Sad news reached me last week that the excellent Kings Heath based restaurant Blue Ginger is closing down after Christmas.

Blue Ginger has been one of my favourite restaurants ever since Ruth and I first visited when we first met, roughly eight years ago. We’ve enjoyed such great nights and meals together and I can’t remember how many times we’ve visited this small neighbourhood gem in Birmingham.

Dishes such as the outstanding Carrot Cake (savoury not sweet, a majestic dish and one of the best in the whole city, captures the simplicity of the restaurant dishes combining carrots, mooly, rice flour and spices). Possibly my favourite dish in Birmingham. Then there’s the curries Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Yellow Curry, a mild but exotic delight of vegetables. A delicious flavour. The jackfruit and Rabutan Red Curry, sweet and savoury together, with the Jackfruit the star combined with aubergines and mushrooms.

Both dishes are Vegan friendly.

Blue Ginger also became known locally for its Vegan night on a Monday. 7 main course dishes to choose from and numerous starters. Some going and if the truth be told it’s one of the best places for Vegans and Veggies to eat in Birmingham. It’s comfortable easy going service combined with deftly constructed Malaysian and Singaporean dishes packed with flavour made it popular and a relaxing and warm venue to visit. The atmosphere often buzzy and the space just the right side of intimate lent itself to a solid informal date night venue.

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Yellow Curry

Carrot Cake Jackfruit and Rabutan red curry.

Mixed veg platter: for the undecided. Including the divine carrot cake. Kang Kon leaf side dish.

Roti Prata and rice. Essential to mop up the curry.

Pandan crepe: for afters. Good neighbourhood Restaurants like Blue Ginger are few and far between in Birmingham which seems to favouring the more glitzy venues these days and although the food at Blue Piano is the same as Blue Ginger the ambience and intimate space isn’t. In saying that I’ve enjoyed Blue Piano on the two occasions I’ve visited so will be visiting again in the new year for my Carrot cake fix.

Just to say that Ruth and I feel sad that Blue Ginger’s leaving us, gone but not forgotten, let’s just hope that the space is used by another independent restaurant and hopefully not another curry house or kebab shop. It’s a good space and deserves a new favourite to develop in Kings Heath.

Thanks for all the meals and good times from us both.

All the above dishes are available at the excellent Edgbaston based Blue Piano. Well worth a visit.

For my review of Blue Piano see here:

https://vegiefoodie.com/2014/05/11/the-blue-piano-restaurant-and-bar/

Thanks for reading,

Andy 😊

Blue Piano,  26 Harborne Road, Birmingham, B15.