Street Style

If there's one thing Brighton has been lacking, it's somewhere you can get quick, authentic Thai food. So when the Edible team found out a new place called Street Thai had opened in Brighton Square, we booked a table and got down there to try it armed with camera and notepads. 


Brighton Square itself has been crying out for something to lift it food wise - it's had all manner of failing cafes that never get it quite right. The square itself is lovely, housing Rounder Records and a few boutiques (let's not mention the teeny bopper Claires. Oh, I did). On a Saturday lunchtime this little square is buzzing with Brighton visitors discovering the tucked away areas of our great city or Brighton residents buying records from Rounder. I've often thought that it needed a really good lunch place with a twist.



Street Thai sits in the space that I think, though I'm not sure, was an Ask or something uninspiringly similar. The appearance of it is modern and fresh, despite looking like it belongs to a brand. Though we visited at night, I instantly thought about how good it would be to sit in the window and watch the world go by in the day. When I walked inside I was pleasantly surprised - the wooden decor is modern and inviting without being at all pretentious and there is a great vibe. A great addition is the Thai street art on the walls which is the creation of a friend of the manager. There is also a large upstairs area where you can hold private parties. 

The music policy is very Brighton, with the music featuring a various selection from the K&D Sessions and Grand Central amongst other similar sounds. What struck me most though is how passionate all the staff are about the food. When given the menu, we asked for recommendations and the staff were full of ideas and their faces lit up when talking about the food. I can't tell you how happy that made me. 

The menu is laid out very much like a Wagamama menu, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as everything is clear and easy to find. The choice is excellent with good descriptions. When ordering, the staff ask how hot (spicy) you want your food which I really liked. There is also optional chopped chillies on the table. 


We all ordered our meals and the staff were very accommodating for me as I am on a special diet. Actually, they couldn't have gone further out their way to make sure I was catered for. We got chatting to the manager at this point, an attractive Thai lady named Booki who used to run a Thai cookery school on Lorna Road. Naturally inquisitive, I talked with Booki on what drove the Street Thai idea and I couldn't help thinking if the food was as genuine as she was then we were on to a sure fire winner. 

And win we did. Our starters came out and looked wonderful. The food at Street Thai is quick but attractive and there is no sparing on taste either. I opted for Moo Ping - BBQ pork on skewers with sweet chilli sauce - and I didn't regret it, the pork was beautifully seasoned. Steve had Chicken Satay which was far from your standard fare of satay, it came accompanied with lovingly prepared satay sauce and cucumber relish. The real show stopper was the Bhuu Nim Tort Prik Thai Dam (fried soft shell crab to you and I) - a great big pile of succulent crab with a delicious garlic and black pepper sauce. We also had the recommended Yum Mamuang Koong Pao - a delicious, zesty mango salad topped with grilled tiger prawns, coconut flakes and cashew nuts.

Fast is the name of the game at Street Thai and we received our mains as soon as our starter dishes were taken away. Amy and Steve both had the Pad Kra-Prao Gai Krob, stir fry crispy basil leaves with chicken, green beans, pepper, chillies and garlic. This large dish comes with an accompanying bowl of soup and Booki has recommended they have the egg on top which was beautifully cooked. The rice is included with the dish which is good to see, I never get why Thai restaurants have it as an extra order - who wants to eat Thai curries and stir fries without rice? I opted for a salad - the Larb Gai, translated as chilli-laced minced chicken on leaves. Despite my food envy for the other two, I enjoyed my salad immensely. 












Dessert was the real clincher for me - I am fond of crunchy, sweet things so the pandan Crepe really had me going - beautiful, toasted coconut flakes in a pandan leaf crepe. The green tea cheesecake is made in the Street Thai kitchen and is oozing with authenticity and the coconut ice-cream was amazing. 


I finished with a pot of pandan tea - pandan is a Thai leaf that is not standard fare in Thai restaurants in this country. The leaves are steeped in the pot and the result is a sweet tea that is perfect as a dessert tea. 

We chose the Wits End Sauvignon Blanc at around £13 for a bottle, quite honestly it was the nicest low/mid price Sauvignon Blanc I've had for a long time. Most starters at Street Thai come in at about £4.50 and mains about £7.00. As mentioned, rice comes with most of the dishes and you get a choice of rice or roti with the curries. 


We left the restaurant full of praise for our Street Thai experience and we talked about it lots with friends we met at a pub afterwards. Should you be wandering through Brighton Square on Saturday you'll probably spot me in the window, I can't wait to get back for more. 

Stand and be counted.

Just a little snippet for Sunday - Edible has come across some amazing bespoke cake stands. Word has it Due South put in a large order and we can see why, we love them!


See them here.

Loving food and hating waste.

It's Friday and Edible issue 2 went to print this week so I shan't hang about but I just wanted to let you know of a few demonstrations the Love Food Hate Waste council campaign are holding. 


This holiday season, you can be eco-friendly and wallet-friendly by cutting back on food that gets thrown away at home. Stop by to sample delicious dishes made from leftovers and to pick up free tools and resources. Learn about simple ways to reduce food waste, including meal planning, proper food storage, and easy recipes that use up commonly wasted food.

The next event is on Sunday 21 November from 11.30am to 2pm at Asda in Brightion Marina (this is the one time Edible will suggest you visit Asda)

You can find out more at -  http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/lovefoodhatewaste


Edible is thoroughly behind what the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign are doing and we suggest you get behind it too! 

Mocha-licious Darling

This delectable little treat is your coffee and cake all in one. Rich cocoa, dark chocolate and a smack of coffee, this is one for the grown-ups. Sexy, sumptuous, it hits all the right spots. Perfect for the end to a romantic evening when a tiny bite of naughtiness is what you’re after.

Makes 12 cup cakes or 24 petit four

Base;

50g soya margarine

150 ml soya milk plus 1 tbsp

6 tbsp agave nectar

4 tsp frieze dried coffee granules

100g gluten-free flour

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

2 tbsp cocoa

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

200g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa for the topping to be the right consistency

250 ml single soya cream

8 tsp coffee granules in a little hot water or 8 tsp Kahlua for extra naughtiness!

A little grated chocolate for decoration

Optional;

Soya cream

Preheat the oven to 180C

In a saucepan heat the margarine gently, add the milk, coffee granules and agave nectar. Give the liquid a stir now and again until the margarine has melted. Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa into a bowl. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the tablespoon of milk. Pour the margarine mixture and the bicarb mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be a pouring consistency like custard, if it is too thick add a little milk, if it is too runny add a little flour. Now pour the mixture into silicon cup cake, or petit four, cases. It is much better to use these instead of paper cases as they are easier to remove and retain a good shape to the cake. Bake for 15 minutes in a standard oven, 10 minutes in a fan oven. Allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the topping.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl in a pan of boiling water. Use a little of the melted chocolate to make the handles - on a piece of greaseproof paper use a small spoon to shape several handle shapes, you will need to do more than you need as they can break. Put these into the fridge whilst you make the topping. The handles can be a little tricky to make but they really give it a chef-y edge.

Mix your coffee granules in a little hot water, if all of the granules do not dissolve simply strain through a sieve. Take the bowl of melted chocolate out of the pan, add the Kahlua or coffee and cream and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes until it has firmed up, it should be stiff but still pliable. Put the mixture into a sandwich bag and squeeze down into one corner. With a pair of scissors snip off the very corner of the bag. Pipe the topping onto the cakes, then put the cakes into the fridge for 10 minutes.

Take the cakes out of the fridge for 10 minutes before serving as you do not want them to feel too cold. Just before serving take the handles out of the fridge and carefully take them off the paper and add to the side of each cake, you will need to be quick in doing this as the longer they are out of the fridge and you are touching them the more they will melt. Sprinkle the cake and plate with grated chocolate. As the cake is quite rich you may like to serve some soya cream on the side. Now the cake is ready to be devoured!

Sticky Chocolate Goodness

Here's the third and final recipe from Lisa Faulkner, Masterchef Champion 2010 - a beautiful, rich favourite that will be a massive hit with kids and adults alike. What I love most about these recipes is that they're easy to do and don't contain masses of pretentious ingredients. I'm still dieting so you owe it to me to make and enjoy this! Do let us know if you tried any of these recipes and what you thought. 

Chocolate & Walnut Torte

Rich & sticky favourite with all the family

Serves 8

Preparation time 15 minutes. Cooking time 45 – 50 minutes

Ingredients:

120g chopped walnuts

80g Chopped dates

80g Chopped ready to eat died Apricots

80g crystalised pineapple

180g Caster sugar

3 tablespoons of plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large free range eggs

80g grated dark chocolate

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 c Gas mark 3

1 Beat the eggs until pale and fluffy

2 Sift the sugar, flour, baking powder and cinnamon and fold in.

3 Add the walnuts, dates, apricots, pineapple and grated chocolate and mix well.

4 Grease a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin

5 Pour in the mixture evenly.

6 Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown.

7 Allow to cool on a cake rack before serving.

Say cheese!

Never have I seen so many drunk teenagers in one place as Lewes bonfire night. In the true spirit of someone who's tackling their thirties with a large dose of misery guts, I retreated back to the house in the centre I was staying at and drank gin and tonic in the safety of the four walls.


It was this decision that enabled me to get up and experience a bit of Lewes on a Saturday morning after a leisurely swim (I know, get me). Breakfast at Bill's was, as ever, wonderful but the main delight for me was the farmers market that is held on the first Saturday of every month.


Despite being rather full after my brekky, I'm not one to turn down the offer of a free taste of cheese (it's not calories if it's a sample, right?) especially when it's being offered as small squares of cheese on toast. "The best cheese on toast you'll ever eat" the woman holding the plate exclaimed. I inwardly thought that was quite a claim, clearly she's never had any of MY cheese on toast. But, cor blimey, was she right. Seriously. The. Best. Cheese. On. Toast.


Naturally, I'm going to delve further into this little haven of creamy goodness. Upon talking with Rob Bookham, it transpires that what makes this cheese on toast so amazingly good is the 'Sussex Charmer' cheese it's made with. Simply, it's mature cheddar blended with parmesan. Why on earth haven't I heard of this before? Beautifully creamy with that lovely vintage cheddar kick, yet a little crumbly in texture.


Trading for 18 years, Bookham's is a creamery residing in Arlington, a small village that lies between Polegate and Lewes and they source their milk from a farm in Rudgwick. Rob clearly had a lot of passion for his trade and is a real 'smile with the eyes' character.


I highly suggest you get yourself a block of this amazing cheese, it's available at Infinity Foods, Coriander, Terre a Terre, Fanny's of Hanover, Grasmere and the Tin Drums or order direct off the Bookhams website which I suggest you have a look at anyway.


Mmmmm.... cheese.

Getting figgy with it

In the second instalment of my current fig obsession, this chickpea, feta and fig salad is everything you need when it's crisp and sunny - it's fresh, it's healthy, it's full of protein and it's been kissed with a little bit of winter. 


It's perfect for a light lunch that's really quick and easy to throw together but it will also work as a fuss free, attractive starter.


It's pretty self explanatory so I won't patronise you by going into a full ingredients list: I dressed salad leaves with balsamic vinegar and fresh lime juice (you can use olive oil too), I topped with chick peas, kalamata olives, figs and crumbled feta. I then squeezed a bit more lime over it. Be creative, you can add red onion or baby plum tomatoes. You could also serve some nice artisan bread on the side if you're needing the carb hit. 


This is another Slimming World friendly recipe too (on extra easy and green) but just don't use oil and weigh your feta (42g) as one of your healthy extras. 

Warm your cockles

Brrrr! The evenings have drawn in, we've started putting our heating on and we're in need of warm, homely food. In the second of our recipes from Masterchef champion 2010, Lisa Faulkner runs through how to make the delicious lamb shanks you've always wanted to know how to make. 

Moroccan Lamb Shanks

A warming winter dish which is quick and easy to prepare in advance and left to cook, whilst enjoying time with the family.

Serves  4

Preparation time : 20 minutes.  Cooking time : 2 ½  hours

Ingredients:

4 large lamb shanks

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon All spice

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 large red onion – finely diced

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

250ml chicken stock

Salt – season to taste

2 tablespoons of chopped Flat leaf parsley

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 C, gas mark 3

1 Trim any excess fat off the lamb shanks

2 Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof casserole pan and brown the lamb shanks.

3 Take out and add the spices and onion to the same oil and fry for 3-4 minutes.

4 Put the lamb shanks back in the pan and add the tinned tomatoes, stock and enough water to cover.

5 Season to taste

6 Bring to the boil, cover and put in the oven for 2 ½ hours.

7 Take the lamb shanks out of the pan and cover with foil to keep hot.

8 Put the casserole pan on the hob and lightly boil the liquid until reduces slightly.

9 Add back the lamb shanks to reheat.

10 Add the chopped flat leaf parsley and serve

Mellifluous

This is the word of the week on one of my favourite radio programmes. And what did I think when I heard this word – Agave Nectar. And why? Well, mellifluous means honey-like and that is exactly what agave nectar is. It’s produced from the agave plant, found in Mexico. It’s the perfect substitute for honey or sugar and much healthier in that it doesn't affect your blood sugar in such a way, so it’s great for vegans and people watching their weight, especially those on low-GI or low-GL diets. I use it to replace sugar or golden syrup in baking and actually find it can improve the consistency or try adding to porridge or coffee.