Cook It: Very Important
Italian treats at VIP
Okay, it’s time for me to confess, confess to hiding a real gem from you. I was told about VIP last year and once bitten I was in no way shy. VIP happens to be a bit of a gem and over the last few months a very popular gem at that.
So what is it that makes me love it so? Well to be honest there a few pointers. Firstly the food is delicious and honest, there’s no fancy pants nonsense here, just great ingredients simply cooked and presented. Secondly it has to be price – VIP is very intelligently priced.
They pride themselves on the quality of the ingredients and it turns out that a lot of the produce they use is sourced from their own family farm back in Italy. That will explain the extraordinarily good mozzarella that I sample on an early visit at the centre of a platter of Italian cured meats. I suspect that it is a dish intended as a sharing starter, but I enjoyed it solo as a main course.
On my most recent visit I decided to try the vegetable platter and I was equally impressed, beautiful aubergine, sweet pepper salad, beetroot with crumbled cheese … and much more. It was a superb start to a rather good solo lunch. I followed it with gnocchi served with a creamy gorgonzola sauce. It too was delicious and a perfect size, not too small and not too big either. With a half pint of draught Peroni I was very content, that is until the charming staff brought out a slice of rum soaked cake for me to try. Well all I can say about that is, cheers! Order it if they have it when you visit.
On another occasion I went along with a friend. We started with the meat platter on my recommendation and then shared a pizza. Now I like pizza well enough. In Sicily I ate perhaps the best pizza I have ever had, simply a base covered in speck and topped with crushed pistacchio nuts. It was quite amazing.
VIP pizzas are big. I had seen one before and tried some, and given that they are cooked in a proper wood fired pizza oven they taste as good as any I have eaten in Italy. But for me they are too big so sharing one seemed like a great idea.
Luckily for me my colleague Mr M agreed. We chose a simple one – I’m pleased to say that they do not favour the crazier toppings that litter the world of pizza and there is not a bit of pineapple in sight thank heavens.
I probably ate less than half as I find pizza rather filling but I loved every mouthful, and especially the crisp base and singed crusts. I like the edges of a pizza to be scorched to a rich chestnut brown and to snap like pork scratchings and a VIP pizza certainly does that.
Strangely I seem to be the only person who is daunted by the scale of a VIP pizza and all around me people seem to be able to eat a whole one. I am filled with admiration, although I do know that they do take-away so I could always carry home what I cannot manage at the time I guess.
On another visit I tried the lasagne and again loved it. Yes you are right, I am in love with VIP, and apart from the great food I love the prices. It is very very affordable. The lasagne and the gnocchi are £6.95! My tavola de vegetali was £7.50 but was easily enough for two, and the large meaty platter was £13 when ordered for two with a half portion for £7. Now I hesitate to use the word ‘cheap’ here because it usually elicits a rain of emails criticising me for having a profligate lifestyle and a lack of touch with the real world, but at the risk of that I think that VIP’s prices are very well placed in a city where a couple of burgers, a bag of chips, some onion rings, fried pickles and four cocktails can set you back a scary £70 plus. So hats off to these canny Italians and their delicious dishes. Oh yes, before I forget, they can also make a great espresso – and get it to you piping hot. Now that is worthy of a mention in my book!
V.I.P. Pizza, 19 Old Stein, Brighton
01273 677377, www.pizzavip.co.uk
