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Food Review: Franco Manca - Brighton & Cambridge

When it comes to restaurant chains, I have very mixed feelings. On the one hand, when I'm craving food from a certain restaurant, if it's a chain there's a pretty good chance I can get what I want without too much fuss. But then again, I love the excitement of finding local spots when I'm out somewhere new; the places treasured by locals that are sure to leave you with fond memories on any trip. 

Franco Manca is the best of both worlds in my eyes. There are more and more branches popping up around the country, but when I first visited the Cambridge restaurant I wouldn't have known. It had the feel of an independent restaurant, and the staff have always been so friendly and accommodating in both the Brighton and Cambridge branches I've visited that it's always been a great time, and even better pizza.


Brighton (visited August 2020)

Whilst spending a few days away in Brighton this summer, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to eat at another Franco Manca restaurant. As 'Eat Out to Help Out' was still running, the pizzas were cheap(er), but the restaurant was very busy. It was the first time I'd eaten out after lockdown, so I was feeling apprehensive. Once we were seated however, any anxieties died down as we were away from the hustle and bustle.

I went for the veg special: wild mushroom, caramelised onion and pesto pizza. I've recently discovered a love for mushrooms after hating them for the good part of 20 years, so I was really excited to try this. The flavours worked beautifully together, but I would have liked the mushroom to taste stronger as it felt a bit lost with the onion and pesto. An added crack of black pepper and sprinkle of Parmesan really elevated the pizza, so once I'd added these the flavours felt much more balanced.

Cambridge (visited August 2019 and August 2020) 

The first time I visited Franco Manca in Cambridge I went for the white base pizza topped with roasted courgettes, yellow tomatoes and fresh mint. I'm not a huge fan of mint so I wasn't sure if I would like that element, but it cut through the creaminess of the white base perfectly so I decided against picking it off. I really loved the simplicity of this pizza, as the flavour of the courgettes and tomatoes really shone through. 


On my second visit, I went for another veg special which was smoked aubergine and watercress pesto. I preferred this one much more than the Brighton pizza, mainly because the smokiness of the aubergines was incredible. My only complaint here was there wasn't more of both toppings! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of the veg specials which feature the smoked aubergine on again.

*Side note- I just watched Dairy Is Scary on YouTube (please give it a watch, but be warned it is not for the fainthearted), and I've been getting a bit lax with trying to reduce my dairy consumption recently. I've always said I don't eat meat and much dairy because of environmental reasons, but I also have learnt much more about animal welfare which has led me to care for the animals a lot more. So, from now on I am going to try and cut dairy out of my diet completely- so hopefully the next pizza from Franco Manca will be a vegan one!

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