Have you ever had those days where you just cannot be bothered to cook? Well… I seem to have those days most of the time! But have you thought, I wish I had a lovely home cooked meal, which I didn’t have to prepare or slam in the microwave?
Much to my laissez-faire approach to lunch and dinner times, I was delighted when I came across Arissy Kitchen; a Brighton-based catering delivery service, who prepare set menus for a restaurant-quality dining experience at home. This I had to try.
After a long week of work, stress and the usual Covid news sending my eyes rolling, I decided to treat myself and a work colleague to a delicious home-cooked lunch, delivered right to our office door.
The Arissy Kitchen make it effortless to order from their set menu, which offers a choice of two or three courses (see end of page for current menu). I should add, it evolves every few weeks to keep things different and exciting. At the time of ordering we went for the three-course meal for two (£30 each).
All the dishes carefully created by Arissy Kitchen draw influences from Spanish, Greek, Italian and Cypriot cooking – something evident and compelling when reading the menu. We went for:
Chorizo and sweetcorn croquettes, saffron aioli,
Pork belly, confit celeriac, kale, apple and mustard chutney
Pistachio baklava, whipped Greek yoghurt
Grilled peach and heritage tomato panzanella (VG)
Aubergine, quinoa and walnut involtini, red pepper passata, rocket and olive (VG)
Chocolate and date tart, coconut ‘yoghurt’ (VG)
The food came lovingly packed in recyclable cardboard containers, which you can eat straight out of, or opt for the ‘pile everything onto a plate’ approach, like I did. Me and my colleague decided it all looked too good not to share, so… as you can see (image below), with all four dishes adorning my plate, it presented a lovely and colorful array of different taste sensations.
With my eyes fixed on the plate I tucked in and first impressions were great! The aubergine dish was an absolute dream. The mix of this soft, absorbent fruit with red pepper passata and the crunch from the walnuts makes it a fulfilling dish in its own right.
The pork belly was a prime cut of succulent meat that had a herby flavour. The only downside was the crackling was a little tough on bite, but this may have been because we let it cool down whilst taking our pictures (much to my colleague’s dismay).
The Italian influence was very apparent with the grilled peach and tomato panzanella, which was new to me, and I have to say was a very pleasing array of textures and colours (and thereby great for pictures).
But the winner for me was the chorizo and sweetcorn croquettes with a side of saffron aioli. These were the right kind of crispy outer layer and delicate filling which simply melted in the mouth. If I could order more of these I would!
For dessert, and keeping with the spirit of sharing, we delved into the delicious (and totally vegan) chocolate and date tart. This was blessed with a delightful thick ganache, so a pairing with the coconut yogurt was spot on. Last, but not least, the baklava gave a crispy, sticky and sweet ending, leaving me gourmandised in my chair with a look of, ‘shall I just take the rest of the day off?’
It’s clear the team at Arissy Kitchen place a lot of effort into creating well-balanced and tasty meals fit for a king, or a queen, or a hungry party looking to be fed restaurant quality food anywhere they like. In these strange and different Covid times, it’s refreshing to see such a home-grown local service exceeding expectations and delivering a meal to remember. Give it a try, especially if we all have another lockdown.
Orders must be placed at least twelve hours in advance of your chosen booking slot, and delivery area is limited. So do check in advance. For more info visit: arissykitchen.com
Current Menu:
