli Pickle, 17 Jubilee Street, Brighton BN1 1GE
01273 900383 www.thechillipickle.com
Lunch from 12 noon–3pm and dinner from 6pm–10.30 pm daily, closed Tuesday.

The Dyke Pub & Pizzeria
Izzy Blood, aged 6
The inside of the pub looks very fancy with twinkly lights round the chairs. We chose a corner table as it gave us plenty of space. I was given a menu with lots of colouring pencils which was fun to colour in. The kids’ menu has three dishes on it: pizza, pasta and a snack selection. I chose the penne pasta with tomato sauce and cheese on top. It was fantastic, I would give it ten out of ten. Dad had a really spicy pizza which was nice too, but a bit too spicy for me.

For dessert I had sticky toffee pudding with honeycomb ice cream which was sweet, delicious and huge. Dad had a chocolate brownie with hazelnut ice cream which was even better!
I think this pub is great for families as it has lots of space, loads of high chairs and the food is yummy. I want to come back with my mummy and brother Harry soon.

The Dyke Pub & Pizzeria, 218 Dyke Road, Brighton, BN1 5AA,
01273 555672, www.connaughtpub.co.uk

The Courtyard Restaurant
Zadie Emery, aged 9
The Courtyard has a very pleasant interior with original decoration: large photographs as wallpaper, fake trees, unusual murals and props. It had comfortable seating.

I would strongly recommend the kids’ menu because it is great value and good quality. My little sister had chicken nuggets and salad but when they brought it out they had put extra chips with it. I had a Caesar salad. I thought the food was tasty and well presented with good sized portions.

I ordered Eton mess for pudding. My only criticism would be that the salad dressing on my sister’s salad was a little bit too peppery for a kids’ meal but otherwise there is a good choice on the menu and the prices are very reasonable too.
The service was good. Our waiter was really friendly and polite and it’s a great place to go and have a relaxed meal with friends or family.

The Courtyard, 20 New Road, Brighton, BN1 1UF, 01273 819600
www.courtyardbrighton.co.uk
Opening Hours Monday – Friday: 8.30am – 10.30pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am – 10.30pm

The Green Mango
Kirsty Clark, aged 15
We went for lunch at the Green Mango Thai restaurant in Hove. The extremely friendly staff, combined with the authentic and colourful decoration, created an exotic and relaxed environment: busy without being too noisy. The relatively small size of the restaurant gave it a cosy feel and added to the intimate and informal mood.
The menu featured a wide range of rice and noodle based dishes and Thai curries. We went for Spring Rolls and Green Mango special pork ribs for our starter. The spring rolls were very fresh and the ribs were perfect, the marinade and dipping sauce gave them a tangy twist.

Service was fast and they also do an express menu if you don’t have long… For our main course we chose the Green Curry with Prawn and egg fried rice and the Sweet and Sour Stir Fry with Chicken with noodles. The curry was mildly spicy and very very tasty! The sweet and sour stir fry had the perfect balance between the two and the noodles added layers to the texture which made it taste even better.

As we were so stuffed from all the wonderful food, we shared banana fritters and ice cream for dessert. There was also a wide choice of ice creams and sorbets. At lunchtime there was definitely a family friendly feel but I imagine this would be a great restaurant for a romantic evening!

The Green Mango, 8 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2FL, 01273 327226
www.thegreenmangohove.com
Opening Times: all day, 7 days a week

Indian Summer
Isabel Lowe-Zinola, aged 16
Nestled in the heart of bustling Brighton is an intimate, atmospheric restaurant which boasts many awards. Kirsty and I began our feast at Indian Summer with crispy Tomato and Onion Pakora with mild Yoghurt and Bhel Puri, a classic Bombay Mix dish that has been served at the restaurant for 10 years. Our waiter, Patrizio, was happy to recommend dishes and help with our choices. From the varied menu we selected Mamaji’s Chicken in a thick sauce with a little kick, as well as Chingri Malai, an exotic East Indian Tiger Prawn Curry with an even bigger kick!

At Indian Summer every bite reveals a new flavour of authentic Indian food as it was intended, complete with excellent presentation.

We were tempted by two desserts: the divine Chocolate and Caramel Tart with a Baby Pear Poached in Red Wine and Mango Brulée with Pure Vanilla Shortcake – a tropical fruity treat. Stylish décor was complimented by smooth jazz which provided the perfect backdrop to our lunch. Thank you so much Indian Summer, we’ll be back…

Indian Summer, 69 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ
01273 711001, www.indian-summer.org.uk
Opening Times: Monday: 6pm – 10.30pm,
Tueday – Saturday: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sunday: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm