Franco Manca

Regent Street

Brighton

Food: ****

Service: ****

Atmosphere: ****

CHAIN restaurants are one of the great paradoxes of the restaurant industry.

In the cut throat world of the food trade, the ability of a restaurant to not only survive, but to also thrive and blossom into a successful chain is, surely, a sign that something’s being done well?

Yet, the more the restaurant expands, the further they inevitably seem to veer from all things good and credible in the foodie world.

And few chains seem to evoke the disdain of the foodie community quite like a chain Italian.

For decades Brightonians suffered through a drought of quality Italian restaurants.

With the soggy bakes and tell-tale cheese overload of the likes of Zizzi and Ask, the flavours were less that of regional Italy, and akin to the British high street - uniform, pricey and, ultimately, unmemorable.

And so it came as quite a surprise that the two establishments currently bucking the trend on the Brighton Italian scene, were indeed from chain origins. This first is the much lauded Polpo, specialising in Venetian style tasting plates.

Delicious dining, but by no means friendly on the wallet.

The second new offering in Brighton is something altogether more affordable.

Franco Manca in Regent Street is by no means your local, small-scale pizzeria.

The brainchild of Naples-born Giuseppe Mascoli, it sprouted from the Brixton Market pop-up dining scene and has gone on to attract investment from the likes of David Page - better known as the former chief executive of Pizza Express.

They currently boasts no less than 26 outlets and this year Brightonians got their first taste of the brand’s distinctive Neapolitan style, sourdough bases.

The newly decorated space is bright, airy and colourful, with the huge wood fire oven taking centre stage on the ground floor.

You do get the sense they have squeezed in as many covers as possible, with the dining space packed in tightly.

Nevertheless the service is friendly and incredibly efficient, and the Gourmand certainly never felt overlooked.

The first thing that stands out is the menu.

It’s short and confident - offering just six pizza choices, accompanied by a handful of specials and sides.

This is no frills and fuss-free cooking. The drinks list is equally simple - lagers and pale ales from craft brewed No Logo outfit. Wines include an organic range from Salerno, priced at £3.85 per glass and £14.95 for 750ml.

We opted for the organic lemonade, which was tart and refreshing with a big smack of ginger.

On to the mains, we settled on number five on the menu - their signature soft base topped with tomato, garlic, oregano, capers, olives, anchovies and mozzarella.

It was like a classic hits compilation for all things stinky and salty.

The wonderfully tangy topping was offset beautifully by the hum of yeast in the sourdough base.

The softer Neapolitan style dough comes pocked and charred from the woodfire oven, with more chew and texture than your average pizza base.

Our second choice was just as decadent; a meat special combining cured pancetta, caramelised onions, Stilton and oregano.

It’s traditionally served sauce free, but it was no fuss to add some of their rich tomato offering as a base.

Again, this was by no means the meal that first dates are made of.

The cured ham was rich and meaty, offset beautifully by sweet caramelised onions and creamy, sharp blue cheese.

Our pizzas mains were accompanied by the house garden salad, which was a little clumsy, featuring more stalks than leaves.

We bookended the meal with a shared starter and pudding.

A plate of creamy burrata came served on a slice of toasted Pugliese bread, topped with cherry tomatoes and rocket.

Desserts are an informal affair - there wasn’t a written menu available, just the day’s specials, which worked fine. We opted for the almond and lemon cake, which was beautifully tart, complemented with creamy Greek yoghurt and drizzles of honey.

Both dishes were lovely, but there’s no question which course was the star.

If the short menu is the first thing you notice here, the low prices are certainly a close second. With pizzas starting at less than a fiver, this is seriously good value for money dining.

Bringing together decent portions, great prices, and delicious, simple food, it looks like Franco Manca has discovered the recipe for success for a high street Italian.

Here’s to hoping more chains can follow in their footsteps.

The Gourmand pays for all his meals.