Telephone: 01273 328 775
Address: 29 Preston Street, Brighton BN1 2HP
Website: casalingo.co.uk
On a Saturday night, Preston Street in Brighton buzzes with the hum of the hungry. I imagine most towns have a street like this - hell for the indecisive diner, doomed to wander up and down unable to settle on one choice just in case it's the wrong one, and certain to end up barely talking to their companion, dejectedly chewing on yesterday's poppadoms.
Luckily for the choice-avoiders of Brighton, Casalingo has long been an oasis of good quality in a world of indecision - and if a proper Italian meal of mama-made standard is what you want (and who doesn't want that? Seriously, come on, you know you want it) then there you are. Decision made.
The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, with attentive young waiting staff who know what they're talking about - always handy when you're faced with a comprehensive menu, a set of seasonal specials and have absolutely no idea in the world what to order. And overseeing it all is owner Angelo Martinoli. Born and raised near Lake Como, Angelo loves his restaurant, his customers, and most importantly, his food.
On tables tightly packed into the cosy arch-shaped dining area, customers chatter, giggle and surreptitiously gaze enviously at their neighbours' dishes as they arrive, each looking more tempting than the last. And you can be doing that for quite a while before you get to dive into your own. Homemade food created from scratch is what Casalingo promises, and that takes more time than a microwave, so make sure you have control over your drool-glands, and try your hardest not to beg the next table for "just a little taste...": the wait is worth it. Have some bread. Pop an olive.
As a test of quality, antipasto is generally a good indicator, and the selection of meats I was served was light, flavoursome and an excellent introduction to the meal, while my companion's misto mare - a plate piled high with prawns, whitebait, and calamari - was from the "Cor blimey!" school of portion sizes.
A range of pasta, fresh fish and meat dishes cover the menu, making that old decision-making dilemma very difficult indeed. All pasta and risotto dishes are also available as starter portions, making the choice larger, and the process that bit harder again. But if in doubt, or panicking, simply ask the staff for recommendations - the oven-baked halibut served to my companion was, as recommended, fresh and tasty, with herbs as freshly plucked from the earth as the fish was from the sea. I had plenty of time to watch it, enviously, as I slowly worked through a simple pizza from the specials list, coated with goats cheese, pine nuts and whole cherry tomatoes. Importantly, through this, and through the light tiramisu, coffee and obligatory overly sweet lemon liqueur to finish we never felt rushed. Just as it should be, dinner is recognised here as a time to talk, relax, and enjoy the goodies in front of you. And you do.
Everyone loves Italian food, but Casalingo is a reminder that we shouldn't be satiated by the lumpen pasta and pizza grub that pretends to be the whole gamut of authentic cuisine in run-of-the-mill Italian eateries all over Britain. While other Italian restaurants have popped up on Preston Street, Angelo's family restaurant has outlived them all. What makes it feel like a proper slice of Italy, perhaps, is the cast-iron commitment to ingredients which is the mark of all great Italian kitchens - it's a celebration of the natural flavours and the magic of simple cooking that makes this feel like a comfortable taverna somewhere in the hills or coast of northern Italy.
Venture to the bathroom, and you might find that you have to be very careful to make it back before the next course - and although "Sorry I took so long - I was reading" may not be the most couth explanation to give in a nice restaurant, in this case, it's only the truth. Covering the walls of the stairwell from the dining room to the bathrooms are hundreds of customer comments. In marker pen. Are they from celebrities? I ask Angelo; No no, he says - well, maybe a couple, but mostly they're written by normal customers; people who liked the food, liked the atmosphere, and wanted to say something nice about it: who needs celebrities?
After the meal, leaving Casalingo, Preston Street is still buzzing - this time with the warm feeling of the well fed and the sigh of the satisfied. But you can smile smugly, knowing you've probably eaten better than most of them.
