Kid’s food review

The kids are alright! part 1

Once again, Andrew Kay hands over his cutlery and his cruet to a gang of youngsters who have been out and about, tasting Brighton and Hove’s finest …

Over the next two weeks I have handed over the reins, once again, to a bunch of kids. Should I be worried? Well, if the following is anything to go by the answer is a clear ‘yes’. Food may be at the heart of my life, but it is quite clearly just as important to kids, too. They are a pretty discerning lot, and they pick up on all of the things that I notice when I dine out: the quality of the service, a friendly smile, and of course tasty dinners!

Happily, for the most part they are young enough to not quite be a threat. That is, if I am ever to retire (maybe when the teeth go and I have to resort to gumming my food or drinking it through a straw).

Enough of such depressing thoughts. With the summer already here and weeks of holidays ahead, read on to find out where our cross-section of canny kids enjoyed dining out.

Pick up next week’s issue to read The kids are alright! part 2

More kids, more food & much more fun

The Curry Leaf Cafe
Katja Kettles & Xavier Tacchi (age 8)

This restaurant in the lanes is very colourful, the colour of a curry leaf plant. The lady had a big welcome for us and showed us the curry plant in the middle of the restaurant that the chef uses for cooking. We both enjoy spicy food so were excited, and very hungry!

The menu is very clear and really easy to choose from. There are vegetarian, fish and meat choices and some brilliant ice cream and sorbet flavours.

We had some fabulous poppadums, spicy and delicious with peanut and tamarind sauce. Then I (Katja) had Aloo Mutter Tikki – a perfect Indian pea potato snack with sweet tamarind flavoursome sauce. Xavier had Amritsari Machi, which was like fish and chips but with a light spicy batter. He really liked the wedges as they were crispy – yum! Our mums had hot sauces with their poppadums and fish patties and prawns. Everything looked so pretty and all the bits were separate which we liked. Chef Kanti came to say hi and check that we had eaten it all. For mains, Xavier had Spinach Dal, he ate every crumb, the spinach soup was so tasty especially when he mixed the rice in with it, and he said all children should try it even if they think they don’t like spinach. I had Murgh Zafrani Do Pyaza, chicken pieces in a spicy nutty sauce, it was amazing and the Nan that came with it was the best I have ever tasted. Now for the hardest bit, which dessert to choose.

Beetroot and cardamom ice-cream, mango and pistachio ice-cream or coconut and lime sorbet. Thankfully we didn’t have to choose, we tried all three. The mango was so tasty it made my mouth water, the coconut and lime was so refreshing, Xavier wanted more.

It was an excellent meal, you would be a fool not to try it and its only £7 for three courses. We’ll be back. Our mums enjoyed theirs and said next time they are coming without us! Not if we have a say!

The Curry Leaf Cafe, 60 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AE,
01273 207070
www.curryleafcafe.com

Moksha Cafe
Amelie (age 9), Lola (age 7) & Chloe Redfern (age 5)

I really liked Moksha because it was very tidy and unlike many other restaurants the waiters were very smiley and ready to help you. It made me feel at home. The food there was delicious. It’s the best ham and cheese toastie I’ve ever tasted. I really enjoyed the lemon and poppy seed cake – the sponge was soft and very fresh. I really liked the outside view of St Peter’s Church and the weeping willow, as well as watching people walking past. You can sit outside but it is a busy street and would be a bit noisy with the traffic. (Amelie)

I thought the cafe was clean and tidy and not too busy. I liked the music they were playing. The willow tree outside is pretty and nice to look at. I asked if they could make my smoked salmon sandwich without the rocket but have a squeeze of lemon which they were happy to do – it was delicious. The apple, cinnamon and mixed berry muffin tasted scrumptious. The waiters were very kind. (Lola)

I liked the big coffee machine but thought the pictures were a bit freaky! The bacon toastie with ketchup was yummie and the strawberry shortbread was fantastic. (Chloe)

Moksha Cafe, 4-5 York Place, Brighton, BN1 4GU, 01273 248890 www.mokshacaffe.com

Dyke Tavern
Lily Reddaway (age 16)

When you step into the Dyke Tavern pub and kitchen, you realize you are in a traditional but stylish English pub, where cosy leather couches, tables, or the bar are available to relax and have a drink, but at the back of the bar is the dining room open for lunch and dinner where my companion and I were warmly welcomed by the staff and shown to a lovely table overlooking the garden. The menu was verried, from Gourmet Pizzas and Burgers to Fish or meat main courses, the menu offers something for everyone. I had Squid Ink and Real Ale Battered Cod with delicious chunky crispy chips with a delightful pea puree and my companion had perfectly cooked crispy skinned Seabass fillet with a crunchy rosti served with a clamp source witch we both thoroughly enjoyed. Following that I treated myself to a delicious Baileys, walnut and honeycomb cheesecake witch finished the meal perfectly. Although the meals where a little pricey for a pub, the quality of the food is definitely worth it. Dyke Tavern is what you are looking for when searching for a good Brighton Pub, Family Friendly service, comfortable environment and superb Fish’n’Chips.

Dyke Tavern, 218 Dyke Rd, Hove, BN1 5AA, 01273 555672
www.connaughtpub.co.uk/the-dyke

Pinocchio
Kittie (age 8) & Annie Coleridge (age 5)

Set opposite the Pavilion garden’s the restaurant is on New road and you can sit inside or outside which is nice when it is sunny. We sat inside because it gives you the feeling of a posh meal with colourful chequered table cloths that you would have if your were in Italy. (I will check as we are going there in two weeks!!) The waitress that served us was very nice, she recognised us from before and made us laugh. She spoke to us kindly and had a friendly way. She was very helpful when mummy wanted something different on the menu. They can do any pizza or pasta in children’s sizes. I ordered squid rings and spaghetti meat balls which turned out to be spaghetti bolognaise something new. I had it with lots of cheese but no black pepper. It was delicious the best that I have tasted, It was a very big size bowel and I did my best but wanted to leave room for pudding. I ordered the profiteroles with chocolate sauce on top as I LOVE chocolate but the decision was hard between this and the apple tart. I shall have that next time. (Kitty)

I liked the restaurant as I can have lemonade and chips but today mummy said have something different. The food came really fast and I had Yummy garlic bread that was on real baguettes and was very yummy, our waitress was very kind and smiley. My pizza was enormous it had lots and lots of cheese on it and ‘no green bits’!! (herbs). It was a nice thin crust and had bubbles in it. I was really full but daddy helped me finish it. For pudding I had the chocolate truffle torte which was very sweet and I shared it with everyone. It was very yummy. The restaurant is nice because the staff are friendly and it is bright and they have a big mirror in the toilets. My friends want to come next time. (Annie)

Pinocchio, 22 New Road, Brighton, BN1 1UF, 01273 677676
www.pinocchio.co.uk

Terre a Terre
Izzy Blood (age 8)

Terra Terre is a vegetarian restaurant I had never been to a vegetarian restaurant before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The waiter was called Barry he was very friendly and gave us very good service.

The restaurant was very smart inside and the atmosphere was calm. All children are given wiki sticks to play with which was really fun, I made a pair of Harry Potter glasses. My first drink was called Velvet sunset and it looked like a rainbow. We decided to share two starters between the three of us. An oeuf is an oeuf this was a deep fried poached egg that was poached in ginger beer, served with soba noodles and sticky rice. We also had Arepas chilli candy which was really unusual and fantastically tasty.

For our main meals we decided to share two meals between us again, we had middle tweats which was a bit like falafel made out of crispy potato with an amazing selection of sources. Are other meal was tips and tatties, this was a potato rosti, with marinated tofu, greens and smoked pea sauce this was unbelievably yummy.

I ordered another drink what was the Raspberry lemonade this was tangy and bubbly. Then we ordered the epic deserts, I ordered churros with a bitter chocolate and salted caramel dips this was mouth watering. Mum had lemon polenta cake and dad had prune and armagnac tarts with pistachio ice cream both were incredible. I would rate this restaurant as 9/10, I cannot wait to go back.

Terre a Terre, 71 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ
01273729051
www.terreaterre.co.uk

Boho Gelato
Ziggy Ager-Anderson and Sadie

Hello im Ziggy, after school today Sadie & I were picked up by our Mums and we walked into Brighton to visit Boho Gelato to taste some ice creams that were AMAZING!

Boho Gelato make 450 different flavours! That’s a lot!!! They made 21 different flavours today and sorbets. Seb [the owner] gives money to the Rocking horse.

Every time you go you get a stamp, after ten stamps you get a free scoop.

They make ice cream on the premises & also cakes. My mum told me they used locally sourced ingredients. I liked the after dinner mint best. Sadie liked the chocolate raspberry.

Lotte served us very well. I liked the presentation because the colours were realistic. The shop colours was pink yellow and white they were fresh colours, that were like ice cream.

You can get a tub to take home where ever you live.

They had some pictures. They won an award 2013.

I had an AMAZING! ice cream with Sadie in Brighton. We hope you all will like this as much as Sadie and me & thank you for reading about our experience … Ziggy.

Boho Gelato, 6 Pool Valley, Brighton, BN1 1NJ
01273 727205
www.bohogelato.co.uk

Jamie Oliver’s Cafe & Cookery School
Josie Jones (age 10)

When my dad said i was going to do a cookery class at jamie oliver’s cookery school to make truffles I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew about truffles was what my nanny told me, that they were round and and have alcohol in them.

First thing we did was wash our hands and then I was given an apron, the chef in charge told us to expect to get extremely messy. Then the chef explained what we were going to do. I poured seventy grams of cream into twice as much melted chocolate and stirred it until it was thick and creamy. Then we put the chocolate/cream mix into a cling film lined bowl, smoothed it over and chef put them in the fridge. Cue much licking of spoons, as encouraged by chef!

Whilst we waited for the truffle mix to set, our teacher brought us lollies and marshmallow kebabs to decorate. Which of course we ate! After this, our chef returned with our bowls. We turned them upside down to get the truffles mix out and then cut it into a dozen pieces. Then rolled them into balls and then i added some toppings like pistachio nuts and cocoa powder (but no alcohol, sorry nanny). i really enjoyed the experience and the fact that i got to eat everything i made there!

Jamie Oliver’s Cafe & Cookery School, 73 Western Rd, Brighton, BN1 2HA
01273 311338
www.jamieoliver.com

Street Thai
Stanley Sperring

When I found out I was going to be a reviewer for Street Thai I was over the moon! When we (I took my Mum, Nan and new baby brother) got to the restaurant I saw the manager, Joana, and she made me feel really special and she was hilarious.

The restaurant was busy and the paintings on the walls looked like Grafitti which I thought was really cool. Me and Nan had a fantastic tour from Joana of the restaurant and the terrace.

For my first course I had soft shell crab with crispy noodles, it was delicious because the texture was good. Mummy had the pork ribs and they were great too.

For my main course I had sweet and sour tiger prawns with jasmine rice. It was genius because it had crunchy vegetables and pineapple with the prawns which made the dish extra yummy. Mummy and Nan had Thai Green Curry and Pad Thai which are very traditional Thai foods, they looked and tasted delicious.

I had a scoop of chocolate ice cream with crunchy chocolate on top. Yum! Everything was washed down with an exotic fruit juice. The smells and sounds (and the baby elephant statue in the restaurant) made me want to go to Thailand one day, fingers crossed Mum and Dad say yes!!

Thanks for a great night Joana!

Street Thai, 5 & 20 Brighton Square, Brighton, BN1 1HD
01273 207444
www.streetthai.co.uk