Few decent places to eat in town at night

[seahermit]

My usual moan! About the lack of really nice places to get a cheap/reasonable meal out if you want a break from cooking.

It is not a new thing. Since I first came to Hastings, I have had difficulty locating cheapish, comfortable, clean places. Strange because in somewhere like Brighton, you are spoilt for choice and in Eastbourne there are places still open in the evening (nice wine-bar places near the library).

In Hastings Old Town of course there are several nice restaurants, some getting a bit expensive (but good) and the great Blue Dolphin for f and c (went there last week - delicious).

But otherwise it's the same old scattering of fast food/takeaway joints, some Indian restaurants (the one on the seafront at St Leonard's, near London Road, is reputedly good). The wine bar (called Graze?) looks nice but something pretentious about it.

That's it. Apart from the Weatherspoon pub, where they open all the folding doors even on a freezing night and the surly barmaids practically chuck the plates at you across the table. And the tea is the worst, most undrinkable liquid I have ever encountered in the UK. I did have a jacket potato etc. the other night - was ok if you were really hungry but "dumped" onto the plate and a fair target for Gordon Ramsay's disdain.

Would really love to find a cosy restaurant where I could get a cheap spaghetti bolognese with a glass of wine. Or a "big breakfast" fry-up - unhealthy but a great treat on a cold September evening.

[Richard]

The 'The East Hastings Sea Angling Association' cafe does a reasonable 'fry-up' breakfast throughout the day.
The Italian restaurants in Hastings are too 'touristy' for my liking.
However the relatively new 'MONELLIS' Pizza place in George Street is reputed to have the most authentic sourdough Pizza this side of Italy, though probably not especially cheap.
'The Royal', St Leonards Pub by Warrior Square station, has a varied menu, it is open from Tuesday-Saturday for dinner and Wednesday-Sunday for lunch.
Probably a little 'gastro' and fussy but may be worth a try.
The Royal was once one of the roughest pubs in town.

[seahermit]

I went past the Royal this evening, it looks nice with some "normal" looking people there - it was indeed one of the roughest pubs anywhere.

I regard pizza as rather borderline when talking of healthy food - nice for a change and fills you up but not much nutrition in a pile of bread!

I went to Brighton today, Saturday - crowds of really nice cafes and restaurants, vegetarian, wholefood etc. Sat on the beach in the sun with (passable) fish and chips. The day was slightly marred by chaotic and confusing information at Brighton station - it wasn't even busy, giving them an excuse. The station indicator listed a "Hastings and Ore" train (no mention of changing trains) but on the platform was a bright red Gatwick Express. By the time I had discovered that I needed to change at Lewes, the train had departed. So, I got onto another "Hastings" train - but the carriage indicator said it was on it's way to Brighton! I had to ask four different staff members until I could confirm that it was in fact the right train but someone had forgotten to turn the indicator off. Almost sitcom material.

[Richard]

It has always been a joke trying to find which train is definitely going to leave from Brighton to Hastings and actually managing to catch it. It has been like this for years, too many last-minute changes.
Not just Brighton either.
At Hastings a platform is often indicated on the boards and then changed at the last minute.
Quite perplexing and keeps you on your toes!

Eating out in Hastings is not easy if you are looking for good simple cheap food.
Wetherspoons in Bexhill, in the converted Art Deco Cinema, seems reasonable enough, with huge capacity, but the one in Hastings can be a little rough, rowdy and scruffy.

[seahermit]

I hate the Bexhill Weatherspoons - a vast food factory, pack-em-in and sell it cheap. The opposite of the small, cosy, traditional pub which I like and which is still around in many villages in Sussex. Food is meant to be savoured, respected, eaten slowly. Not bolted down before you dash off to the nightclub! As at the Hastings Weatherspoons. That one is convenient, centre of town, but not currently a nice, welcoming atmosphere - drafty, fed-up staff and only passable food.

[Richard]

There is nothing to stop anyone from visiting the traditional cosy pubs.
Other places meeting demands for cheap food and drinks are available to meet a certain audience, Wetherspoons etcetera.
No use decrying their existence if they serve a purpose.

[seahermit]

Just because the Wetherspoon pubs are popular doesn't mean they are a good thing. They are cheap and convenient of course, I have used them myself, but they have tempted people into bad habits - uncritically accepting mediocre food and a poor "ambience". I am not a beer-drinker myself but am told that much of the beer, especially during their "beer festival" promotions, is from obscure breweries and really not very good.

Likewise, the rise of fast-food and convenience meals has got people into a regular diet of bland, unhealthy and fattening food - instead of their taking the trouble to cook properly from raw and more nutritious ingredients. Just because a lot of people have bought into that lifestyle does not justify it - look at the damage it has done to people's health.

[Richard]

Across the country, deprived areas have a higher proportion of fast food outlets per head of population.
In recent years local authorities have started to use the legal and planning systems to regulate the growth of fast food restaurants, including those near schools.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes it clear that local planning authorities (LPAs) have a responsibility to promote healthy communities.
Schools have a fundamental role to play in helping equip children with the knowledge they need to make healthy choices for themselves.
Better labelling of ready-meal fat, calorie and salt content may be helpful.
Alcohol 'units' labelling is quite difficult to comprehend and intake guidance has changed anyway.

There is a clear need for action on obesity, as two-thirds of English adults are obese or overweight. Type 2 diabetes is common among obese people, as are high blood pressure and colorectal cancers. All in all the treatments cost the NHS (our wonderful NHS!) billions.
I plead guilty to eating fish and chips at least once a week and I frequently scoff ready-meals heated in the microwave as it saves time when I am tired, after a long day's hard work.
As long as we eat home-cooked food prepared from scratch most of the time we should be in a better place.
The supermarkets are good at producing ready-meals but they should be avoided if at all possible.

[seahermit]

If I cooked and ate at home continuously, I would go off my head. Some would say that I am doing that anyway, of course.

I got fish and chips the other day and a Chinese takeaway later on. Might get a "proper" cooked meal somewhere in a restaurant soon - the break from cooking/washing up does wonders for my mental health. But a sambuca or two afterwards is the icing on the cake.

[Richard]

Never tried a 'sambuca' whatever that may be.