#VEGGIE/VEGAN FOOD HEROES: #STREET FOOD: THE VEGAN GRINDHOUSE AND VEGAN VOX

Posted in Independent, Kings Heath, Street Food, Tasty Morsels, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by andydhare

The Vegan Grindhouse are the only completely vegan/veggie #streetfood business in and around the Midlands. They provide the best in vegan streetfood and snacks brought to the public by Vegan Vox.

A real Vegan/Veggie food hero.

The Vegan Grindhouse are a small indipendent business run by husband and wife team Andy and Lisa. They are bringing great quality vegan food options within the street food scene.

Inspired by the premise that their are very few vegan options available on the street food circuit the idea was formed to open up a completely vegan 1950’s American style mobile diner on the road.

Their menu is mouthwatering. Their food is amazing, full of flavour and very tempting. (To meat eaters and vegans/veggies)

They offer:

Gourmet Hot Dogs
Chilli dogs
Chilli cheese (vegan) dog
Gourmet burgers
Chilli and Nachos
Shakes
Toasties
Ice Cream
Cookies, muffins, a selection of cakes including cupcakes.

Plus their are gluton free options available.

Lisa runs the Vegan Vox blog, she is a food writer, and passionate vegan. See the Vegan Grindhouse website for details.

The Vegan Grindhouse are lovely people, make sure you seek them out on the street food circuit. You can find them regularly at Brum Yum Yum in Kings Heath and at the Square in Birmingham City Centre, at Digbeth Dining club and at The Victoria Square Sketts Birmingham Food fair. See their website for full details.

Forthcoming dates are:

20th August: Sketts Birmingham Fine Food fair
22nd August: Digbeth Dining club 2nd Birthday party
27th August: Bridgenorth Food fair
29th August: Lunch Market: Brum Yum Yum The Square Birmingham City Centre
30th August: Kings Heath KingshEATh by Brum Yum Yum
31st August; MAC Food fair Midlands Arts Centre

Part of The Vegan Grindhouse experience is the Mega Burger challenge, eat a triple burger which is a 3 beef style quarter pounder, 3 slices of vegan cheese, 3 bacon style rashers, served with a triple layer bun, gherkins, and jalapenos.

If you can eat it, then you win a Vegan Grindhouse T’shirt:) plus have your picture taken to prove it.

They also do a superb mushroom burger.

I love The Vegan Grindhouse, so make sure you make them a part of your veggie and vegan foodie crawl.

If anyone knows of any body else that is a veggie/vegan food hero, then let me know either on the comments section below or via twitter @andydhare. Can be in Birmingham, Midlands, or beyond.

http://www.vegangrindhouse.co.uk

@VeganGrindHouse Twitter
Facebook/VeganGrindHouse

@veganvoxblog
Facebook/veganvoxblog

Instagram @VeganGrindHouse

07971 399 440

17Aug2014

REVIEW: BLUE RABBIT & CO POP UP IN KINGS HEATH AND FLETCHERS BAR

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Cafés and Restaurants, Independent, Kings Heath, Pop up's, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by andydhare

There are a number of fantastic foodie places in Kings Heath in the South Birmingham area, from cafe’s, delis, coffee shops, restaurants and pubs.
Blue Rabbit & Co is one of the most recent to pop up, in fact it is a pop up for the remainder of the year at least.

Blue Rabbit based in the Kitchen Garden Cafe, a lovely oasis of calm on York Road near the Hare and Hounds pub.

In the daytime it has a garden centre, food deli, and cafe in a garden type terrace with outdoor tables. The Kitchen Garden Cafe always have good vegetarian options.

At night time three evenings (thursday, Friday and Saturday 6-9.30pm) a week it becomes the Blue Rabbit & Co pop up restaurant, a bistro, an independent serving home cooked food at reasonable prices.

Blue Rabbit offer a small, but regularly changing menu which includes a vegetarian option for a starter and main course.

For the price 2 courses are £15 and 3 courses are £18 it is exceedingly good value for fresh and seasonal ingredients well served, flavoured and presented.

Chef Dominic Simmonds has worked at a number of Birmingham’s top restaurants and is now cooking his own food.

Ruth and I visited on a Saturday night. The Kitchen Garden Cafe is a lovely venue. Wandering up a narrow path off busy York Road through plants, flowers and into the courtyard, it had a certain mystique about it. On entering we were greeted warmly, but found an almost empty restaurant apart from one other couple. We were advised that as Brum Yum Yum street food market KingshEATh was on earlier in the day they had decided to not go out in the evening as well. Shame.

The Kitchen Garden Cafe looked lovely, flickering candles and with its wooden tables, wide windows, and quirky air the pop up felt right there. Looking out on the courtyard was lovely and felt romantic.

Not deterred as we had come for the food we ordered two glasses of wine and ordered our food.

We were brought some delicious homemade bread to eat before our starter.

For a starter we both ordered the Grilled peach, ricotta, balsamic vinegar. We felt that the flavours were fresh, the peaches and the ricotta working well together, to make a lovely summery salad, that felt light and full of flavour. It was a lovely vegetarian starter.

For a main course I ordered the
Goats cheese ravioli, broad beans, courgettes. The dish was lovely. The quality of the ingredients shone through, the goats cheese ravioli, hand made, with a delicate flavour that with the summery broad beans and courgettes made a stunning fine dining like dish. A real delight.

We also ordered a side dish of roasted Butternut Squash which was full of flavour and bite and went well with the pasta or eaten on its own.

For desert Ruth ordered the selection of sorbets, she felt that they were delicious, with the cherry flavoured one to be recommended especially. She felt that the flavours were original and summery.

I ordered the divine sounding chocolate tort with vanilla cream. It was full of deep chocolate flavour, the pastry was well made, the right thickness and as a desert it was fabulous, a lovely tort.

The Blue Rabbit & Co is a welcome addition to the Kings Heath dining scene. It offers something different to the tapas, curry and pubs/bars already thriving. The ingredients used in the dishes are well sourced and are seasonal. The vegetarian dishes well made, thoughtful and full of seasonal flavour.

The Blue Rabbit edge more towards fine dining or a good quality bistro than cafe and that is shown with the changing weekly menu. Keeping it fresh and challenging.

As a restaurant I loved it. It is good value, and the quality on offer is worthy of paying more. The veggie options are fresh and keenly observed. Fully recommended.

See the website for menus.

Hopefully the Blue Rabbit & Co will go on to achieve great things when its pop up stint ends and is well worth visiting whilst it remains in Kings Heath.

Before and after our meal at Blue Rabbit & co we visited Fletchers Bar next door to the Kitchen Garden Cafe.

We enjoyed two cocktails at Fletchers before our meal a Dry Manhattan, and a Margarita, both well made and good value, plus two glasses of Malbec after our meal.

The bar is quirky, friendly, informal and the cocktails and real ale are excellent.

I have eaten at Fletchers and can recommend the food which is more sophisticated than the traditional pub food offerings with some good vegetarian options and changing specials.

Fletchers is owned by the Kitchen Garden Cafe.

Fletchers is part of the Independent Birmingham card with a discount on food.

Blue Rabbit & co
Kitchen Garden
17 York Road
Kings Heath
Birmingham
B14 7SA

0121 443 4725

@DominicSimmonds
http://www.bluerabbitandco.com
Facebook: Blue Rabbit & co
07580551218
Info@bluerabbitandco.com

http://www.kitchengardencafe.co.uk

wwwfletchersbarandeatery.co.uk

Disclaimer: We paid for our own dinner. My review is a true and honest assessment.

Thanks for reading.

If anyone has any thoughts or comments on places to eat in Kings Heath and Moseley that are good for veggies and vegans let me know?

Has anyone else been to Blue Rabbit, what did you think?

8Aug2014

POP UP DOSA TAKE-OVER @THE HARE AND HOUNDS KINGS HEATH

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Cafés and Restaurants, Independent, Kings Heath, Pop up's by andydhare

I’ve been looking forward to the Pop Up Dosa pop up take over at The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath for a number of weeks. Pop up Dosa are vegetarian, and make the most delicious dosas, and the Hare and Hounds is a fabulous pub, one of the best and always a favourite for live music and real ale.

The Hare and Hounds is in ‘foodie Mecca’ Kings Heath, in South Birmingham near Moseley. As I’ve mentioned in my previous #Tastymorsel blog post it has been holding a summer food season of pop ups to launch its new back dining room cum bar, which is a very cool and comfortable space for casual dining.

Up to now they’ve held two pop ups, Pika Pika and Clark and Lee, with one left to go next week-Fingy’s takeover.

Last night it was the turn of veggie Pop Up Dosa to serve their freshly made Dosa from Kerala to the Kings Heath public.

Pop up Dosa are based in Kings Heath and make vegetarian Dosa’s from home, at markets, at cafe’s and at street food markets such as Brum Yum Yum in Kings Heath. They also do a regular monthly pop up at The Ort Cafe in Balsall Heath/Moseley in southBirmingham. See their website or twitter for next dates.

Dosa pronounced ‘Dhoe-sha’ is a nutritious sourdough crepe made from fermented rice and lentil batter. Dosa dates back to the 6th century AD and is believed to have originated in Udipi in Karnataka, India.

It’s a staple street food dish in Southern Indian states and known for its simple goodness.

You eat Dosa’s with your finger tips and dip it into the sambar ( a vegetable stew in a lentil broth) and chutneys and pop it into your mouth. You can use cutlery though:)

As Ruth and I were in the Hare and Hounds we felt we had to start in the main bar. A lovely room, with comfy sofas and mixed tables. It’s very ornate, and has a great character about it that you would expect from a building dating 1907.

Ruth ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and me a pint of Purity Gold. The Hare and Hounds have a good selection of real ales, cocktails and wine and promote the brewery Purity well.

So onto the food:)

The price of the food £12.50 in advance included three courses.

Each single course was served at the same time, so every diner was eating the same dish.

The 1st course was a delicious Kerala street food morsel called Parrippu Vada with slices of banana.

The flavours of ginger and the crunch of the savoury deep fried lentil were superb, and taken together with the banana the correct way to be eaten.

The 2nd course was the dosa served with the Sambar, mint sublime and the gunpowder smoke.

The Sambar was tangy, filled with delicious vegetables, like a broth with the lentils adding another wholesome texture to the stew.

The mint like a raita, with the gentle harmonious flavours of coriander and lime chutney.

The Gun powder smoke: a chutney of ground roasted lentils, smoky spices, and with a drizzling of hot coconut oil over. Superb, and taken with the vegetable filled Dosa a lovely concoction of flavour.

I enjoyed a pint of Purity UBU with my dosa.

Pop up Dosa’s dosas are lavish and enjoyable. Superb,

The third course (dessert) was called Aluva. A little known and much loved dessert from Kerala. It was fragrant, sweet and dense, with the flavours of the coconut milk, cashew nuts, nutmeg, cardamom giving it an almost liquorice type flavour and consistency. It was certainly a grower though, I was not sure at first but by the end the knots of subtle flavours won me over. Something very different to what I’ve eaten before 🙂

Chef Hasseen George, served a superb pop up.

The Pop up Dosa cafe is to be recommended. The flavours were good and the food addictive.

I felt the pop up at the Hare and Hounds was superb.

The takeover idea is a lovely idea that gives street food and new foodie concepts a forum. The atmosphere was good, chatty and enhanced the evening.

Keep an eye open for where Pop up Dosa are planning to serve their delicious food.

I can certainly recommend a night or lunch In their company.

Pop up Dosa
07402 806 439
http://www.popupdosa.blogspot.co.uk
@popupdosa

Hare and Hounds
106 high street
Kings Heath
Birmingham
B14 7JZ

@hareandhounds
http://www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

The final summer food season pop up at The Hare and Hounds is to be held on Thursday 14th August at 7.30. Pre booked tickets only via the Hare and Hounds website.

This is Fingy’s food night with Alan ‘Fingy’ Thomson Peruvian and Latin food.

£15 for three courses, veggie options available. See Hare and Hounds website for menu under events.

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed are my own and honest. We paid for our own food and drinks.

Feel free to comment on my blog post with any thoughts re the post.

If anyone has any suggestions as to where I should visit that is good for veggies, and vegans please let me know either here or via twitter @andydhare

Full contact details on vegiefoodie.com

Thanks for reading:)

29Jul2014

#TastyMorsels: New tea, cake, breakfast & Tapas

Posted in Afternoon Tea, Cafés and Restaurants, Cake, Coffee, Coffee Time, Independent, Kings Heath, Tasty Morsels by andydhare

These three tit bits on Tasty Morsels include a bit of everything:)

1. Byzantium Meditteranean Tapas on York Road in Kings Heath have relaunched a tapas menu at lunchtime.

For £6.95 you can order three tapas veggie options are strong and include olives, Mini flatbread, Humous, Patatas Bravas, Spanish Omelette with potatoes, spinich and caramelised onions, and greek salad and Patatas Alioli.

They have also introduced an early bird menu special for £25.00 when you sit between 5.30-6.30pm the meal for two is inclusive of drinks and includes 1 Flatbread, 1 dip, 3 tapas, 1 special, and 2 drinks.

I love the food there and recommend it very strongly for veggie and vegans.

See earlier review.

2. The Boston Tea party group of all day cafe’s have just this week opened in Harborne. They already reside in Central Birmingham on Corporation Street. They specialise in Breakfasts, cakes, tea and coffee serving brunch, and all day and evening food.

Boston Tea Party are a small family owned independent cafe group serving ethically sourced feel good food and drink that is home made and fresh.

They are well known for their ethical stance, and awards for sustainability (recently awarded a 3 star rating) Their food is 100% free range and organic, their milk is too:) and they cater for veggies and vegans well.

Amongst other things They serve Veggie Breakfasts, eggs florentine, pancakes, sweet potato couscous, salads, mushroom burgers, cakes, toasted sandwiches, loose leaf tea in teapots, coffee and everything is home made on the premises. See website for full menu.

The cafe seats 100 guests, and caters for 50 outside in a private courtyard walled garden area. It is in New The School Yard site off the High Street in Harborne.
0121 427 8722
http://www.bostonteaparty.co.uk

3. Cafe Opus in Brindley Place is still offering this Summer its Afternoon Tea deal. At £10 per person, this is a wonderful way to relax over three tiesr of sweet and savoury delights.

Finger sandwiches, fancy cakes, scones with clotted cream, and fresh fruit preserve, and a pot of tea.

On top of this is can be taken weather permitting on a beautiful terrace looking out on peaceful Oozell Square.

Afternoon tea is served daily between 2.30pm-5pm at Cafe Opus at The Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells St, Brindley Place B1 2HS.

Just a note, from my previous review. Cafe Opus is still serving a veggie and vegan supper menu for Meat Free Monday. All produce is market fresh. Every Monday savour all things veggie with a glass of house wine with every main course ordered.

It’s all from local produce as only Opus know how:)

27May2014

INDEPENDENT BIRMINGHAM (Believe in Birmingham)

Posted in Afternoon Tea, Bakery, Bars, Bars and Pubs, Breakfasts, Cafés and Restaurants, Cocktails, Coffee, Coffee hour, Curry restaurants, Independent, Independent Birmingham, Kings Heath, Moseley, pizza, Pubs, shops, Tapas, vegan by andydhare

Birmingham is thriving as a city of independent businesses. It is quite easy to believe the opposite looking around the Bull Ring and the high street. More and more independents, shops, cafe’s and restaurants are now thriving in and around the city centre.

Independent Birmingham is the flag waving movement and website of all things independent in Birmingham.

IB as it known is dedicated to unearthing the very best of Birmingham’s hidden gems and best kept secrets with the aim of encouraging people to re-discover the city we love.

The ethos of supporting businesses with a local leaning and conscience is superb in my opinion, some of the best places to go in Birmingham City Centre and its neighbourhoods are independent and offer friendliness and a uniqueness that chains don’t provide.

Independent Birmingham provide a year long membership card for £15 or two for £20.

The card provides discounts and deals in signed up shops, bars and restaurants. It is a unique pass to a sunshine of localism and top quality places that provide an experience as well as uniqueness.

Their website http://www.independent-Birmingham.co.uk provide a directory of all outlets signed up.

Independent Birmingham announce new additions to the card frequently so keep an eye open for more.

Recent additions are The Electric Cinema in the city centre who are offering IB card holders 2-4-1 tickets on standard seats form Sunday-Thursday, Rico Libre tapas in Digbeth who are offering 10% off breakfasts and tapas excluding Saturday evening, Itihaas Restaurant, 20% off Sunday-Thursday and The Coffee Lounge on Newhall Street 10% off and 20% off for afternoon tea for 2 people.

They have recently announced places such as, Vintage Hideaway, Fletchers Bar and The Sun at the Station and Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath and the Dark Horse pub, Cafephillia, and The Java Lounge in Moseley.

Plus Michelin starred restaurant Adams in the city centre, Ju Ju’s cafe by Brindley Place have joined along with the Jekyll and Hyde pub are offering 20% from Monday to Thursday off food. See website for full offers.

Keep on eye on their twitter and Facebook accounts for further details, new additions and discounts.

Others already signed up include:

Stirling’s bar and lounge, Loki wine, The Victoria bar, The Bureau, Brewsmith’s coffee and tea, 6/8 Kaffe, Cherry Reds, Alfie Birds, Rose Villa Tavern, The Church inn in the Jewellery Quarter, Urban Coffee Shop, Home is where..cafe and deli, Island Bar, Twist, The Sun on The Hill in the city centre.

For more see the website directory on
http://www.independent-Birmingham.co.uk.

Or you can sign up for the Independent Birmingham blog via their website and sign up for the card on the website too.

If anyone has any personal favourites and wants to recommend places please feel free to leave a comment below at,

Twitter @independentB’ham
Facebook independent Birmingham community
Hello@independent-Birmingham.co.uk

Or at Twitter @andydhare or on the comments section below.

Thanks for reading Veggie Foodie.

BYZANTIUM MEDITERRANEAN TAPAS KINGS HEATH

Living in the food mecca of Kings Heath and Moseley is hard work. The choice of where to dine and drink is tough on the decsion making process. Where do you go and savour top vegetarian delights.

Byzantium in Kings Heath on York Road in South Birmingham is a favourite of my wife Ruth and myself.

It seems wrong though to not start the night at Fletchers Bar next door, for cool cocktails, and a good Saturday evening Kings Heath vibe. Fletchers is all wood and has a good cocktail and drinks menu and also serves food from lunch to dinner. It is owned by The Kitchen Garden Cafe near by and thus like them promotes organic and well sourced food.

After a couple of good martinis we were off to Byzantium. It is a lovely restaurant, it has a warming and localised feel that is generous in its welcome and one that will get you talking. It is a small resturant, but big in heart. We began with a Fino sherry (what else) The restaurant has a good selection of drinks, from cocktails to a good selection of wines from the mediterranean and numerous sherries. Many by the glass.

We ordered the Middle Eastern flat bread, slightly griddled and so very aromatic. Superb. With this the smoky aubergine dip, the zaaluk which was also very good.

I also ordered to follow the Aubergine Parmiagiana, Patatas Bravas,
championes rellonos, and from a large special menu the Cheese and spinich Croquetas and
roasted root vegetables with honey and rosemary. Byzantium has a regular specials menu that has numerous vegetarian options on it.

We both finished it off with a Baklava which we enjoyed. We also enjoyed a glass of red and white wine and two coffee’s.

Byzantium is very good choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike due to its superb choice of on its menu.

The service is informal, friendly but attentive.

Byzantium is very good value and if you don’t order too much.

It will have you returning again and again.

The restaurant was buzzing on a Saturday evening and had a good vibe. I advise you too book a table.

We were having such a good night we returned to Fletchers for a whisky and brandy.

Byzantium certainly glitters gold.

0121 444 5444

Facebook.com/byzantiumtapas

Info@byzantiumtapas.co.uk

Byzantium Mediterranean Tapas Restaurant
11 York Road
Kings Heath
Birmingham
B14 7SA

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veggiefoodie

your one stop guide to veggie dining

Category Archives: Kings Heath

#VEGGIE/VEGAN FOOD HEROES: #STREET FOOD: THE VEGAN GRINDHOUSE AND VEGAN VOX

REVIEW: BLUE RABBIT & CO POP UP IN KINGS HEATH AND FLETCHERS BAR

POP UP DOSA TAKE-OVER @THE HARE AND HOUNDS KINGS HEATH

#TastyMorsels: New tea, cake, breakfast & Tapas

INDEPENDENT BIRMINGHAM (Believe in Birmingham)

BYZANTIUM MEDITERRANEAN TAPAS KINGS HEATH

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