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Best ITALIAN in Brighton and Hove







Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,526
The arse end of Hangleton
I know it's a bit of a trek but La Cravache d'Or in Pouance, France is fantastic. I can even recommend local accommodation !
 


MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,873
There's no such thing as an "Italian restaurant".

What you get in Italy is usually a family-run restaurant that cooks locally sourced food for local people and, possibly, visitors to the locality. Each region, each town, each locality is different. That is reflected in the way food is prepared.

Chain "Italian" restaurants in Britain seem to imagine that all "Italian" meat courses come smothered with something like "wild mushrooms, peppery endives, a truffle cream sauce and shaved Tuscan black truffles".

Not in my experience.

Wit the greatest respect, this is utter bollocks and you know it.

There are loads of shit generic 'Italian' restaurants all over Italy, just as there are many excellent 'local' ones. And there are both shit and good ones here as well.

And the fact that a restaurant here serves dishes from right across Italy doesn't mean that all the sauces are the same, nor does it mean they're no good. It's as churlish as saying an Indian restaurant shouldn't be serving up Vindaloos and Rogan Josh in the same place because one's Goan and one's Kashmiri.

But I doff my hat to you on all other matters.
 






Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,404
Location Location
Anyone who goes out for an Italian is a mug. £8-£10 for pasta? You mean that ingredient that I can buy for about 5p in the supermarket? Or £10-£12 for a pizza, which is just dough and tomato sauce with very little in the way of toppings to justify the price. It's the biggest con going. Not to mention the fact that any pizza you put in the oven at home will be just as nice as a restaurant one at 1/3 of the price. Seriously, go out for ANYTHING else, it doesn't matter what, as it's bound to be better value for money and something you can't so easily make at home.

Absolutely this. Pizza is basically glorified cheese on toast, and pasta is as dull as Stoke - yet you pay through the nose for it in a restaurant.

The only time I'll go to an Italian is when its on a works night out (so I'm not paying, therefore I don't care). I am ASTOUNDED at how mediocre the food invariably is, in relation to the price. The thick end of ten quid for a plate of pasta with a cheese sauce and some parsley ? Yeah, alright then.

They don't even trust with with the PARMESAN for christs sake. They come round with that enormous table leg to grind a bit out for you, and thats yer lot. Can't I just have my own little parmesan dispenser on the table ? You're stiffing me nearly £20 for some olives and a few miserable strands of tagliatelle in a cheesy gunk, and I can't even have my own condiments to try and jazz this thing up a bit ?

Gee thanks. See you next week Luigi. Not.
 


Buzzer

Languidly Clinical
Oct 1, 2006
26,121
... probably made with Cambozola, which (as everyone should know) is a German cheese, invented in the 1970s by Hofmeister GmbH & Co.

Not true. Not true at all. It was invented around 1900 by Kaserei Champignon, a German family cheesemaker and the company was bought by Hofmeister in the 60s. They are pretty good at making cheeses because they keep winning international awards (Supreme International Champion 2012 for instance). 3-star Michelin chef Paul Bocuse doesn't share your apparent snobbery regarding Cambozola, he's spoken very highly of it and gives it his highest rating.
 


Lady Whistledown

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
47,630
Absolutely this. Pizza is basically glorified cheese on toast, and pasta is as dull as Stoke - yet you pay through the nose for it in a restaurant.

The only time I'll go to an Italian is when its on a works night out (so I'm not paying, therefore I don't care). I am ASTOUNDED at how mediocre the food invariably is, in relation to the price. The thick end of ten quid for a plate of pasta with a cheese sauce and some parsley ? Yeah, alright then.

They don't even trust with with the PARMESAN for christs sake. They come round with that enormous table leg to grind a bit out for you, and thats yer lot. Can't I just have my own little parmesan dispenser on the table ? You're stiffing me nearly £20 for some olives and a few miserable strands of tagliatelle in a cheesy gunk, and I can't even have my own condiments to try and jazz this thing up a bit ?

Gee thanks. See you next week Luigi. Not.

:lolol: How I love a good Easy rant.
 




Lady Whistledown

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
47,630
Are we in danger of a little bit of food snobbery here?

Is it not possible for someone to make excellent and very tasty food of a specific national origin if they themselves don't come from that region?
 




TheJasperCo

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2012
4,612
Exeter
Absolutely this. Pizza is basically glorified cheese on toast, and pasta is as dull as Stoke - yet you pay through the nose for it in a restaurant.

The only time I'll go to an Italian is when its on a works night out (so I'm not paying, therefore I don't care). I am ASTOUNDED at how mediocre the food invariably is, in relation to the price. The thick end of ten quid for a plate of pasta with a cheese sauce and some parsley ? Yeah, alright then.

They don't even trust with with the PARMESAN for christs sake. They come round with that enormous table leg to grind a bit out for you, and thats yer lot. Can't I just have my own little parmesan dispenser on the table ? You're stiffing me nearly £20 for some olives and a few miserable strands of tagliatelle in a cheesy gunk, and I can't even have my own condiments to try and jazz this thing up a bit ?

Gee thanks. See you next week Luigi. Not.

:lolol: Stick with the chippy next time.
 






Lady Whistledown

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
47,630
In danger? Post 6 onwards confirms it.

Yep. Crap food is crap food and good food is good food, whether it's made by an Italian or a Cockney.
 


SeagullSongs

And it's all gone quiet..
Oct 10, 2011
6,937
Southampton
HE'S NOT ITALIAN

Why do people think this? He was born in barca, and has Catalan parents.

Quote from the man himself:

"I'm from Barcelona, I was born in Barcelona, but from Italian parents. All my family is Italian and even my sister was born in Italy. I feel half-Spanish, half-Italian."

Now let's all get along like a happy family. :) :) :)
 




spring hall convert

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2009
9,608
Brighton
Anyone who goes out for an Italian is a mug. £8-£10 for pasta? You mean that ingredient that I can buy for about 5p in the supermarket? Or £10-£12 for a pizza, which is just dough and tomato sauce with very little in the way of toppings to justify the price. It's the biggest con going. Not to mention the fact that any pizza you put in the oven at home will be just as nice as a restaurant one at 1/3 of the price. Seriously, go out for ANYTHING else, it doesn't matter what, as it's bound to be better value for money and something you can't so easily make at home.

I agree with you in the main, I've always avoided eating Italian out for this reason.

However, supermarket pizza's don't come close to a freshly made thin crust Italian pizza, with fresh dough, cooked in a proper pizza oven. Very nice they are but to claim they are as good as the real thing is disingenous.
 










Bad Ash

Unregistered User
Jul 18, 2003
1,905
Housewares
Anyone who goes out for an Italian is a mug. £8-£10 for pasta? You mean that ingredient that I can buy for about 5p in the supermarket? Or £10-£12 for a pizza, which is just dough and tomato sauce with very little in the way of toppings to justify the price. It's the biggest con going. Not to mention the fact that any pizza you put in the oven at home will be just as nice as a restaurant one at 1/3 of the price. Seriously, go out for ANYTHING else, it doesn't matter what, as it's bound to be better value for money and something you can't so easily make at home.

Any decent Italian restaurant would have plenty of meat and fish dishes that are not pizza or pasta. I'd suggest you stop going to Pizza Hut when going for an Italian.
 




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