En Place Pop Up Dining Experience

We were lucky enough to be invited to a pop up dining experience at Millennium Point in Birmingham. En Place is a 3 chef pop up restaurant who provided us with a  6 course tasting menu and wine for £35.
This experience was set next to the Thinktank museum in Birmingham in a small cafe called 6/8 Kafe. From the moment Laura and I arrived we were made to feel very welcome and even though the venue was a small cafe it really felt like we were being treated like customers of a fine dining restaurant. We were shown to our seats by one of the chefs and had a little bit of the background explained to us. 
The first course was advertised as 'Snacks' and consisted of a Gruyere Cheese Gougers (Filled Choux Buns) and small slices of crusty sourdough with slow roasted pork and a gremolata. 

The choux pastry was really soft with just enough flake. They had a generous amount of filling which had a delicate cheese flavour. When i have had these in the past they have been quite overpowering but these were very subtle. One of my choux buns did have a slightly raw base.

The pork on the sourdough was delicious. There was an excellent contrast of textures which all complimented each other. The pork was juicy and succulent whereas the bread was thin and crispy. The gremolata added a sourness to it which was balanced well with the salty pork.

The next course that came out was Veal Tongue, Toasted Sourdough and Sauce Gribiche (Like a cold mayonnaise) 

I thought this course was presented particularly well and again gave the feel of a fine dining experience. Veal tongue is not something I have eaten for a long time so I was looking forward to having another taste. The meat was well cooked and quite delicate. The flavors were quite mild and not too overpowering. I did not pick up a lot of flavour from the Gribiche and thought it was quite plain. Again the sourdough added texture and the micro herbs were attractive and fresh.
At this point in the meal we were offered wine which we both agreed would be to hard to turn down! I was served a Pinot Noir. I am not a huge wine connoisseur but I really enjoyed this particular glass.
Our next course was Mackerel, Pickled Radish, Samphire and a Tomato Water

  This was one of my favourite dishes of the evening. There were many different flavours that went well together which made this dish a success. The salty tender mackerel really fell apart when cut. The pickled radish was very delicate and very delicately flavoured so it did not overpower the water. The samphire was salty and cooked al dente. The best thing on the plate for me was the tomato water. A clear, slightly tanned liquid that packed a huge punch of tomato flavour with a bitterness of onion and garlic also on the palette.
The main course that was served was the Roast Chicken Thigh, New Potatoes Glazed with Thyme and Marmite and Peas a'la Francaise

I was looking forward to this dish as it read quite simple with ingredients that go well together. My only concern was the marmite potatoes as I am on the fence still as to whether I actually like marmite and also I thought the marmite would overpower the potatoes.  Great attention was again paid to the different textures, sticky potatoes, firm vegetables and crispy chicken skin. I though the roast chicken was quite bland and parts were also dry. The rest of the dish I thoroughly enjoyed. I was hesitant about trying the potatoes, but I thought they were incredible. The balance was excellent and the marmite taste was not as strong as I thought it would have been. It gave a stickiness to the potatoes. The marmite flavour was cleansed by the buttery and fresh spring vegetables. The only element that could have been improved for me was the temperature of the dish which was luke warm, however, this is me being very picky!
The dessert was Lemon, Meringue, Iced Tea. I love Lemon meringue so I was really looking forward to this course.

I thought that this presentation was excellent and I found I was looking at all of the different aspects of the dish searching for a starting point. The earl grey iced tea was different but a taste I liked as it was lemony and married well with the lemon curd. The curd was very tart and sweet which I loved. There were small thyme infused meringues on top which were sticky, crunchy and aromatic. The thin wafer of filo pasty added further texture. This dish really entertained the palette as there were so many sweet and sour elements.

The final course was advertised on the menu as Petit Four. I was expecting some small french style pastries. I was wrong.

We were served a trio  of retro sweets! There was Whiskey gummy sweets which had a really strong whiskey flavour. They melted in the mouth and the warmness of the whiskey was delightful. I am not a huge fan of liquorice but I ate it anyway. The star of this plate was the homemade lemon sherbert. The sweet icing sugar and bicarb foamed in your mouth with an intense lemon flavour which I assume was citric acid of some sort. There were stray bits of lemon rid in which added to the perfumed powder.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this experience with En Place and I would definitely recommend it to others. The customer service is excellent and the food was excellent. I will definitely be looking for a future visit!  Facebook / Twitter

The Red Lion, (Jewellery Quarter)

My girlfriend and I decided to venture out for our Sunday lunch this week and after a quick 30 minutes of internet research we decided that we would visit The Red Lion in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter. As we pulled up outside of the pub I was not expecting very much in the way of good food, as the street was scruffy and desolate and the exterior wasn't eye catching! Upon entry I was immediately happy to see a good choice of real ale including 2 of my favorites, Butty Bach and Bathams, as well as several guest ales.I went for a guest draught ale 'Riders on the Storm' which can be seen in my beer review tab.
We had not booked a table but luckily there was a table available upstairs that we were warned that we may have to share with other customers. This was not a problem as it was a large table big enough for 10 people so we had plenty of space.  I can't speak for my girlfriend, but I was quietly over the moon that the bar and restaurant both had TVs that was showing the football! Despite my love for football I do understand that having a TV on whilst eating out is possibly a deterrent for some. The volume was not on so this really shouldn't put people off visiting this pub. (However, if you do like having the football on in the background then they show matches from all of the top leagues!)
The menu had a reasonably large choice of meals including some pub classics, Sunday roasts and a good selection of appealing burgers. There was also a specials board to choose from. We both decided to have a roast. Laura went for the Braised Roast Lamb and I chose the Topside of British Beef which were both served with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, mashed potato, Yorkshire puddings and proper gravy!  I also had a starter of Sautéed Mushrooms with Roast Garlic and Blue Cheese served on Toast.
I did not have to wait very long before my sizeable starter was served. I have to apologise at this point as I did not take a photo of this starter. I was so keen and hungry I jumped straight in! It was served in a large immaculately clean white plate, a large slice of crusty toasted bread slightly charred around the edges, a good amount of sauteed mushrooms with copious amounts of creamy blue cheese. The saltiness of the blue cheese was complimented by the subtle hints roast garlic. A generous hand full of vibrant rocket leaves were also placed on top. I have to say that this starter was excellent and something I would definitely order again.
Again, we did not have to wait long before the very friendly and polite waitress cleared the starter and served our main courses. 
Both roast dinners were very large portions and came with a good amount of meat.  The beef was very tasty and was surprisingly succulent for a roast dinner. The vegetables were well cooked, Yorkshire pudding was crispy on the outside and soft inside. The mash was smooth and buttery and the swede mash was exceptional. I did find the roast potatoes a little firm still and not as crispy on the outside as I personally like them, but apart from that I thought the meal was great.

   I always insist on trying Laura's food as well as my own! Her lamb tasted great but was a little dry and could have done with more gravy which i'm sure could have been brought if we had asked.

I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again as I thought that the service, food, drink and atmosphere was excellent and was not overpriced. I would urge anyone looking for a traditional relaxed Sunday dinner to try the Red Lion. 
Good beer, good food, and the football in the background! ;)


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Chung Ying Central

We arrived at the restaurant on a busy Saturday evening around 8pm and were shown to our table quickly. I spent the first 5 minutes moaning to Laura about the absence of any real ale on the drinks menu. I had to have lager :(

For food, Laura and I  both opted for a dim sum and a main each. Laura went for the shredded squid with chilli dipping sauce . I went for something different that I had never tried before and I have also seen this dish in my 'Street Food' recipe book. I went for chicken feet in black bean sauce. Not only did my starter arrive a good 5-10 minutes after Laura's starter but I then put Laura through her worst nightmare and was chewing and  pulling tiny bones from my mouth. I will  admit that I found it very difficult to eat, but the flavour was excellent. The 2 dishes were chosen from the dim sum menu and were very reasonable at £4 each.

For the mains I went safe and ordered lemon and honey chicken and Laura went for crispy shredded beef in chilli sauce (and side portions of steamed rice and vermicelli Singapore style noodles. When the food arrived I was left waiting for my main dish for an extra 10 minutes again.  The food was nicely presented and the portions were very generous.

Service in general was ok but I did find one of the waitresses quite rude and she seemed really fed up when serving and taking our orders. They were also unapologetic about my extended waiting time for both courses!

Overall, I  enjoyed my dishes and drinks and I wouldn't let the below average service that night stop me from returning again, especially as Chung Ying Central also have a two for one menu available 4-7pm from Mondays to Saturdays. The food is affordable and I think it makes a decent place to visit after work or even for those who fancy some Oriental cuisine!

Meat Liquor

My girlfriend and I spent the last 2 days in London visiting friends. Whilst being dragged down Oxford Street and into various shops I managed to persuade Laura to stop for some food. We ventured off round the back streets in search for pub grub.

We eventually came across MEATliquor and were intrigued by the outside appearance. The windows were blacked out and there was a red led light above the door which read MEAT! (How can you go wrong!). Upon entry I immediately liked the vibe; the restaurant was very dim and the decor was almost like a biker bar that you would find on route 66! The music was mainly pumped up american country songs which suited the decor well.

We were seated immediately and soon had our drinks order taken and brought to us. I went for a 'Hobo' Beer (£4.20) and at 5.1% was crisp and refreshing, perfect after being stuck in Primark for 30mins!

The menu was decent enough and there seemed to be enough choice if you were a fan of burgers, I would have liked to see a bigger variety of 'grill' foods. I went for the 'Rib Licker' a boneless rack of ribs in a bun with sweet pickles, onions and BBQ sauce. Laura ordered the 'Dirty Chicken Cheeseburger, a deep fried chicken breast, lettuce, mayo red onion e.t.c. We also ordered a side of fries.The food took 20 minutes to arrive which I thought was pretty good considering it was relatively busy.

Our food came and both meals were served on a single tray. Laura's burger did not come with  plate which was different but added to the vibe. I think mine came on a plate due to the sheer amount of sauce oozing out of the bun. Both meals were tasty and what you would expect from a burger- the meat was good quality and well cooked and there was a variety of meaty and salty flavors which went well with the fried onions and pickles.The meat was very succulent and tasted great. The bun soon became very soggy and the whole burger ended up disintegrating in my hands, I was glad that I was given plenty of paper towels because I ended up with sauce everywhere. I even had to resort to using a knife and fork which I am slightly ashamed of!
Laura's 'Dirty Chicken' was also very tasty and had plenty of flavour and the red onion relish was particularly good.

Overall the experience was good and I was happy we went. Would I go there again? Yes, I would go there again but maybe just to have a drink  and appreciate the west country atmosphere.I think for the price paid the burgers should come with a portion of chips or at very least a bit of salad!
I have paid a lot less money for burgers of a similar quality.
We enjoyed the atmosphere, the service and the drink.....the food could be better.