Why do we remember some meals and not others? It’s a question I’ve pondered over many times and now seek to answer. When I think of those special moments of food pleasure in my life, a select number of occasions spring to mind; my first proper carbonara in Venice, steaks and apple pies in Marseille, bratwurst and beer in Berlin or mussels picked off the beach in Cornwall. I can remember the first meal my girlfriend cooked for me, the last my Grandmother made for me and the only dish I’ve cooked that truly impressed my mum. These simple moments are way stones in my memory of special times with friends, family, new people and exciting places. So how do I create more of these? And more importantly how do I find these moments in Brighton?
The obvious answer is to go out and eat somewhere, but the difficulty lies in choosing where. The city centre has no short supply of chain restaurants, all the big names are present but I find these restaurants often trade consistency for quality and in doing so lack the magic element of surprise. Luckily however, in Brighton we have a plethora of fantastic independent restaurants to choose from spanning almost every cuisine from street food to Michelin stars. In order to search out one of these restaurants I headed to the cobbled alleys of the South Lanes with a hungry belly and hopes of finding a tasty, and memorable, meal.
The image of Casa don Carlos’ quaint rustic front had been nestled in my mind since I visited its neighbour, The Bath Arms, back in September. Upon entrance, the restaurant is full of promise. I believe great traditional restaurants all have one thing in common: lots of random crap hanging on their walls. Carlos’ is no exception – guitars, barrels, pictures, a signed Brighton shirt, and wine adorn the walls, while red and white checked tablecloths and exposed wooden beams complete the look. Arriving from the narrow streets of the South Lanes reminded me of nights in Barcelona, hopping between tapas bars in the gothic quarter surrounding La Rambla.
The staff at Casa don Carlos are joyful, welcoming and attentive. They orchestrated the restaurant through a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ for another table before promptly taking our orders. We started with olives, bread and aioli; simple, tasty, big portions, perfect with a glass of house red whilst browsing the extensive tapas menu. We ordered the Spanish omelette, mussels with chilli and tomato, deep fried aubergine with honey, stuffed peppers with crab and prawn and some patatas bravas. Whilst I don’t have the palate of a food critic, nor is scrutinising food the point of this article, I will say it was bloody delicious – the portion sizes were generous and overall, it felt like money well spent – a necessity on a student budget. A bottle of Spanish cider (or ‘proper cider’ as we call it in the West Country) accompanied our food – dry, crisp and a bit funky, perfect for spicy tomato-based seafood dishes. We finished our meal with a glass of port and the type of good conversation you can only enjoy with a full and happy belly.
So, what makes a memorable meal? I think we can begin by adding spontaneity to our list, because it is within spontaneity that surprise occurs. Yes, you can book into a fancy restaurant with a two-week waiting list to try the hottest new food trend, but all this build up jeopardises the chance for food to surprise us. For me, true food pleasure occurs when you realise you’ve just ploughed through your third or fourth tapas dish, so you lean back on your chair to have a sip of wine and an unintentional smile creeps across your face, that’s the moment you remember.