Author Archives: Jo

Brum Yum Yum!

Posted on April 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

 

Last weekend, Birmingham had it first streetfood market called Brum Yum Yum. It was held in All Saints Square in Kings Heath and my dad, Thomas and I went to see what it was like. We arrived shortly after midday and were instantly impressed by the range of streetfood on offer. There was something for every taste.

As Thomas' and mine favourite food is pizza, we went straight to Fundi Pizza and had a margarita pizza, cooked fresh in front of you for £5. It was delicious and if the weather had been warmer, I could of been in Naples. For pudding, I had a rhubarb and custard brioche toasted sandwich from The Jabberwocky. I have never thought of having a sweet toasted sandwich before and I now realise I have been missing out. It was yummy and I did not even leave a crumb! I forgot to take a photo of it too as I was so looking forward to trying it.

As well as having the streetfood vendors, Brum Yum Yum had entertainment from local singers, a bar and a stall selling Pip's Hot Sauce, locally made in Birmingham. It really had a festival vibe and people hung round after eating the food to soak up the atmosphere. From about 1pm, the square got incredibly busy and even when the rain came, people kept on coming showing that Birmingham desperately needed an event like this.

I was lucky enough to have a few minutes chat to Duncan Stanley, director of Brum Yum Yum and former touring apprentice with UB40. Duncan told me how he looked at each Brum Yum Yum event like a gig and wanted to create a similar atmosphere, to ensure everyone there had a good time, stayed around for a bit and did not just go straight after getting their food. Duncan is a lovely guy and I am very sure that Brum Yum Yum is going to be an amazing success. I will definitely be going back soon!!

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Birmingham, Brum Yum Yum, Street Food, West Midlands

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Restaurant Review: Itihaass Brassiere, Selfridges, Bullring, Birmingham

Posted on April 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

Gulab Jamun

What is the best Indian restaurant in Birmingham? I am sure that every one of us has a different answer to this question, me included. How about this then, where is the best place to get a delicious authentic Indian meal and still be able to carry on with the shopping afterwards?

The answer to the second question is easy. Itihaas Brassiere. Itihaas Brassiere is the outpost of Itihaas Indian restaurant on Fleet Street. It serves everything from Indian starters and snacks to the full on curry experience, right in the heart of Selfridges in the Bullring.

Stuart and I arrived at Itihass Brassiere on a busy Thursday lunchtime and were warmly greeted by the staff. We sat down at the high tables and perused the wide selection on the menu. As well as traditional curries, Itihass Brassiere also has chat, dosa and wraps on the menu, ideal for those who want something lighter for lunch or as a snack. Having tried one of the chat dishes the last time I visited, this time I decided to go for a curry, as I was feeling hungry.

Makhani Murgh

Lamb Rogan Josh

side salad

Stuart had Makhani Murgh, which is fenugreek & smoked tomato tikka chicken curry, with steamed Basmati rice, garlic Naan and chutneys. I had Lamb Rogan Josh, which is Garam Masala spiced lamb, curry with steamed Basmati rice, garlic Naan and chutneys. We were both immediately impressed with our curries. My lamb was melting tender and rich with all the garam masala spices. The naan bread had the perfect texture. Slightly crispy round the edges with a soft and very garlicky centre. I am very picky with my naan breads but this was near perfection for me. Stuart’s curry was excellent too. It had the right amount of chilli heat and spice, allowing the full flavours of the tikka to come through. The side salad and yoghurt we were served alongside cooled the small but very tasty fire in our bellies and meant we could eat even more curry!

Despite starting to feel very full, we managed to both eat Gulab Jamun for dessert, which is milk & pistachio steamed dumplings, with rose water syrup and served with pistachio ice cream. I love these little doughnut type things and would have quite happily eaten a whole bowlful of them, had I not been full of curry. They are full of syrupy gorgeousness and with the ice cream alongside, it was a palette cleanser too and very refreshing after all the spices. Stuart and I loved the Itihass Brassiere and we are looking forward to going back again soon!

This post also appeared on the Bullring website

Disclosure: Stuart and I dined as guests of the Bullring. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review

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Meal Planning Monday- 15th April 2013

Posted on April 15, 2013 | 3 Comments

 

Spring seems to finally be here! I am writing this with the patio door open listening to the birds outside. It is lovely!! We mostly followed the meal plan last week but there were a couple of changes so the ones I did not make last week are on the meal plan for this week.

Monday: soy and garlic chicken with rice

Tuesday: crispy chilli chicken with chips

Wednesday: we are both out/working late so are fending for ourselves tonight

Thursday: spaghetti bolognaise and garlic bread

Friday: takeaway

Saturday: chilli con carne, rice and garlic bread

Sunday: roast pork Sunday dinner

For more meal plans, please see Mrs M's linky

 

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Birmingham’s First Ever Street Market Launches This Saturday!

Posted on April 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

BYY LOGO 170x170

The official launch of BRUM YUM YUM’S Kings hEATh Streetfood Market is taking place on Saturday April 13 at 12noon. Birmingham’s first ever authentic streetfood market will bring together 15 of the country’s hottest streetfood traders, rare street music and an urban circus troupe to create a truly unique dining experience.

Most dishes are in the £3-5 range with lots of snacks and sharing plates on the menu. A selection of quality beer and wine will be served at very reasonable prices (£2 bottle/glass) and if the weather disappoints, visitors can soak up the atmosphere from covered dining areas.

Streetfood Market

Streetfood is the hot trend in dining. The rare combination of quality and value has sparked a huge, vibrant streetfood scene in London. Now Birmingham will see the streetfood revolution roll out across the city. Kings hEATh will be at the Village Square on the second Saturday of every month from 12noon until 6pm, with more markets at various locations across the city due to be announced.

The latest boost to Birmingham’s reputation as a centre of food culture is produced by local promoters BRUM YUM YUM. Director, Duncan Stanley learned his trade in show business as a touring apprentice with local reggae superstars UB40.

Duncan Stanley, director said: “I have a creative vision of what makes a really great streetfood market. A complete experience; a ‘streetfood show’ with quality food, drink and entertainment combined to create a special and unique vibe.

“People want to eat food that is sourced and produced with care and sold at an honest price. Streetfood ticks all the right boxes, so the initial response to our vision for the food events has been overwhelming. Our online following just keeps on growing and the BBC Good Food Show producers are in talks with us about featuring streetfood at their shows.

“Thanks to the support of Birmingham City Council, BRUM YUM YUM’S streetfood markets will be regular foodie fixtures.”

Highlights from the menu for the Kings hEATh launch include; local baby back ribs from the filing cabinet barbecue, the ultimate dry aged Hereford beef burgers, 10 hour roast Cotswold lamb, authentic Neapolitan woodfired pizza, south Indian pure vegetarian masala dosa, handmade Moroccan falafel and hummus, Bradford-Kashmiri halal curries, freshly made hot Belgian waffles, and Middle Eastern salads created by ‘The Deli at Edgbaston’.

Duncan Stanley adds: “If you love great food and drink come early & come hungry. Whatever the weather we will keep you and your family comfortable and entertained. We want our markets to create a family fun atmosphere, a family affair with lots to eat, drink and enjoy whatever your age. I guarantee you will leave happy.”

Find BRUM YUM YUM on twitter @brumyumyum or facebook.com/brumyumyum & get down to Kings hEATh on Saturday 13 April and every second Saturday of the month.

Stuart, Thomas and I will be there soaking up the atmosphere on Saturday and we hope you can join us too :-)

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Posted in Birmingham, Brum Yum Yum, Midlands, Midlands Food, Street Food, West Midlands

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Meal Planning Monday – 8th April 2013

Posted on April 8, 2013 | 4 Comments

 

The meal plan went completely out the window last week. We all came down with colds and coughs so did not have much energy for anything. I am hoping this week will be better though and that the bugs finally leave us alone!

Monday: chicken Kiev, new potatoes and salad

Tuesday: chicken fajitas

Wednesday: salmon fishcakes, new potatoes and salad

Thursday: spaghetti Bolognese

Friday: we are both out so are fending for ourselves. Thomas will have leftover Bolognese

Saturday: takeaway

Sunday: roast pork Sunday lunch with all the trimmings

For more meal plans, please see Mrs M's linky

 

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Meal Planning Monday – 1st April 2013

Posted on April 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

 

Hooray! April is here. Hopefully the weather will realise that we are now in British Summer Time and follow suit! *fingers crossed* We mostly stuck to the meal plan last week. I did not cook the Hairy Bikers Chicken Pilau due to an unexpected delivery of British Rose Veal that needed using up as soon as possible (blog post to follow soon) so will be making it this week instead.

Monday: takeaway pizza (had a busy weekend and am just feeling really lazy tonight)

Tuesday: jacket potato, cheese and beans

Wednesday: salmon fishcakes, new potatoes and salad

Thursday: garlic Kiev, new potatoes and salad

Friday: takeaway

Saturday: Hairy Biker's Chicken Pilau

Sunday: chicken casserole, mash and vegetables

 

For more meal plans, please see Mrs M's linky

 

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Restaurant Review: Fleet Street Kitchen, Birmingham

Posted on March 27, 2013 | Leave a comment
Image by FSK

Image by FSK

A few weeks ago, Stuart, Thomas and I were invited to lunch at Fleet Street Kitchen. Fleet Street Kitchen is a new restaurant on Summer Row/Fleet Street in Birmingham, specialising in farm to plate British cooking with a relaxed contemporary edge. The restaurant has the only ‘Barbacoa’ Grill in the UK, which is a barbecue cooking method popular in Northern Spain using American lumpwood charcoal.

Image by FSK

Image by FSK

Image by FSK

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were seated promptly and given a few minutes to sort ourselves out. Once we were all settled, our drinks order was taken (they have a wide range of real ales, proper ciders and an excellent wine list) and left to browse the menu. Fleet Street Kitchen do not have a children’s menu but are happy to make any dish on their menu a half portion for children.

For a shared starter, we had Freshly Baked Bread Oil & Balsamic and Kalamata Olives Marinated pepper. The bread was excellent with a crisp crust and a lovely chewy middle. The olive oil was slight bland and could have been better quality. The olives and the peppers were so delicious that we had to fight Thomas for them as he ate them like they were sweets. He is a proper little foodie already!

For our mains, Stuart had the 12oz Dexter Chop with FSK #1 Meat Sauce. The Dexter chop had been aged for 35 days and was served with a flat mushroom and roasted cherry tomatoes. The portion size was amazing. It reminded me of something Fred Flintstone might eat. It was cooked to the perfect medium and was very juicy and tender. The sauce was absolutely gorgeous too. My main was a corn fed Poussin cooked in a rotisserie and served with chips and homemade coleslaw. The chicken was juicy and the meat flaked easily off the bone. The coleslaw cut through the creaminess and was a great compliment to the poussin. Thomas had the Minted Pea Risotto Truffle Oil which was very fresh and zingy. Thomas really enjoyed eating it as the picture below shows.

For pudding, Thomas and Stuart shared the Soft Whip Ice Cream with Flake and Strawberry Sauce. I am not quite sure who ate the most but it was gone very quickly. For my pudding, I had Spotted Dick with Custard which was dense and very rich. The custard was beautiful with lots of vanilla seeds in it. My plate was soon clear too.

Overall, we had a fantastic time at Fleet Street Kitchen. I think it is an excellent addition to the Birmingham food scene. I am already planning my next visit on an evening when I can have a fantastic meal, then go downstairs to their bar for a cocktail and then party the night away!

Image by FSK

Disclosure: Stuart, Thomas and I dined as guests of Fleet Street Kitchen at a pre-restaurant opening press event. I was not required to write a positive review.

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Meal Planning Monday – 25th March 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 | 4 Comments

 

Another week and spring is still hiding away, this week under a massive pile of snow!!! I hope the weather improves for this weekend as we want to get out and about and enjoy being a family. With it being Easter, we are having our parents round for Easter lunch and I am cooking roast duck for the first time. Onto the meal plan,

Monday: crispy roast duck and pancakes (Chinese takeaway leftovers)

Tuesday: cauliflower and broccoli cheese (hubby is out and I love this so much, I eat it as a main meal)

Wednesday: lasagna and salad

Thursday: soup and bread (quick dinner as I have an NCT meeting)

Friday: takeaway or Hairy Biker's Chicken Pilau from their 'Great Curries' cookbook

Saturday: takeaway or Hairy Biker's Chicken Pilau from their 'Great Curries' cookbook

Sunday: Easter roast duck and gammon, with all the trimmings and a chocolate cake for pudding

For more meal plans, please see Mrs M's linky

 

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Easy Easter Nest Cupcakes

Posted on March 21, 2013 | 11 Comments

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Easter is just around the corner and to get you in the mood, I have some inspiration for some easy Easter nest cupcakes that children can easily decorate themselves.

The chocolate cake is actually Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake recipe. The version I used is here. The recipe makes a massive quantity of cake mix and easily makes 30 cupcakes. I adjusted the cooking temperature to 175 degrees as I have an electric fan oven and baked them for 20 minutes until a knife comes out clean. The mix is very runny and it is easier to pour it into the cake cases before baking. I let the mix stand for an hour before baking and it thickened up slightly, making it easier.

Once cooled, I made up some chocolate buttercream (250g unsalted butter, 500g icing and 100g dark chocolate melted) and decorated the cupcakes using a grass/hair nozzle to give it a twig effect. The grass nozzle is very forgiving and you are almost given permission to not be perfect for the nests as the messier the better! This nozzle is perfect for children to learn basic piping techniques as they can hardly go wrong. This method of decorating does not use as much buttercream as you think and I ended up with some leftover for use another day. I finished the decoration off with my favourite Easter chocolate, Mini Eggs. I am impressed with myself that all the Mini Eggs made it onto the cakes! Where I found the willpower from not to eat them all, I do not know!

What are you baking this Easter? I would love to find out :-)

PS: I am taking these to Blue Door Bakery’s Cake Club tonight. I am looking forward to talking about cake, cake and even more cake!

spring carnival

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Posted in blue door bakery, cakes, Chocolate, cupcakes, Easter, Easy Recipe, Recipe

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Meal Planning Monday – 18th March 2013

Posted on March 18, 2013 | 2 Comments

 

Feeling very ill this week with a bad cold and cough so this post is very short. This hardly qualifies as a meal plan as I am not cooking much. We are having:

Monday: takeaway (too ill to cook anything)

Tuesday: chilli con carne, rice and garlic bread

Wednesday: crispy chicken and chips

Thursday: I am at Blue Door Bakery's Cake Club as long as this illness passes so hubby is fending for himself

Friday: out for friend's birthday meal

Saturday: out on another friend's birthday meal

Sunday: hubby is golfing for the day so Thomas and I are fending for ourselves

For more meal plans, please see Mrs M's linky

 

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