Category Archives: Craft beer

#Veggiesundayroast: The Highfield, Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Birmingham, Breakfasts, Cafés and Restaurants, Cocktails, Craft beer, Edgbaston, Gin, Real ale, Sunday lunch, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

    

The Highfield resides in a striking 1920’s Art Deco property. It’s classic white villa sits poshly in leafy Edgbaston looking inviting, cool and content in its new venture. 

The Highfield is now a gastro pub and restaurant rolled into one. With a lovely garden and two terraces it makes for a space to lounge in and take in those rays. This was the second time I’d visited, the time before pre Christmas for their Christmas menu (see here http://t.co/PM0y53KO5l ) and  I’ve always fancied Sunday Lunch there. It can be the best meal of the week, yes even for veggies. 

On a Sunday they serve a Sunday roast alongside a full alternative menu, dependent on your appetites. It’s good value at £11.50 for the vegetarian variety. The meat options slightly more. 

Sitting opposite Simpsons Restaurant and The Edgbaston bar and boutique hotel, The Highfield White and bright from the outside offers much the same inside. It has an inviting luxurious charm on entering. The bar area is often buzzing, though on a Sunday lunchtime was quieter and yes bar tables were free. 

  
I was visiting with Ruth, my parents and my uncle, on my recommendation, so the pressure was on 😊

We began in the bar with the compulsory (in my world) local  Langley’s No’ 8 Gin. This time with tonic, no junipers or cocktails today. Though recommended.

  
The lovely up front flavour of the gin, classic, perfectly balanced, with a robust flavour and smooth. A lovely gin, made not far away from The Highfield. A good start. 

So into the restaurant. The decor is contemporary, chic in a good way, with comfortable sofas and a light spacious feel about it. It’s a glorious eating space, so much natural light especially on a sunny day. Roll on Summer. 

   
 

I ordered for my starter the healthy sounding and vegan warm superfood salad of salt baked beetroot, lentils, and baby spinach, beetroot and thyme dressing. First of all its a feast for the eyes, bright and colourful. It was lovely, more filling than I initially thought, with contrasting beetroot favours and warning lentils against a crisp lettuce. It felt wholesome, interesting and easy on the eye. 

Ruth and my parents chose the vegetarian soup of the day. Warming tomato flavours with good croutons. It went down well. 

  
The veggie Sunday roast option was a Veggie nut roast Wellington, with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, celeriac and parsnip purée, Yorkshire pudding and veggie gravy. 

   

   
We also ordered a side of Cauliflower cheese

   

 

The nut roast Wellington was excellent. It had a good combination of mixed nuts, was moist and not over cooked in any way. It was a large portion and with the vegetables and yorkshire proved to be a filling roast. I liked the flavours, it felt home made and it showed an understanding of how a veggie roast can work when done well. 

We all felt that it would have been better had the vegetables been not so green (mangetout, and Broccoli) and had a contrasting colour in the bowl, maybe carrots or squash. But they were cooked well all the same. 

The Cauliflower cheese was lovely, a good cheesy flavour and cooked well. It Made for a contrasting colour on the plate. 

The roasties were very good, a proper job as were the Yorkshire puddings. 

   
 

For desert I did order the sticky toffee pudding, but it was probably the worst I ever had. Dry, overlooked, zero sauce. Inediable. The Highfield did kindly deduct the price from the bill after I explained. 

The Highfield’s veggie roast was very enjoyable.

The service was good throughout, friendly and mostly attentive, it didn’t feel rushed. The dining room is a lovely light space for daytime eating, with a garden view. This is certainly a plus when deciding upon a Sunday roast venue. For vegetarians it’s a good place to eat. The veggie roast is well made, filling and delicious. 

The Highfirld is an elegant and restrained dining venue but without any pretension. 

The Sunday roast is good value and with the quality seasonal ingredients used is ‘full of the good stuff’. 

Food is served all day from 8am-11pm. 

  
We paid for own meal. All opinions are my own and honest as always. 

Thanks for reading. 

Andy 😊

The Highfield, 22 Highfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3DP. 

0121-227-7068.

http://www.highfieldedgbaston.co.uk/
The sample menu: 

http://www.highfieldedgbaston.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SAMPLE-SUNDAY-BEST.pdf
  
   
   

  Photo courtesy of The Highfield. 

Spring is here, long live Spring: The Spring Market @ The Bond, Digbeth, Birmingham 

Posted in Bars, Bars and Pubs, beer, Birmingham, Cake, Catering, Cocktails, Craft beer, Digbeth, Events, Food, Independent, Independent Birmingham, pizza, Real ale, Street Food, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

  This Saturday 18th April, The Bond in Fazeley Street Digbeth will be home to a fun packed Spring Seasonal market. 

Jam packed with Street Food, DJ’s, music,  artisan food producers, local arts and artists, a cocktail caravan and the Routemaster bus bar there will be more going on than any one person can manage without the aid of good grub and top drinks. 

Street traders already confirmed include a few Digbeth Dining Club regulars. It should be a feast and yes even for vegetarians, and vegans there is enough food to fill us up for a coue of days at least. 

On the podium are:

Award winning Top veggie dogs, Fresh Rootz, bringing there veggie, vegan world street food (Pakoras anyone)  

 from their converted caravan. British root vegetables turned into contemporary world fusion dishes, inspired by travelling and yes the sunshine. 

Also good for veggies are Delize Italiane, arancini balls, and tiramisu, (not at the same time mind) 

Buddha Belly- Thai heaven with plenty of veggie and vegan options. 

Fire and Slice: pizza including both veggie and vegan. 

Pietanic: pies and pies, including veggie. Try Sweet Potato, Goats cheese and Spinach. 

Cake Doctor: cakes by the cake load and yes good for your health, a doctor no less, gluten free and vegan cakes too. 

Bournville Waffle Company: waffles of loveliness. 

Plus original patty men, Gamekeeper, and Hungry Toad. 

Regulars on the street food scene in Brum. 

I’m sure there is more, so I will add when I’ve found them or they’ve told me they are veggie friendly. 

Artisan Food producers will include Pips Hot Sauce. 

For a standard entry of £1.50, children go free. 

Plus if you are Independent Birmingham card holders you get 50p off entry. 

So that’s a whole solid £1 entry. 

The Bond is on Fazeley Street off Heath Mill Lane near the Custard Factory. 

Be there or be stuck…well in Winter. 

   

      Marino Adrift, above creates beautiful and unique alternatives to the standard house plant, will have a stall at the Spring Market. @marimoadrift

The Cake Doctor (below) 

      

The Bond 180 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, B5 5SE. 

Seasonalmarkets.co.uk

@seasonalmarkets

Facebook: birminghamspringmarket

Freshrootz.co.uk

Fresh Rootz, also have a cafe at Ryton Organic Gardens near Coventry open from Wednesday- Sunday serving veggie and vegan food. 

 

An introduction to The Botanist Birmingham 

Posted in Bars and Pubs, beer, Cafés and Restaurants, City Centre, Cocktails, Craft beer, Gin, Real ale, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

  

        

When is a review not a review when it’s an introduction to, as in this case to The Botanist recently opened on Temple Street Birmingham. 

I was kindly invited to the media lunch before it opened officially to try some of the cocktails and Vegetarian dishes. 

   

 

The Botanist is very impressive to look at, it has a cool chic feel about it, almost cosy pub, but offering more depth and discoveries the further you go in. When you walk through the wrought iron gates you discover an inner conservatory area that I like a lot, a kind of posh parlour. Then through a door into the bar area. 

Introducing The Botanist, think Gardeners world studying plant life and indulging in cocktails and food, and  no carrots and rhubarb in sight. (Well maybe on the menu).

The decor untreated wood floors, a mix of vintage looking furniture, quirky chandeliers, watering cans, lamps that are constructed from rope pulleys, and a glorious sky light in the bar area that lets the natural light into an already light bar.  

     

On entering I was offered the cocktail menu, which is long (and that’s not just the style of cocktail) which was like reading the what’s what of cocktails and who’s who’s who at the same time. I liked that though. It allowed me to follow my test of asking for a recommendation based on the Martini part of the menu. Ed behind the bar suggested I tried The  Botanist Pornstar, ( black cow vodka, and Passoa shaken with fresh passion fruit, strawberry purée, rose syrup, pineapple juice, and lemon, served with a shot of prosecco. 

  

   

     

It was excellent, fruity, herby, with a powerful kick and with a good amount of vodka. An interesting combination of fresh fruit, and purées, a lovely introduction. Thanks Ed😊🍸

The bar area is quite large, but feel intimate and has a really light airy feel about it. From there you can just about see the restaurant peeking out beyond, which I feel gives a feeling of temptation to move over to that part of The  Botanist to try the food, and to explore.  The Botanist has an open kitchen which is also fun. 

It was good to see fellow food bloggers there and after been seated in the restaurant, which is a mixture of table types with some benches, and very nice and light, we were able to choose the food from the menu. 

   

   

I mentioned the menu in my last post. See here http://t.co/xN8TYij74M and mentioned the Vegetarian options. 

The dishes I ate were: 

From the starters and nibbles section Pan Fried garlic Mushrooms. With crusty bread and truffle butter. A nice dish beautifully presented in a small wheelbarrow. The mushrooms were fresh, well flavoured, and with a good strong garlic flavour running through made for a lovely starter. 

   

     

Salt and Pepper onion petals: A good nibbling sharing dish, salty, with a nice sour cream to dip into. 

Flatbread: very good bread, fresh and good for breaking. 

  

For my main course I ordered the Hanging Kebab with Halloumi and couscous. With a sweet chilli, ginger and garlic butter.

   

   

A spectacular looking dish, very theatrical. The waiter poured the sauce over the kebab from above so the sauce filtered over the veg and Halloumi onto the cous cous. The sauce added a nice tasty bite to the dish (there was an option to have the kebab with chips instead of cous cous but I felt that wouldn’t work so well as the chips may become soggy and wet fom the dripping sauce). We were given a small plate that the veg and Halloumi can be eaten off with the cous cous. 

The Hanging Kebab with the cous cous worked well as the sauce gave it a coating that made for a fuller rounder flavour. The Halloumi was well cooked, but could have done with a couple more pieces in my opinion. The veg was cooked perfectly and the dish looked fun and smart. 

I also ordered The Botanist cocktail green mark vodka, Havana 3 Rum, elderflower liqueur, red amarinth, mint, jasmine syrup, and lime juice topped with lemonade. I really enjoyed this cocktail, the combinations of vodka and rum worked well and with the mint and juices added a fruity touch that was delicious. 

   

   

I didn’t order a desert on this occasion but hope to on my next visit. 

I ordered an Americano coffee that was very prettily presented in nice flowery mugs.

It was a lovely introduction to The Botanist the service was good, friendly and very informed of the menu and cocktails offering recommendations and having a good knowledge of the dishes on the menu. I would on reflection like to see maybe at least one more vegetarian dish on the main menu, maybe two as not everyone takes to the smaller plate trend and may not like the kebab. As a chain, that I’m often suspect of, The Botanist seems to have that quirky botanical difference that makes it feel special and unique in the city, fresh like the herbs. Here’s hoping it stays that way, but as a cocktail venue  its possibly the best in Birmingham, and offered the most thoughtful and eclectic menu of passionate botanist indulgences and this along with the solidly good Vegetarian food is to be applauded. 

  

   

           

I was invited as a guest to the preview media lunch at The Botanist and hence the food and drink was complimentary. Thanks to the Botanist and to WPRAgency for the invite. 

Thanks for reading 

Andy 😊

For menus see below link: 

http://thebotanist.uk.com/menus/birmingham

http://thebotanist.uk.com/location/birmingham

The Botanist, 14-16 Temple Street, Birmingham, B2 5BG

0121 6007430

#Veggieburgerwatch: The Victoria, Birmingham. 

Posted in Bars and Pubs, beer, Birmingham, City Centre, Cocktails, Craft beer, Independent, Independent Birmingham, vegetarian, Veggie Burgers, Veggie foodie by

The Victoria, is a theatre pub, on John Bright Street in Birmingham City Centre and if legend has it, has its own ghost. Dating back to the 19th Century it’s stood the test of time and has loads of character, and offers a considerable drinks selection from cocktails to hand picked wines and cask ales. 

The other week I was invited by Vicky from Bitters N’ Twisted who own The Victoria to attend a burger tasting to help launch their 2 burgers for £10 deal which is available on a Monday evening every week. 

As a vegetarian and a keen veggie burger fan this was a cool opportunity to revisit one of my favourite burgers of the last year. See previous review below. 

http://wp.me/p4zXPc-8c

Though in this case the veggie burger had changed. Could it be better? 

   

   

   

 

The Vegetarian burger  is called Can’t be beat and consists of salted courgette, beetroot, carrot, rolled oat patty with lettuce, tomato, sliced avocado, and Humous, served  in a buttermilk bun, handcut chips, and cirrus set slaw. 

The Animal friendly burger was lovely the flavours of the beetroot, courgette came strongly through with the patty setting the mixture into a top veggie burger. With a good bun holding it all together. 

With the added refreshing addition of the Humous and the avocado which was sat on the burger , it felt more luxurious than the usual Halloumi style burger veggies seem to get quite often. 

The added coriander slaw was delicious and had a good coriander flavour and again was different to the norm. 

As a burger the can’t be beat was a lovely vegetarian burger and with a good crispy handcut chip made for a satisfying meal which in its 2 for £10! format is a bargain. You can add triple cooked chips to your order for £1 extra. 

   

 

Ruth also enjoyed the veggie burger and felt it was an improvement on the previous recipe. 

I also enjoyed a pint of Purity longhorn which complimented the burger well.  

           

The two burgers for £10 deal on a Monday evening is excellent value and The Victoria is a pub with a lot of character and atmosphere. The Veggie Burger was well made and with a good bun kept its shape well and with some interesting flavours was an improvement on the one I previously reviewed. 

Thanks to Vicky, And the Victoria for inviting me to the burger tasting evening.  The burgers were complimentary though all drinks were paid for by ourselves. All opinions are my own and honest as always. 

It was also good to see and chat to Joe from independent Birmingham who seemed to enjoy his meat burgers too.   

The Victoria is on the IB card. All independent Birmingham card holders receive 20% off food all week. 

The Victoria also offer 2 pizzas for £12 on a Tuesday evening: #2fortuesday with a delicious sounding squash the goat veggie pizza. Which I’m looking forward to trying. 

Plus 20% off on a Wednesday for Bitters N’ Twisted loyalty card holders. 

The Victoria, 48 John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BN. Next door to The Alexandra Theatre

0121 633 9439

http://www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk/

@thevictoria: Twitter

Facebook: TheVictoriaBirmingham

  

   

 Veggie burger at The Victoria. 

Thanks for reading 

Andy 😊

   

 

Review: Bodega Cantina and Bar-Birmingham Latin American cuisine with cocktails. 

Posted in Bars and Pubs, beer, Birmingham, Cafés and Restaurants, City Centre, Cocktails, Craft beer, Food, Independent, Independent Birmingham, Lunch deals, Tapas, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

  

  

Bodega is a South and Latin American bar/Cantina on Bennetts Hill in Birmingham City Centre just off New Street, and owned by Bitters N’ Twisted. 

It offers a wide selection of tapas style dishes, street food, Burritos, Tacos and a number of larger traditional plates. It also has a completely Vegan menu and excellent vegetarian options. 

Bodega is a fun-time and colourful place, the cocktails flow, the food comes out fast and service is pacy. It’s a brilliant place to indulge with friends,  for parties and for sharing a work or shopping lunch. It’s also open on Sunday for that downtime and Sunday smooch with the city. 

   

 

For Ruth and I it was a Friday night dinner, not the Channel 4 comedy kind, but the cocktail/tapas/Streetfood kind. 

On the Friday we visited Bodega was busy, bustling, and vibrant as I would think it is most Friday evenings, and with a cocktail list that speaks of fun and good times and a wallet full of money Bodga is an education on excellence and high standards with its drinks list. From Tequilas to Rum based drinks the list will cater for everyone. 

Bodega has a small bar area near the entrance by the window, so if you feel the need you don’t even have to eat. The decor is fun too. Iron cast furniture, quirky cactus murals, vibrant colours. Cafe style seating is mingled with funny stools, and with its exposed light bulbs and brightly coloured murals Bodega sells spicy and flavour, with an atmosphere that’s a real contrast from the glum rainy English weather in March outside. 

The food, from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, is freshly made and easy going and full of variety for vegetarians and vegans. 

   

   Find Pips Hot Sauce at Bodega

Ruth and I ordered cocktails to begin. Two Margarita’s. They were excellent, and always a good choice at Bodega. A classic, well made with a good strong tequila flavour, with salt on the rim.  

   I also ordered a Caipirinha, which is Brazil’s national cocktail made with cachaca, sugar and lime. It was very refreshing and had a sweetness that was complimentary to the spicy food. Another top cocktail. Ruth ordered another margarita.

Bodega also offer bottled beers, non alcoholic cocktails and a good wine list. 

Plus a happy hour from. 5-7pm on cocktails. 

  

For the food we chose to stick with the smaller sharing plates, the streetfood as we’ve found them to be the best from previous visits. And sharing is fun and social. 

Ruth ordered for herself a pulled Pork Burrito which she enjoyed. 

I ordered a vegetarian burrito- from the streetfood section of the menu, roasted vegetables, black beans, and cilantro lime rice. The Burrito had a good spicy flavour ( I ordered hot) with the tortilla holding the filling well, and the depth of the veg with the spicy salsa packing a zing which was lovely. 

   

   

The rest of the food we shared. 

We shared small house nachos (vegetarian variety) crisp well seasoned flour tortillas, topped with some lovely mozzarella chedder and sour cream and punchy salsa and guacamole. Very impressive nachos crisp, with good flavours. Recommended.

   

 

To accompany the Burrito We chose from the light bites part of the menu: 

Batatas fritas: delicious sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo, crisp and with a good flavour. 

Frijoles: Black beans cooked until velvety, with a good garlic flavour with roasted cumin seeds and s subtle hint of chilli and sour cream. Though not pretty to look at it was a good complimentary dish to the Burrito. 

Spicy Slaw: a nice fresh homemade slaw with a South American Twist. 

I also recommend the jalopos peppers from previous visits. 

   

     

One of the dishes Ruth and I enjoy the most at Bodega is the Churros desert. We had to order two, we loved the rich caramel sauce  against the warm doughnuts. A Mexican favourite,  and also ours. Perfect for dipping or with coffee. We orders two espressos. 

  

The food we are was plentiful, it had a good spicy flavour and did what it says on the tin. It’s fun, vibrant and good for sharing. 

Where we found Bodega to suffer is with the service which we felt was inconsistent, hurried and though attentive it felt underwhelming and it had a care free nature about it. Some of the servers were friendly others we felt were  not bothered. We felt that they could have explained the menu to us checking we understood the quite complex but good layout. Advising how many sharing dishes you should choose between two. Our waiter who asked for our order was a bit gruff to be honest and unhelpful. 

In saying that the food and the cocktails are the real deal and as a pop in kind of place Bodega can’t be beaten for fun and very decent South American dishes. 

For Vegetarians and Vegans it’s one of the best places to visit in Birmingham and well recommended. 

Bodega Birmingham, 12 Bennett’s Hill, B2 5RS

0121 448 4267

http://bodegacantina.co.uk/

http://bodegacantina.co.uk/food/menus/

@BodegaBirm

You can also get 20% off with the Independent Birmingham card. Offer is on Monday-Thursday 3-6pm and all day on Sunday.

Thanks for reading. 

Andy 😊

We paid for our own meal and all opinions are honest as always. 

It’s advisable to reserve a table at Bodega at busy times to avoid disappointment. 

  

#TastyMorsel: The Botanist: out of the garden into the city of Birmingham 

Posted in Bars, Bars and Pubs, beer, Cafés and Restaurants, City Centre, Cocktails, Craft beer, Gin, Tapas, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

      

The Botanist, bar, restaurant will open in Birmingham officially on the 6th April and will be a concept like no other. 

Think, whimsical and eccentric design, interior and a garden theme that makes grow your own seem even more attractive than it already is. 

Beyond the wrought iron gates of Chamberlain House On Temple Street The Botanist offers for Vegetarians some good and varied food choices, and then it also has cocktails, Martinis in fact and long cocktails, so many good reasons to visit. 

In fact 45 cocktails and 85 bottled beers are on offer. Plus real ales from Birmingham’s own Two Towers Brewery, and Oakham brewery, 

The Botanist is located on Temple Street in the heart of Birmingham City centre just off New Street and near the cathedral in an area that is becoming foodie central and the place for food or a bar crawl. 

The contemporary garden decor and live entertainment (music every day) should create a buzz, but it’s the food and cocktails I wish to highlight. 

For Vegetarians the starters and nibbles and deli boards part of the menu are enticing, think homemade Humous boards, Turkish flatbreads, salads, garlic mushrooms, cheese, and roasted red peppers. 

For £ 9.75 you can buy 4 items with Turkish Flatbread, and though it seems on first glance a bit salad heavy for vegetarians and vegans should taste good and be a good share. With the cocktails on offer by The Botanist sharing  is for me where it’s at. Though some may prefer a larger plate. 

Also on the menu for veggies is a home comfort cheese and onion pie, a Halloumi kebab with couscous, which is lovely and of course deserts, such as their sticky toffee pudding. 

I was lucky enough to be invited on the   2nd to the media lunch, which was excellent as you will see in my preview post next week. 

Some of the photos from The Botanist lunch below: 

  

   

   

   

   

   

           

   

   

Alongside the botanical cocktails are cask ales, champagnes, a good mocktail list, and ciders. 

Run by Living Ventures (New World Trade Company) who also have bars in Manchester and Newcastle, manager Julian Rose-Gibb ( formally of The Victoria) says it will feel like ‘home from home’ and will be a good living, working venue with a lively atmosphere, and eccentric design. 

Find The Botanist on 14-16 Temple Street, Birmingham B2 8BG. 

0121 600 7430

Thanks for reading 

Andy 😊 

       


Photos courtesy of The Botanist.