Andrew Kay pretends to be a cyclist and slips into Velo for an excellent lunch
On yer bike
It may seem hard to believe but I come from a long line of keen cyclists.
My grandparents belonged to old fashioned cycling clubs and in turn so did both my parents. In fact, that is how they met, and I have the photos to prove it as well as a folder of rather amazing receipts. My mother, when she was 18 back in 1950, bought a Holdsworth cycle frame, just the frame and it cost a remarkable 20 guineas, now in new money that’s one hell of a sum of money. On top of that she had to buy the wheels, pedals, gears, brakes saddle and everything else, and then put it all together, which she did herself!
It proved to be great value as I rode it all my teenage years and it is still on the road and used by my nephew to this day; quality pays, that’s for sure.
Quality is a great attribute and confirms my thoughts on what is good value and what is not. I will often say that a great dish at £15 is far better value than a bad one at £8, but we all make our own rules about value.
Just before the festivities I finally made it down to the very smart new Velo Café on the newly developed Level. What a delight it is. Part café, part bicycle repair surgery, hence my nostalgic pre-amble, it certainly put a huge smile on my face when I popped in.
The menu is fairly simple, there are pastries and cakes, hot and cold drinks, some rather exciting sandwiches too, platters and the like and a cream tea option – but the stars have to be the range of mac and cheese dishes. Now I’m not fond of the Americanism mac and cheese. I don’t see why we need to adopt these odd terms when macaroni cheese serves the purpose well enough. But I do see that from a marketing point of view, climbing onboard a trend is perhaps a good idea.
There are six varieties to choose from, from a classic to a Matador which includes chorizo. That sounded good but I was drawn to one with four cheeses, in particular because it included, Sussex cheddar, Gruyere, Gorgonzola and Pecorino. Now that’s a mighty combination of fromage by any standard. I also asked for a salad to go with it and a sparkling mineral water. In return for my pennies I was handed an odd looking device which I was told would buzz when my lunch was ready to collect. I took my water and found a table to sit at that was a decent distance from the family with the wandering child. Sadly she banged her head whilst trying to run into the kitchen, a lesson well learnt I hope.
After a decent length of time, not too long to be a practical lunch option, but long enough to know that it was not a microwave job, a charming member of staff actually brought my food over explaining that it was quiet enough for them to do that.
And there it was, a sizzling macaroni cheese topped with crisp breadcrumbs and a well cooked tomato half in a nice white enamel dish edged in cobalt blue. I couldn’t wait to tuck in, which is how I managed to singe my lips. Volcanically hot macaroni should be handled with care, and maybe like a fast food apple pie it should carry a warning. I left it a while and turned to my salad.
These days salads can either be too exotic or too small, a recent salad served to me was only marginally larger than your average garnish. This Velo salad was no such thing, a large enamel plate, again edged in blue, was piled with an assortment of fresh leaves and laced with ribbons of carrot and radish. The whole had been properly dressed and tossed in a simple but well made vinaigrette before being heaped onto my plate. It was huge, enough for two perhaps but a very welcome accompaniment to my steaming dish of macaroni.
After a few minutes I was able to tuck in and how please I was to do so.
The macaroni, not pasta shapes of anything else, was perfectly cooked.
To hell with al dente I say, especially when it comes to a macaroni cheese. That said it was still holding its shape.
The sauce was incredible, rich and creamy and mined with explosions of sharp Gorgonzola and stringy seams of Gruyere. It was the most deliciously comforting plate of food I have been served in some time. It was generous too, really generous for something priced at £6.95 and the garden salad at £2.50 was unbeatable good value.
I wanted to try the home baked scones and the delicious looking cakes but I ran out of both time and belly space. Next time I will try to choose something else, but it will be tough. Maybe If I go early enough I will be drawn to one of their breakfasts but I suspect that it will be macaroni all the way for me from now on. Any hope of me ever getting back on a bike will soon be lost as I develop into a rather more rotund pasta-filled Michelin man lookee-likee! A quick look at their website reveals that: “The new single-storey café has high sustainability credentials including a green wildlife-friendly roof, solar thermal and PV panels, air source heating and a rainwater harvesting system.” Well what more could we ask for in greener than green Brighton?
Velo Café, Rose Walk, The Level, Brighton, BN1 4ZN, Twitter @TheVeloCafe
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