My boyfriend and I have always been avid fans of good Thai food but since moving to Brighton we had only really ever been disappointed by the restaurants that we had visited. So, when the owner of Cafe Chilli in Hove, Sebastian, asked if I'd like to come down to review their restaurant I jumped at the chance. As you know, I'm a huge foodie and my boyfriend is a chef, so we're pretty fussy eaters, but I was so excited to try out somewhere totally new.
As soon as we arrived we received a warm welcome from Sebastian and we were promptly seated at a lovely table in the window.
After browsing the menu, we decided to share a couple of starters. Firstly, the obligatory Thai prawn crackers with the most delicious sweet chilli dipping sauce I think I've ever tried! The crackers had a bit of a kick to them as well which made a lovely change from the plain ones we've been given before.
We decided to try the spring roll duo which came with duck spring rolls and crab and spinach spring rolls. They were entirely homemade, perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. They were some of the best spring rolls I've ever tasted and were ridiculously fresh and light.
We also went for the crispy chilli squid and holy moly this was amazing. Perfectly cooked, crispy and delicious. It wasn't rubbery at all and the flavours of the batter were incredible.
Soon after finishing our starters our mains arrived. Ollie went for the beef Paneng. He's much more of a curry person than I am, but he absolutely loved it.
He also ordered a side of rice noodles topped with toasted garlic...
...and some coconut rice.
I, on the other hand, went for the Pad Thai with prawns. Now, Pad Thai is one of my all time favourite dishes. I've tried it in numerous restaurants in the UK as well as Dubai and I can honestly say that this was one of the best I've ever had. The flavours were absolutely perfect and the prawns were cooked perfectly. My dad (who often complains about the lack of prawns he receives in restaurants) will be happy to know that there were prawns a plenty.
For dessert, we shared the banana spring rolls with vanilla ice cream, which is one of the oddest things I've ever tried! It was like an Asian take on banana fritters but with crispy, super thin pastry. Once again, it was lovely!
I 100% recommend Cafe Chilli if you're ever around the Brighton & Hove area and if you're a fan of Thai food. I know a lot of people often cop out of going to local, independent restaurants and opt for a Wagamama's instead, but honestly, make the effort to go a bit further out and you won't be disappointed! Cafe Chilli is also family run by Sebastian and his wife and I always think it's super important to support local businesses!
I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! Let me know in the comments if you've eaten anywhere delicious lately.
This meal was kindly provided with compliments by Cafe Chilli, but all opinions and comments are my own and completely honest.
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