Tag Archives: vegiefoodie.com

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Veggie Foodie. 

Posted in vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

  
Today marks the 2nd Anniversary since I began my blog Veggie Foodie.

I can’t quite believe that it’s two years since I had the crazy idea to write a Vegetarian Blog that focused on eating out and I wished to become a resource for vegetarians and vegans in Birmingham and beyond. 

Since I began it, my blog has become like my right hand. Constantly with me, always in the back of my mind, and with the next post or six in mind. 

I wouldn’t have been able to write it without the support of my readers. So thank you to those who’ve liked, commented, retweeted, shared and encouraged me over the last two years. In particular my wife Ruth who plays the calm to my storm in my thoughts, writings and my blogs evolvement. 

Thanks also to my fellow food bloggers, (both locally and far and wide) as reading your blogs inspires me to keep writing and celebrate this great foodie city and the wonderful world of food.

   
   
So here’s to another year of eating out, sharing and encouraging. 

The dining scene is changing, in most cases for the better, in others not so. But hey, that’s life. 

I have some great reviews and posts to come. So keep an eye out and if you write, keep writing or if not, then maybe you could do it too.

Thanks for reading, 

Andy 😊

   
   

   
 

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Purely Vegan Store: Kings Heath, Birmingham opens. 

Posted in Birmingham, Food, healthy, Independent, Kings Heath, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

   
 
Kings Heath in South Birmingham is becoming the place for Vegans and Vegerarians to live. 

Hot on the heals of the Brum Yum Yum and Vegan Grindhouse does veggie/vegan streetfood event on the 19th July  news of a fantastic new opening reached me this week via Facebook. 

This week The Purely Vegan Store opened its doors at 271 Alcester Road South, Kings Heath. 

Though I’m not a vegan, I can appreciate that this is big news as the information reaching me suggests that this store will be the largest purely vegan store independently owned in Birmingham, and a thoroughly cool place for vegans to shop and hang out. 

Information on the stock is vague at the moment, so the best move is to go down and check it out. I think they are open to requests on what stock to have in the store, but I’m sure it wi sell the standard vegan food stuffs and goodies. From the photos on Facebook it looks as if it has a big fridge which helps. 

   
    
 
I’m looking to pop down myself shortly ,  so I can update the pictures and news of products and services on offer. Their is a website that is under construction. So the best place to find them is on Facebook and Twitter at the moment. 

Facebook: Vegan Store

Twitter: @theveganstore

http://www.theveganstore.co.uk/

As I mentioned earlier Kings Heath is becoming a cool place for Vegans and Veggies to visit or live. 

The regular monthly Brum Yum Yum has a good selection of veggie/vegan streetfood from all or some of The Vegan Grindhouse, Bare Bones Pizza, with its vegan and veggie pizza, vegetarian Bombay Tapas, Pietanic, and Vegan Mexican Mex it Up. Plus good options at Other traders. 

Also recommended are resident Vegetarian cafe/restaurant Veg Out Cafe, plus The Kitchen Garden Cafe, The Loco Lounge with its vegan menu and Cherry Reds which does good veggie and vegan options including a highly regarded Vegan breakfast. 

Find the  Purely Vegan Store at

271 Alcester Road South, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 6EB. 

0121-443-3211

Thanks for reading. 

Andy 😊 

 

Photos from Vegan Store Facebook page. 

#VeggieFoodieTakeaway: Diwan Balti Moseley and Hungry House. 

Posted in Birmingham, Curry restaurants, Independent, Moseley, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

  

I was recently contacted by Hungry House http://hungryhouse.co.uk/ who wanted me to taste test one of their top takeaways in Birmingham. 

Hungry House is the Uk’s premier online platform for takeaway and food delivery, with more than 10,000 restaurants on their site. They cover the whole of Birmingham on their site. 

They’ve just released the names of their top takeaways. 

http://hungryhouse.co.uk/top-takeaways/

http://hungryhouse.co.uk/top-takeaways/birmingham/

These are chosen due to their popularity with customers, their consistently positive ratings, their ability to deliver food on time and their high food hygiene rating. Only 500 are chosen. 

I was very pleased that one of the restaurants on the list and one in my location Diwan Balti in Moseley was so highly regarded. Diwan has always been a special restaurant to me as I visited it often when I began my job over 15 years ago. I used to go with colleagues who lived in Moseley Village and we quite often put the world to rights and moaned quite readily about work, and life. Politics wa s often on the agenda, as it so often is and was. Back then Diwan was one of the original balti houses and this was before lasan and Pushkar et al changed the curry scene in my city. It has always specialised in Paneer dishes and has loads of choice for Vegetarians. 

The food was ordered from Diwan via the Hungry House link https://hungryhouse.co.uk/diwan-balti

You place your order, the  website is clear and reliable when inputting what you would like to eat and after completion you receive an email cod ironing that the restaurant have been sent the order and then received the order with an estimated delivery time.

Both Ruth and I shared the vegetarian dishes. 

We ordered: 

Plain Poppadums x 3 @ £1.35

Mixed pickles: @ 70p 

Balti Saag Aloo Paneer (Main) @ £5.35 (Spinach and potato and paneer cheese) 

Balti Aloo Gobi Mushroom (Main) @£5.25 (Cauliflower, potato and mushroom) 

Balti Tarka Daal: (lentils) @ £3.60 side 

Balti Chana (Chickpeas) side @ £3.60

Mushroom Pilau Rice: £2.75

Garlic Naan: £2.15

Chapati: 95p. 

Total = £25.70 plus a card surcharge of 50p  = £26.20

   

  

   
    

Balti saag Aloo paneer and Tarka daal.

            

Balti chana and Balti aloo Gobi mushroom. 

 

Mushroom Pilau rice. 

The food We ordered was excellent. 

The poppudums were crisp, on arrival, quite rare for some takeaway deliveries. The sauces were ok, not great but satisfactory. 

Both the Balti Saag Aloo Paneer and Balti chana were good , nicely spiced, nicely cooked, stayed warm throughout though we did use heaters  which always helps. The combination of the paneer and spinach and potato worked well and the paneer was cooked well and carried a good flavour. I used to have this dish quite frequently and wasn’t disappointed as a takeaway. The Balti chana was also very good, chickpeas always go well with me and are one of my favourites in curries. 

We also enjoyed the lentil daal and the Balti aloo Gobi mushroom. Both were well flavoured, the lentils were creamy and were a very good cooking contrast to the spicier mains. Again the cauliflower and potato is a good combination and worked with the mushrooms. A nice dish. 

The mushroom rice, Naan and Chapati were all very good, and essentials to order. 

As a takeaway curry Diwan Balti is an excellent choice in the Moseley and Kings Heath area via Hungry House. The food was delivered on time, it was well presented and all containers were sealed and secure. There were no complaints. The service via the Hungry House website was fine and with a prompt delivery made for a good Vegetarian Takeaway. It also very good value. I’m sure to order again from Diwan Balti and Hungry House. It brought back happy memories. 

Thanks for reading. 

Andy 😊

I was invited to write an unbiased review of a takeaway ordered via Hungry House in my local area. All food was paid for via a voucher of £30 which was complimentary from Hungry House. I chose Diwan Balti myself, my review is unbiased and honest as always. 

Diwan Balti 3A/B/C Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8AR. 

0121 442 4920/442 6002. 

  


Blogiversary: Happy Birthday Veggie Foodie. One year old today 🍰🍷🍸🎂🎉

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Birmingham, Cafés and Restaurants, vegan, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

This time last year I launched my Vegetarian food blog Vegiefoodie.com. I can’t quite believe how quickly the time has gone, and to be honest that I’m still writing and loving blogging so much. 

When I began my aim was to celebrate vegetarian dining and eating out and make vegetarians aware of the great places (and not so great) to eat in Birmingham and beyond. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had some brilliant meals and drinks over the last year. 

Notably Purnells, Epi, Opus Restaurant, Lasan, Bilash in Wolverhamptin, Nomad, Bisro 1847, Raja Monkey and Vanilla Black in London, and Northcote near Blackburn and Turners-look out for reviews soon. 

The rise of street food in Birmingham has given vegetarians increased options as to where to eat, and with the added bonus of not been forced to sit down. It’s also a bit of a crawl so you can mix and match dishes and types of food, and drink. 

Restaurants in Birmingham have got better at understanding that vegetarians don’t always want to eat veggie burgers, pasta or risotto, though when they are cooked well using good seasonal ingredients they can be superb. I’ve had some of the best pasta dishes in Italy, that are tomato based, and just because of the simple ingredient, the tomato. The rise in the independent bar. Cafe and restaurant in the city is also good news for veggies and my blog has alway favoured the independent business and its creative originality. 

   
     
Before I began my blog I ate at some wonderful restaurants with Ruth that I didn’t blog about and hope to return to one day. 

Please excuse me for making a short list, but some of the best vegetarian dishes I’ve had have come at 

Arzak in San Sebastián, 3 Michelin starred in Spain, exquisite dishes. Notable deserts. 

 L’Enclume- Simon Rogan’s restaurant in Cartmel Lake District, probably the best meal I’ve ever had. 

Le Manoir, Raymond Blanc’s restaurant/hotel in Oxfordshire, a superb veggie menu. A great place to stay. 

Alyn Williams at The Westbury in London, 

Castle Terrace andNumber one in Edinburgh, 

Benares in London, the finest indian food I’ve eaten. 

The Ritz in London, it’s the Ritz…and was beautiful with excellently creative veggie dishes. 

To name a few.. And just a month or so before I launched my blog The Cross in Kenilworth, which now has a Michelin star, but hadn’t then, and served such a beautiful vegetarian menu. 

So lastly, just to thank everyone who has followed my blog, and has been so supportive on social media. I’m not mentioning names, but I hope people know who they are. 

Plus a big thank you to all my fellow food bloggers in Birmingham and beyond who have been kind and supportive and welcomed me into their community and world. It’s been a pleasure meeting some of you. 

Here’s to the next year and more great vegetarian food. Keep your eyes peeled for some changes in how Veggie Foodie looks, and hopefully some more exciting foodie discoveries on the horizon. 

Happy Blogiversary. 

Thanks for reading 😊 and been part of my veggie foodie journey I couldn’t have done it without you all. 

Andy 

You can follow me on Twitter @andydhare

Facebook at Andy Hare and Veggie Foodie 

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