On Monday, myself and some other lovely bloggers (Lyndsay, Nat, Laura & Rosie) got all dolled up and headed down the red carpet to the VIP opening of the brand new Itsu restaurant on North Street, Brighton. If you're local, it's where Bench used to be, opposite Waterstones by the Clocktower. Itsu is a chain with over 50 restaurants in London started by Julien Metcalfe, founder of Pret a Manger, and Metcalfe's popcorn, but this is the first one down south! Based on the idea of 'Eat Beautiful, Eat Lighter', I was really excited to try out the Asian-inspired food on offer.
It's mainly a lunch restaurant, the prepackaged meals are perfect for grabbing on your lunch break and make such a great change from your average soup/salad/sandwich. Everything ranges from 99p - £10 so is definitely in the 'affordable' bracket, and the food comes as light snack options to larger meals, including hot pots, and even frozen yoghurt for dessert. We couldn't wait to get stuck in, and I have to say, I was so impressed with the food. It was fresh, delicious and felt healthy, all meat or veg based and flavoured beautifully. I discovered a new love in the form of Edamame and stole most of Lyndsay's after finding out quite how delicious it is! I'll definitely be picking more of this up as a snack when I'm out shopping next, perfect for munching on the go. I started off with some Duck Maki Rolls which were lovely, the duck was tender and the hoisin sauce was spot on! Next I tried out the Duck Salad Wrap (I just love duck!), a great big flatbread stuffed with green leaf salad, roast duck, fresh ginger and greens, green herb dressing, teriyaki sauce, orange segments, and micro herbs - Yum! It was seriously good, and a big old portion at that too. It was egg, dairy, nut and shellfish free, yet still interesting and delicious, which I thought was great. My favourite dish though has to be the cutest little bento box you ever did see, the chicken, rice and edamame panda, beautifully modelled by Laura.
The restaurant is a lot bigger than I expected, with long benches both down and upstairs meaning plenty of seating is available. It's bright and airy and has a lovely view from the top windows. Next time you're out and about in Brighton and looking for somewhere for lunch, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go!Labels: brighton, food, foodie friday, restaurant, review