Tag Archives: The Mockingbird

Review: Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Birmingham.

Posted in Bars, beer, Birmingham, Craft beer, Digbeth, Food, Independent, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

   
 

Anyone who went to Big Papas at The Sunflower lounge will know the work that Anthony and Craig put into their businesses. What’s always impressed me is their flexibility and nuance in understanding veggie diners and dishes, and what’s put out onto the table. They are open to experiment, your ideas and opinions. 

The vegetarian menu at their new venture The Mockingbird, Bar, Bistro and Theatre is evolving. It’s early days, it’s short at present, a bit too short, needs a couple of additions, maybe the Big Papas Mac and cheese, (please) veggie burger, sweet potato fries? why not? Plus think seasonal specials, be imaginative. 

We had the three dishes on the nights menu: Starters: Nachos with cherry tomatoes, salsa lemon and chive cheese, chunky guacamole, garlic and cheese ciabatta, and Main: Cauliflower and Brocolli fritters. 

   

 The Nachos, which we shared. A good Tex-Mex dish. The tortilla chips were crisp, though maybe on reflection the dish could have done with a few more to get the balance right with a delicious salsa lemon and chive cheese sauce and nice guacamole, which slightly overpowered the tortillas for that reason. The flavours were there though and the size was ok for a starter. Could do a larger plate to share as a larger starter. Enjoyed. 

   

 Garlic bread and cheese  

Well made garlic bread, with a nice balance in flavours. Thin, crusty. Very nice. Not too cheesy or greasy which I liked. Presented on a black slate which I liked. (shared) 

  
 Cauliflower and Broccoli fritters. 

My fritters had a good and plentiful filling of cauliflower and broccoli and a nice crisp fried outer breading.  

I enjoyed the fritters, the filling was different but had good flavours and filled the batter to leave a satisfying main dish. Again, the sauce that accompanied could have been reduced in quantity in order to get the balance right. I liked the tomato garnish though.

 Maybe introduce seasonal fillings, courgettes, mushrooms in autumn. 

I also ate a few of Ruths chips which were ok. 

Ruth also enjoyed the Buttermilk fried chicken with fries. She said it was fantastic. Perfectly cooked chicken. She knows, trust me!

The Brunch menu has a decent range of dishes, all of which can be adapted for the vegan diner. 
  

Brunch menu. 

  
   
   
   
    
   

Both Ruth and I loved the music played in The Mockingbird. A mixture, of soul, funk and a bit in between. It made for a good atmosphere and on a Wednesday night a steady flow of people were coming in, eating and having a drink before the film that was showing that night at the cinema that The Mockingbird has (Jaws in that case). The menu we had was the cinema/film menu and enabled you to take a desert with you into the film. 

   
   

The industrial feel of the decor and seating make The Mockingbird a chilled and relaxing place to visit for food or just drinks. The bar includes craft beers, including vegan beers (marked clearly) wine, and cocktails. 

I enjoyed two craft beers, the Goose Island IPA: 5.5% ABV, from Chicago, which has a fruity aroma with a dry malt middle and long hop finish. A very nice beer that went well with the informal food. A hop lovers dream. 

   
 
Plus, Meantime London Lager (suitable for vegans) from the award winning brewery based in Greenwich, London. It has the perfect balance of bitterness and hopiness, and is 4.5% ABV. If you like hoppy, malty beers this is for you. A really nice modern English lager, a quality beer. 

On a weekend they have DJ’s which we both agreed would be a great time to visit as well as comedy nights, a theatre and of course the cinema. 

The food at The Mockingbird is well executed, and though the options for vegetarians are limited at the moment, they are happy and excited to develop the menu further and ease the vegetarian and vegan diner. I liked The Mockingbird, in fact loved it. The vibe, the music, the concept. The hard work ethos pays off. I’m excited to see how those veggie dishes evolve and though not perfect at the moment you can see the potential and possibilities. It’s a place to visit at any time of day and livens up the Custard Factory somewhat in the day and for that it is achieving its aims well. 

The owners Anthony and Craig have the heart and soul for The Mockingbird, and yes this bird can sing. 

http://mockingbirdtheatre.com

        

Every Monday is Meat Free Monday at The Mockingbird with The Vegan Grindhouse taking over the kitchen. From Brunch/lunch to dinner keep an eye on social media for menus and guest chefs/Streetfood traders. 

See Mex it Up on Monday August 31st. Vegan Mexican street food. Guest kitchen. 

See below: re Vegan Grindhouse Meat Free Monday’s. 

http://t.co/dNpqBJ6b5Y

Thanks for reading 

Andy 😊

Disclosure: Ruth and I were invited to visit The Mockingbird. Our food was complimentary but we paid for all drinks drank in full. In no way did this make my views biased which are honest as always. 

Thanks for the invite. 👍

The Mockingbird, the Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Digbeth, B 9 4AA. 

021-224-7456. 

  

  

Advertisement

Meat Free Monday’s: The Vegan Grindhouse at The Mockingbird in Digbeth Birmingham. 

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Birmingham, Breakfasts, Cafés and Restaurants, City Centre, Craft beer, Digbeth, Events, healthy, Independent, Independent Birmingham, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie Burgers, Veggie foodie, Veggie foodie brunch breakfasts by

       
 

Monday’s will never be the same if you are a Vegan or Veggie in Birmingham. 

The news is that esteemed and popular Vegan Street food traders The Vegan Grindhouse are taking over The Mockingbird at The Custard Factories kitchen all day on a Monday from August 10th for the rest of this year for a Meat-Free Monday’s special.

  

BIRMINGHAM INDEPENDENT VENUE AND POPULAR VEGAN STREET FOOD COMPANY TEAM UP FOR MEAT FREE MONDAYS STARTING MONDAY 10TH AUGUST.

The teams behind the successful Mockingbird Theatre, Bistro & Bar and Midlands based vegan street-food company The Vegan Grindhouse have collaborated to host a new destination event every Monday in Digbeth, Birmingham.

The event, The Vegan Grindhouse presents Meat Free Monday’s at The Mockingbird which is taking place every Monday from 10th August at Mockinbird Theatre Bistro and Bar, Custard Factory, Gibb Street, B9 4AA. 

The Vegan Grindhouse chefs will be serving up an all-vegan Americana style brunch menu from 11am-2pm, featuring waffles, scrambled tofu, granola, BLT and bagels. 

Then every Monday evening from 5-9pm there will be a new menu featuring food from different regions of the USA, such as burritos, Philly cheesesteaks, meatball marinara subs, mac’n’cheese and all American sides and desserts. There will be gluten free options available on each menu also. 

In addition to the food, Meat Free Mondays will also feature free film screenings in the theatre, music and a range of vegan beers, soft drinks and plant-based milks for coffees and teas.

Lisa Burbidge-Brown, Co-owner of The Vegan Grindhouse said “We are so excited to take on this weekly residency at The Mockingbird. To give people a fully vegan restaurant menu every Monday is a great way to promote the Meat Free Monday message of reducing or eliminating their meat and dairy intake due to health, environmental or ethical reasons and this is a great opportunity for people to try exciting new vegan food and see why going meat free is a viable alternative diet and lifestyle.”

The Vegan Grindhouse by Vegan Vox travels around the wider Midlands area to markets, festivals and street-food events to bring their high-end Americana handmade organic vegan food to a wide range of customers. 

They have traded across the UK including Birmingham, Warwickshire, Blackpool, Manchester, Wales and London since starting the business in April 2014 and have many more events booked throughout this year working with some of the big names in Street Food events.

The Vegan Grindhouse is a small independent all-vegan mobile catering company from the West Midlands, who produce organic, fair trade, cruelty-free tasty vegan Americana street-food and treats.

The Dinner menu will change each week and will be announced prior to the Monday. 

Contact the venue for reservations or just turn up on the day/night. 
So introduce non vegans and veggies to a meat free meal with new dishes not served up by The Vegan Grindhouse on their truck. 

http://www.thevegangrindhouse.co.uk/2015/08/exciting-announcement-meat-free-mondays.html?m=1

The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Digbeth, B9 YAA. 

   
 

  
Dinner menu for The Vegan Grindhouse Meat Free Mondays. 

From street food beginnings to the Mockingbird. Bar, Bistro and Theatre at The Custard Factory. 

Posted in Birmingham, Cafés and Restaurants, City Centre, Craft beer, Digbeth, Independent, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

   

 Anthony Duffy and Craig Essex have just launched their new bar and bistro The Mockingbird at The Custard Factory. 

Previously seen as Big Papas at the Sunflower Lounge, that residency has now finished and a new exciting venture is open. 

At The ‘Mockingbird bar and bistro’ you can expect an exciting fresh seasonal evolving bistro menu with a keen focus on using locally sourced produce. 

Their new head chef has worked in some fantastic kitchens including Purnell’s. 

You may also expect a unique and carefully designed craft beer and cocktail menu, taking influence from small cocktail bars in Harlem, independent spirits, lesser known quality wines and fizz. 

The key objective and focus for the Mockingbird is to push the smaller, independently crafted drinks, championing the local breweries. 

As well as the exciting food and drink (including good vegetarian options) they will be offering a truly unique and eye catching industrial interior married with a relaxing atmosphere. 

As well as the Bar and Bistro, The Mockingbird also offers a 101 seated  cinema and theatre space which offers an intimate, atmospheric experience in live events and unconventional cinema that is unique to the Birmingham region. Plus DJ’s playing some light soul and funk and some very alternative music, live music acts, and comedy.

The Mockingbird provides a unique and diverse programme of events, embracing the city’s cultural diversity and young rising talent. 

The Vegetarian dishes at Big Papas demonstrated to me in their simplicity and eagerness to please an understanding that Vegetarians care too for what’s on their plate, fulfilling the adage that  when their’s a meat eater in a group there is often a veggie too. 

I was impressed then through conversation with the boys their thoughtfulness to please and get their veggie dishes right for the customer, and a keenness to evolve their menu. Thus I’m looking forward to seeing how their new venue develops. 

With the announcement that The Vegan Grindhouse are doing am all day/evening kitchen takeover every Monday until the end of the year, for Meat Free Monday’s there’s going to be a lot for veggies and vegans too like about The Mockingbird. 

I’m going to be at the launch party on the 6th August so look out for further reports and updates soon. 

Andy 😊