Christmas Food Feature: Stuff Turkey!

Who needs to anyway, with such a great range of alternative dining choices this Christmas

I’m no turkey fan, the country yes, the food no. It might seem radical, and yes, I will indulge just that one time a year for the sake of tradition, and more often than not to keep mum happy.
Many of you though love turkey and all the trimmings that go with it, in fact the trimmings are often the best part as far as I am concerned, those pigs in blankets can make or break that festive feast. And for those turkey lovers there are plenty of traditional dinners to be had out there. So this week we would like to share some of the best, from the truly trad to the deliciously alternative.

Of course there are so many requirements thrown in the face of a Christmas party. Firstly size, how many of you will there be? We have found places that can offer everything from an intimate dinner a deux to a 200 strong rave up, complete with live entertainments, music and dancing. Yes, the ultimate office party, although we strongly advise against sneaking into the office of the venue to photocopy your bottom! (Does anyone have a photocopier these days?)
Then you have to think about those amongst your party who are vegetarian, pescatarian and vegan. It’s seldom a problem in Brighton and Hove as we have so many excellent restaurants who fully embrace all of these requirements – and I don’t just mean the specialist venues. Simply ask and your needs will almost certainly be met.

For those amongst us who crave something that little bit different, an element of spice should I say, then they are equally well catered for with exciting ethnic foods from around the world featuring so highly in the city’s culinary firmament.
All in all Brighton and Hove has plenty to offer for the discerning diner at any time of the year and for every pocket, and no more so than when we ride into the Christmas party season, sleigh bells ringing – happy booking!

The Chilli Pickle

The seasonal menu at the acclaimed Chilli Pickle is full of delicious delights
Bored of your usual Christmas party? Well look no further than The Chilli Pickle! Every year The Chilli Pickle’s Christmas menu offers their usual award winning Indian Cuisine with great seasonal ingredients and festive notes.
The menu starts with classic poppadoms & their signature pickles & chutneys as well as some punchy little Rajasthani pickled onions and masala nuts. A few examples of starters are the Duck Momos – Momos are Nepalese steamed dumplings with a great flavourful kick. The duck is the seasonal festive ingredient as opposed to their usual chicken or mutton and is perfectly accompanied with a blood orange and chilli chutney.
The Crab Pakora have a luxury taste of the sea and looks amazing, just like sea urchins with the spikey sev noodle coating. They are served with a vibrant saffron riata topped with Salmon Keta caviar
Little green pea kebabs and tapioca fritters make for a great veggie starter with 2 tangy chutneys for dipping.

Main courses include whole lamb shank slow roasted in spices. The tender meat just falls off the bone and is served with mint butter naan, Bukhara dal and Rogan gravy that makes for an impressive-looking feast as does the whole tandoori poussin with apricots and warm spices, pink pepper naan and Kachumber Raita. The root vegetable curry has all your lovely seasonal winter vegetables in a lentil stew spiked with ginger and coconut and served with a South Indian Uttapam Rice Pancake and a flavoursome smoked pepper chutney. If you love paneer you won’t be disappointed with the Saffron marinated Paneer & Piccolo Pepper Kebab that is baked in the tandoor and served with a festive chesnut pulao and a decadent Korma Gravy. Another stand out dish is the Seafood Moilly. Fresh local fish and shellfish is cooked to perfection in a tasty coconut, ginger and green chilli gravy and comes with a rice pawa and a zippy pickle.
You can’t have a Christmas meal without dessert and the home made Masala Chai Kulfi with Stolen cake and forest berry granita will have you sighing in delight!
Finish the night off with one of Chilli Pickle’s signature cocktails or loose teas and you and your guests will be smiling all the way into the New Year!
The Chilli Pickle, 17 Jubilee St, Brighton BN1 1GE
01273 900383
thechillipickle.com

Market

Host your Christmas party at the city’s most exciting new restaurant
If you haven’t already been to Market we know you must have heard about it. It’s the cool new London-style restaurant bar on Western Road where it’s all about kitchen bar dining and being entertained by the talented chefs who cook the fresh, delicious tapas and small plates right in front of you. They also offer a wide range of mains and ‘Market Classics’, a superb brunch at the weekend and the best roast we’ve had for a very long time!
And now, you can book their newly refurbished private room that seats up to 20 guests for your party which the owners, Kate and Manni have ironically called ‘Downmarket’ because as Kate says laughing “it’s below Market and is actually very upmarket”. We’re told that you can even have your own private chef cooking for you all night and you can’t get much more upmarket than that!
Menus wise Market is offering their Set Christmas Menu and the Chef’s Selection Menu which, featuring a wide range of the menu and designed to share, is the ideal Christmas party feast.
To find out more about booking the room or Market generally, see www.market-restaurant-bar.co.uk or mail Kate at info@market-restaurantbar.co.uk

Donatello & Pinocchio

These Brighton & Hove favourites are always a fun place to celebrate and especially so at Christmas
Buon Natale! Celebrate Italian style this Christmas, at Donatello or Pinocchio, two great restaurants with something to offer every taste, budget and party size.
The restaurants are located in central Brighton and offer a choice of delicious set or a la carte menus with a fabulous selection of wines and champagne. At Donatello and Pinocchio, the festive menus start with a delicious two-course option featuring Italian favourites, which include pizzas and pastas for an extremely reasonable £10, including crackers and streamers.
Bring the whole family to enjoy the Donatello Winter Wonderland, a fantastic, fully interactive magical Christmas display outside the restaurant. Featuring an 8ft singing teddy bear and swaying reindeers, the display is sure to delight all ages.
Also at Donatello, for parties of 50 plus we can recommend varied entertainment to help your party go with a swing, and if you really want to ‘push the boat out’ this Christmas we can discuss our VIP menus with you.
Bookings are now being taken for Christmas 2015 at Donatello and Pinocchio, with group bookings for between 10-250 people. We hope you will join us for your Christmas celebration this year!
Donatello, 1-3 Brighton Place, Brighton, BN1 1HJ
Pinocchio, 22 New Road, Brighton, BN1 1UF
Please call us on 01273 771190 between 9am-5pm (Monday to Friday)
for any bookings/enquiries, or view our Christmas menus online:
www.donatello.co.uk, www.pinocchio.co.uk

The Latest Music Bar

We can provide entertainment or you can even bring your own for up to 200 people this ChristmasThe Latest Musicbar would love to host your Christmas party! You can hire all or part of the venue or even just join them on one of their regular music nights. Whether you want a big bash or something more intimate, the Latest Musicbar can cater for parties of up to 200 as well as having the option of our Christmas buffet menu.
You can provide your own entertainment or they can help you source DJs, bands or performers to make your night go with a festive swing. The team will take care of all the details, just tell them what you want and they will do all the hard work for you. All you have to do is turn up and have a good time.
Previous Christmas Party clients say ‘We all had a great time, the food was lovely and please pass on my thanks to your staff who were wonderful. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a very happy new year.’ ‘Dear Ruth, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for helping to make our Christmas Party a great success. Everyone commented how good it was, some even said it was the best Sightsavers party they have been to which is fantastic! The food was lovely and you and James went out of your way to make sure we all had a good time. I hope you have a great Christmas and I will certainly recommend to next year’s Christmas Party Committee to come to you guys again.’
14 – 17 Manchester Street, Brighton BN2 1TF
01273 687171
bookings@thelatest.co.uk