• Home
  • About & Contact
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Product Reviews
  • SHOP
instagram twitter

The Graphic Foodie | Brighton Food Blog & Restaurant Reviews


There are some dishes that are more than just food. Comfort, memories, family, heritage... Brodo, an Italian chicken broth, is made when ill, when you have weary travellers arriving, and even when celebrating. A version of this is found around the festive period with mini veal meatballs and even weddings with tiny tortellini.

If my kids come home from school and smell that this has been cooking during the day for them, the sound of bags and shoes hitting the floor (ffs) is always joined by excitement and thats-exactly-what-I-wanted sighs. I love knowing this will definitely form part of their childhood food memories. 

Easy to do with just a little faff.

Into a large pot throw:
  • 1kg chicken drumsticks
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 1 tomato, quartered
  • 1-2 carrots, halved
  • 2 sticks of celery, chopped in half
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • Contentious, but I always throw in a Knorr Chicken Pot too.
  • Optional: a small piece of brisket or stewing beef. This will enrich but nit essential.

Cover with about 1.5 litres of water, or juat enough to cover everything. The size and shape of your pot will determine this.

Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 1.5-2 hours. The broth will reduce but don’t let it reduce too much. Remove any scum that forms on top, but I don't tend get much using drumsticks.

Turn off the heat and ideally allow everything to cool down a little.

Pour the whole lot into a colander over a large bowl. Give the pot a clean them pour the broth only back in, keeping the chicken, bones and vegetables aside.

Put some small pasta shapes on to boil (pastina, orzo, tiny tubes) and in another pot boil some finely shredded leafy greens (spring cabbage, cavolo nero, savoy).

Meanwhile pick though all the meat carefully, discarding bones, skin, veins. Set aside in a bowl. Lightly shredding any large pieces. If you've added any brisket or beef, chop this up roughly too.

Optional: In a separate bowl, using a hand blender, blend one of the reserved carrot pieces, a piece of tomato if that exists still, a couple of celery pieces and a half ladle of broth to make a paste. Add just a heaped tablespoon or two of this back to the broth pan to give a little body to it, but not much.

Taste broth for seasoning. May need a pinch of salt but not much. Reheat gently.

Drain pasta and cabbage.

In large soup bowls add some shredded chicken, pasta, cabbage to each, then top with a few ladels of your hot broth.

Add peperoncino flakes or some grated parmesan.

Feel 1000% better. Mamma knows best.
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments

I adore knives. Not in a stabby way (at ease ex-husband), but as kitchen kit goes for any keen cook, along with your pans, your knife set is essential and the first area I invested in after replacing all the budget starter home items. Look after them, and they will see you right for a very long time.

My current knife set is from a brand known for their quality and I’ve been happy with them over the years, but what I have seen an interest in from professional chefs and keen home cooks is a turn towards handmade knives - with beautiful hammered blades and intricate handles made of fine woods.


And look how beautiful this Katto it is - so much character. You have a choice of blade and also wood handle - I opted for the dark Rosewood. This means you need to wash and dry your knives after use but that’s a good habit to have anyway and I’ve always thought wooden handled knives felt better to use.


Katto knives are available in chef’s knives, santokus, utility, bread and just launched - a 7” agile nakiri.

My preference for santoku over chef knives is a few years old now, they just feel better to me and I seem to work quicker than with a heavier chefs knife - the downturned point also lends itself to less mistakes. The 7.5” Katto santoku is no different - it feels well balanced, robust for heavier chopping (coped well with some tough winter squash) but light and sharp enough to thinly slice onions.

I’ve been wanting to use it for a few weeks for reviewing properly and despite being a rather glamorous item looking stunning on my magnetic rack, I’m happy to report that the Katto knife is very much a functional item for the kitchen and I’m sure going to enjoy using mine on the daily.


I haven’t encountered any issues at all with it - you’ll want a smaller knife for more intricate work, but that’s a job for a different knife like their utility, which would make a great pair with this or the chef’s knife.

This is a super knife, from a lovely brand (read the about us page on their site) with a sustainable ethos.

Extra shout out to their presentation and packaging too - loved the coin tradition, the tote and the attention to detail on the brand was a really nice touch. Along with Julie Andrews, brown paper packages tied up with string are also one of MY favourite things, so I appreciated the whole experience of receiving and unboxing the knife.

Watch the unboxing video here.

Also, with the option of personalisation and a nice leather scabbard, I’m sure any keen cook would be happy to find a Katto Knife or two (or a set!) under the Christmas tree this year.


katto.shop


AD I was sent this item for honest review, words and thought my own.
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments


Gin has had an enormous boost in popularity over the last few years, at all levels of the market, and for all tastes.

But what about vodka? Not a spirit that is so enthusiastically spoken about as a standalone, yet remains a solid staple in cocktails. Enter X MUSE vodka (pronounced tenth muse) - here to challenge this at the premium end of the market. X MUSE has been created with quality and culture in mind and hails from somewhere not necessarily associated with the spirit. You may be thinking of Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, but this vodka is made in Scotland, yes, famous for spirits, but of the Whisky kind.

Taking three years to develop, X MUSE uses water from an ancient aquifer, producing exceptionally pure water, taken from the 100 acre Bennington Estate near Edinburgh amongst a sculptured landscape called Jupiter Artland. (Look at the site and you can see the bottle design influence.)

Photo © Graeme Yuill (cc-by-sa/2.)

And it’s all steeped in art. If you know your Greek mythology, you recall the Nine named Muses who represented the arts. The Tenth Muse had no name and “represents all that is unseen, not captured, defined or understood.” You’ll cleverly find the brand strap line under the waxed bottle top: ‘Plura Latent, Quam Patent’ (more is hidden than revealed). Nice touch.





It’s all rather beautiful, the bottle is stunning sculptural piece that plays with the light, the white wax and textured paper label all exude that feeling that this is not your average bottle of voddy. I doff my hat to the design and marketing teams involved, the brand story is exquisite. You can read more on their website.

But to the taste Fran! X MUSE is the first barley blended vodka, inspired by the Whiskey traditions of Scotland. Two heritage varieties of barley are used; Plumage Archer and Maris Otter, prized for flavour, distilled separately and combined to produced this luxurious, rich, smooth vodka. It’s one of the very few vodkas I would drink neat, and is surprisingly characterful/complex.

Taste profile: Citrus, apple, cereal and pepper.

 


As for a cocktail at home, I didn’t want to diffuse this vodka too much so chose to make a Caipiroska , similar to a caipirinha, but prepared with vodka instead of cachaça.

Ingredients

• 50ml Vodka

• 2 tsp Sugar

• 1 Lime

• 1/2 glassful Crushed Ice

Preparation

1 Cut the lime into wedges and place into shaker.

2 Use a muddler to mix the lime and sugar, not squashing too much or else will become bitter. 

3 Add crushed ice and vodka and shake well.

4 Pour shaker contents into serving glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

5 Garnish with a lime wedge.

You can also see it used in some of these delicious sounding cocktails on their website.

Priced at £60 per 70cl bottle.

https://xmusevodka.com

AD I was sent a bottle for review, words and thought my own.

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments

I return to one of my Brighton Favourites, Med., who have undergone a bit of a reinvention and relaunched as Med 22Black.

Along with a lick of darker paint and a moodier vibe, the small plate menu has been updated to include more of the flavours and style from their well received Espina pop up at The Golden Pineapple bar in Ship Street and a stronger focus on the drinks menu.

You'll still find the sunny, Mediterranean vibes everyone has come to love, but with more prominent Asian influences and more edgy pairings, with some junk food inspo thrown in for good measure. Sounds like a fusion disaster, but somehow it works, and it works very well.

Occasionally the experimentation and drive for innovation is pushed a bit too far or misplaced; the impressive bone marrow Yorkshire pudding, packed full of succulent beef and sat on a green pond of East End Liqour, utterly delicious in itself had no place on the menu here (sorry chef Will).

The Marmite and furikake dressing on the hispi cabbage was a wallop of intense saltiness that was a touch too much. The delicate beauty of artichokes were sadly engulfed in the flavours of refried bean and tomato salsa. But we let them off, because without pushing the boundaries, you can't have the creative cooking that results in dishes like tuna crudo, uplifted with kumquat and avocado. Or silky, umami rich hoi sin glazed aubergine nor the tomato and blood orange salad with olive oil ponzu. And dammit, the cheeseburger tartare, something that goes against everything I thought I believed in in food, is a plate licking must order with it's tangy Maccy D sauce nailed.

But respect to classic flavours are still honoured here. I challenge you to find a better taramasalata in town - velvety and decadent. Perfect for the prawn crackers served with it and better with their delicious airy bread. I loved seeing a classic gnoccho fritto from the Emilia Romagna region, exactly how you'd find them there, pillow light and nestled simply next to cured meat. And fat juicy prawns were rightly left in the safe hands of Basque cooking and a piquant pil pil sauce.

Don't miss the drinks, impossible to choose from the cocktail list from the seasonal serves to the house classics. My sherry Monocle aperitif was the perfect way to kick off dinner. Leave the car at home and dive into the wine list too, carefully selected but extensive with some interesting natural and low intervention wines. We chose an orange wine, Casa Balaguer Tragolargo Blanco, crisp and floral with a pleasant fizzy farmy funk expected from the naturals.

Polishing off the feast, a giggly rhubarb trifle topped with smile making sprinkles. If you can't have fun with dessert, where can you?

As always, they have created food I want to eat, and even food I didn't know I wanted to eat. The menu is almost irrelevant because to me it doesn't matter, I'd happily try everything. Come with a group, sample it all.

Med. I loved you, Med 22Black, I love you more.



 



 
I dined as a guest of Med 22Black. Words and thoughts, as always, my own. 

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments

Totally off the radar is a pizzeria tucked away in Ovingdean. A place I've walked and run past many times, the only nod to it a small wooden hanging sign. I'd assumed this was just another food truck in someone's garden or a pop up of sorts. But no, turn the corner and you'll find a beautiful little restaurant, which actually sits in the location of the former Old Vienna Cafe. It's surrounded by dahlias, fairy lights and trees and beyond adorable. 

Whilst the restaurant itself is closed during Covid restrictions, delivery and pick up is available and remains immensely popular, turning out an average of 150 pizzas a night in high season. I live for these quirky back street discoveries, totally unexpected and exceeding expectation.

First things first, the 36 hr prove dough is unique. Neapolitan at heart, yet crisp with a French influence. Owner and former chef Chris Phillips describes the core of the cornicione almost croissant-like and I see what he means. Those that find Neapolitan too soft and prefer a crisper base this is the one, but the all important chew is still there too - I've not had a pizza quite like it. It's specifically been crafted to travel better for delivery (makes sense as that's their core business) and the oven is spectacular too - a proper, roaring wood fired beast. 

Also noteworthy is the stealth provenance at play. There's almost an insane attention to detail here which pizza thrives on. Being a simple product it leaves no margin for error or corner cutting - skill, process and your ingredient quality are for the World to see which is why I love it so much. Easy to do, difficult to master.



As always I try a simple topping to gauge a pizza - a Napoletana or a Margherita. The menu is unusual in places so The Ocean One was closest with a tomato base, fior di latte cheese, anchovies, capers and roasted chilli flakes. That base is the absolute one; light, airy, chewy, tasty...everything it should be but even better. A good measure of a good pizza is that you should be easy able to eat the whole thing and not feel like you're going to keel over, and I was able to wolf this down with ease. 


On The Pepperoni One a Hungarian pepperoni is used over an Italian one because of the intense smoke and nothing like the greased slick sausage you'd typically find. 

Looking at the menu, there's a touch to every ingredient and the first time I've felt the need to try the more creative options. Although my first visit was an invite, I knew I had to return pronto.


Despite my very, very strong opinions on Hawaiian pizza this was the first time in my life I was convinced to try one, and no I wasn't drunk or being at held at gunpoint. My first visit I'd point blank refused but Chris came out with the maple glazed pineapple that is pre roasted in the wood oven. I knew then that this was not your average pizzeria.

Cue the Marks and Spencer's sexy music... "This isn't pineapple pizza, this is Wild Flour pineapple pizza...".  They cook the ham as a joint and by roasting the pineapple it means you're not chugging down on chunks from Del Monte. Pre roasting removes the juice and whilst it remains sweet, it's subtle, stickier, slightly candied and with the quality ham is really quite a delicious thing.


Hell we may as well break down all my barriers now. Garlic bread - another insane thing commonly found on menus that weirdos order as starters to a pizza along with the likes of dough balls and chips. But here, the butter is sous vide and garlic infused before it hits the dough, altering the burning point and avoiding that acrid taste. Truly a surprising highlight on the menu and a must order.

And on and on; mushrooms are baked in the oven with balsamic reminding me of my Italian aunt's preserved ones, chilli flakes are roasted...the halloumi salad I had, the cheese had been marinated in paprika, honey and black pepper before a stint in the wood oven, imparting a glorious sweet, sticky chew. 

My limit was reached with the special, where they go REALLY out, this time The Chilli Dog One with gourmet hot dog sausage, ground chilli, lightly pickled onions, American mustard, bacon crumb. I have no doubt that the gourmet junk food brigade would be all over this one and the chilli alone was delicious as I scooped it up - give me a bowl of this any time. On a pizza? Too far for me. They've also had an Indian pizza in the past that proved popular, inspired by the Goan dish Dal Makahni and was 6 months in development. You know what? I'd probably order it.


Dessert pizza - ha she'll hate this right! I despise those awful, sickly Nutella pizzas to end flabby garlic bread and pizza doughball dinners which you'll finish digesting sometime in 2022. Yet here, the dough is shaped into a fluffy doughnut shape, yes with Nutella, but with homemade candied orange, roasted pistachios to give a saline edge and a side of marscapone. This had a huge Sicilian vibe, think cannoli filling, which I was all over. Ridiculously good, grown up and totally different.  

Starting 3 years ago in a back garden further up the road, and now at home here for a year with a full scale wood fired pizza and permanent premises, the dough has been a labour of love. As much as this would make any Italian grimace, Wild Flour are not tied to tradition, they do what feels right which is often misguided approach in the wrong hands. But here the intention is right and they have the craft and vision to turn pizza on its head. 

I knew on my first visit but returned to make sure and can safely say this really is the best pizza in the Brighton area. People of Ovingdean I apologise - your secret is out. 

 
Website: www.wildflourpizza.co.uk
Address: Greenways, Ovingdean Brighton BN2 7BA

I was invited on the first occasion but returned as a paying customer. Words and thoughts, as always, my own. 
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Older Posts

The Graphic Foodie

About Me

With a love of my home town, this blog lists frequently updated Brighton restaurant reviews for both Brightonians and visitors to navigate to all the best food spots in the city. Although the focus is on our fantastic local independent restaurants, you can also discover selected cafes, supper clubs and pop-up restaurants. In the mix are also my kitchen experiments and family recipes from the Abruzzo region of Italy, food-related design, product reviews and book recommendations.

Follow

  • instagram
  • twitter

Categories

review restaurant product pizza takeaway travel drink

recent posts

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

  • RECIPE: Red Velvet cake from the Hummingbird Bakery
    Ever since seeing the Armadillo wedding cake in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, I have been slightly obsessed with the Southern United Stat...
  • RECIPE: Elderflower Cordial without Citric Acid
    If you are super quick and very lucky, you may just get the end of the elderflower season. I was randomly bimbling home along a pedestria...
  • PRODUCT REVIEW: Tefal Ingenio range
    For essentially a space saving pan system, I don't know why I was still amazed that the box the set came in was so small. Inside there...
  • GF Guides | The best and worst pizza in Brighton and Hove
    Another post banging on about pizza. Oh yes! And this one is going to be the growing mamma of all Brighton pizza reviews, so get comfort...

Created with by ThemeXpose