food review
food review
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The Croque Shop
Regency Restaurant
Cheese and ham toastie, French style
Big in China... but why?
I still remember my first Croque-Monsieur. I
was 16, on holiday in France, and I immediately
Emilio and Roberto
tery. Just as she was
realised that they did better cheese-and-ham toast-
Savvides have no idea
about to give up, she
ies than us. They’ve been a favourite ever since: I
who to thank. They
discovered that the
don’t know who
restaurant’s name isn’t
wrote it, or what it
directly translated,
said, or where it was
but rendered as 丽绅
posted. What they do
士, which means, ap-
know is that around
proximately, ‘beautiful
2011, someone
gentleman’. This led
tried the Croque-Madame once (the same with an
egg on top) and I thought ‘drop the egg’.
So, within a day of receiving the news that ‘The
Croque Shop’ has recently opened on Duke
Street, I pay a visit. A passage on the wall informs
me that the term comes from the French verb
‘croquer’, to crunch, they’ve been around since
1910, and Proust mentions them.
A look at the menu reveals that Monsieur and
Madame have had a family: I can choose a ‘Swiss’
croque, or a ‘Bangers’ croque, or an ‘Indianne’
croque (with curried chicken), or a ‘Veggie’
croque, among many others. Prone to cross-
cultural experimentation, I’m extremely tempted
by a ‘New Yorker’, with beef brisket, cream cheese,
dill pickle and mustard, on brown. But then I
think ‘why mess with perfection?’ and go for a trad
Monsieur, on white. There’s just room to sit.
The verdict? I could have done with a metal knife
and fork, but once I’ve cut off a tranche, and
impatiently allowed it a good few seconds to cool,
a definite thumbs up. The crunch of the bread,
the tang of the cheese, the heft of the ham, the
succulence of the bechemel sauce, it’s a winning
combination. Not the healthiest of lunch options,
granted, but, hell, it’s a Friday and thus perfect for
a little bit of self-indulgence. DL
wrote something
on the internet, in
her to the person she
Photo Wu Fang
thinks started it all:
Chinese, about their fish restaurant, the Regency,
Pauline Guo, founder of Red Scarf, a Chinese-
on Brighton seafront. Whatever was written,
language website about the UK.
presumably high praise, caused the restaurant to
Guo’s original post on Red Scarf doesn’t seem to
become suddenly popular with Chinese tourists.
be there anymore, but the International Business
This was completely unexpected and conveni-
Times agrees that it ‘could’ve been responsible
ently timed: the Savvides brothers were facing
for the initial wave of Chinese customers’. She
the second recession since the mid-80s, when
reportedly posted the recommendation ‘without
they’d quit their jobs in insurance (Emilio)
even trying the food there,’ having read positive
and construction (Roberto) to take over the
reviews in English.
then-dilapidated Regency. The latter recession
Nowadays, though, there are lots of Chinese
had a noticeable effect on business, Emilio says,
websites which talk about the Regency, and its
“but because of our Chinese visitors, it’s seen us
fame in China is such that, Emilio says, “there
through with no problems.”
are evenings when I would say something like
When the trend started, Emilio didn’t really pay
65-75% of our customers are Chinese.
much attention. “But as time goes by, obviously
“It’s come to a point where it’s on their list of
you start thinking: ‘I wonder why…’
things to do when they come to the UK; they go
“We’ve asked quite a number of our Chinese
to London to visit the sights, and they have to
visitors. The problem is that we get different
come to Brighton to have lobster and shellfish.”
versions of how we became popular. We asked
When Fang and I visited, though it was well
one group, who said there was a high-ranking
outside of tourist season, about a third of the
Chinese politician that came, enjoyed it, went
customers could have passed for Chinese holi-
back and wrote about it online. Others say it was
daymakers. And, as we were leaving, we watched
a famous chef. You get different stories, and we
another big group fitting that description walk
don’t really know.”
in. It is, as Emilio suggests, a strange example of
I persuaded a friend, Wu Fang, to search the
the power of the internet. Steve Ramsey
Chinese-language web to try and solve the mys-
The Regency, 131 Kings Road, 01273 325014
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