Category Archives: Review

Restaurant Review: Itihaass Brassiere, Selfridges, Bullring, Birmingham

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Jo | Leave a comment

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.

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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Posted in Birmingham, Bullring, Restaurant, Review, West Midlands

Tagged Birmingham, Bullring, restaurant review, West Midlands

Restaurant Review: Fleet Street Kitchen, Birmingham

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Jo | Leave a comment

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

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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Posted in Birmingham, Fleet Street Kitchen, Midlands, Restaurant, Review

Tagged Birmingham, Fleet Street Kitchen, Midlands Food, restaurant review, West Midlands

Product Review: Press 81 Cider

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Jo | Leave a comment

Stuart and I are both cider drinkers so when I was to try new Press 81 cider from Aston Manor cider makers in Malvern, Worcester I jumped at the chance. My first impression was of how modern and interesting the bottles were. It is the first cider to ever be sold in an aluminium bottle and has cold activation technology in it which tells the drinker when is the perfect time to drink it. As cider is considered a traditional drink, I think the bottle design will go a long way into making it trendy and appealing to a younger generation of drinkers.

We tried both the apple and pear varieties and were very impressed with the flavour of both. The flavour was crisp and sharp. Stuart and I both agreed we could enjoy a few of these on a warm summer's day in a pub beer garden. I shall be seeking them out when I go out in the future and I recommend that you do too!

Disclosure: I was sent 4 bottles of Press 81 cider for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

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Supermarket Review: Midlands Cooperative

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Jo | 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to review my shopping experience at my local Midlands Cooperative supermarket in Dibdale Road, Dudley, West Midlands. I planned an entire week of dishes purchased when we went shopping there. Now we have tried all the food, I am now ready to give you my verdict on our entire experience.

Shopping Experience: We arrived at the store at about 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. The store car park was quiet and we were able to get a parent and child car parking space with ease. We went in and got a trolley and put Thomas in it. Unfortunately, we discovered that the trolleys did not have a lap strap to hold Thomas in so all the round the shop, he was able to move about quite easily. I did not think he would fall out but I was a bit on edge as he was moving about quite a bit.

The store was well laid out and despite not being as large as some other supermarkets in the wider area, it had a good selection of products which were all easy to find and logically laid out. I was impressed to find Iberico Chorizo and some Dorset Cereals porridge which I have been looking for a while. The baby area was small but had everything you needed. The fruit and vegetables had some empty areas but staff were refilling the shelves as we went round the store. When we got to the till to pay, there was only one person on. We did not have to queue for long but the people behind us did. (We had a trolley load!!) I think they should of brought someone else onto the till to assist the people behind us quicker.

Food Experience: For a week, we ate every dinner and some bits in between from the store (see meal plan) and I have to say, we were generally very impressed. We loved the Hot and Spicy chicken breasts and the tear & share garlic bread. All the meat and fish was of the highest quality. We were slightly disappointed by the steak and ale pie and the chilli con carne sauce as they were lacked in flavour and slightly bland. They both have the potential to be improved and I am sure with a few minor tweaks they would be amazing. The fajitas were from Discovery and were are on offer at the time of our visit. They were gorgeous and we will have them again in the future.

Overall Experience: We were very impressed with our overall experience. The store had a wide ranging selection of products, was well laid out and all the food sold there was of the highest quality. I wish we lived closer to this supermarket as I would probably go there quite a bit if I did not need to do a big shop but needed more than a corner shop range offered. I am going to keep my fingers crossed that they open one nearer to me soon!

Disclosure: I recieved a £10 gift voucher to put towards my shopping at the Cooperative. I have told them about the shopping trolley issue and they are looking into it. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review

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Posted in Midlands Cooperative, Review

Tagged Midlands Cooperative, Review

A Night at Jamie’s Italian Sampling The New Winter Menu

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Jo | Leave a comment

I have always been a big fan of Jamie’s Italian restaurants since I went to my first one in Covent Garden, London a few years ago. The concept is excellent and there is a wide variety of food and drink choices and things that you just do not see anywhere else. I was very happy when Jamie’s Italian came to Bullring and was lucky enough to eat there in first few weeks it opened. I have been back there many times since to break up a shopping trip or two.

Recently I was invited back to Jamie’s Italian with Emma, the lovely editor of Browse Bullring, Ahmed and Sanjeeta from Dine Birmingham and Charlene from No Love Sincerer and her husband to sample their new winter menu. We were warmly welcomed by the staff and were treated to a glass of Prosecco on arrival. While perusing the new menu we were served the ‘World’s Best Olives on Ice’ which had large green olives, black olive tapenade and music bread. The claim that they were the ‘world’s best’ started a discussion for the group as to why this might be. I am not a fan of olives so did not try them. However my companions decided that this might be because they are not preserved. By serving them on ice, they keep fresh and were very tasty according to my dining companions.

For my starter, I chose the ‘Crispy Stuffed Risotto Balls’ which came very originally presented in a metal pot on a board with a small portion of spicy tomato sauce alongside. The portion was very generous and I found that just eating 2 of the risotto balls was enough for me. The tomato sauce was yummy and was an excellent contrast to the risotto balls, lifting them to new heights flavour wise.

For my main, I chose the ‘Game Meatball’ which is a giant meatball slow cooked in a tomato and garlic ragu, served with oozy polenta and black cabbage. We each had a glass of wine matched to our main courses served to us by the manager. Mine was a gutsy red wine that complimented the large meatball perfectly; unfortunately I have completely forgotten the name of it. However I am sure that if you go to Jamie’s Italian and ask for the manager, he will give you the same wine I had and you can try it for yourself.

In my opinion, the meatball was the absolute star of the dish. It was full of a variety of game and had rich, earthy flavours suitable to warm you up on a cold winter’s evening. I did find the sheer amount of polenta slightly overwhelming and I thought it slightly overtook the majestic nature of the meatball a bit. I was recently lucky enough to interview Gennaro Contaldo when he came to the BBC Winter Good Food Show at the NEC. I spoke to him about recipe development at Jamie’s Italian which he is a key part of. The meatball was inspired by Gennaro cooking a game ragu which Jamie saw, thought was an excellent idea but decided to put his unique spin on it and make it big! For more about this interview, please see a video post coming soon.

For pudding, I was very tempted to have the Chocolate Brownie which I have had before and know it is absolutely amazing. However, for something different I went for the ‘Sour Cherry Bakewell’ which has a sweet almond filling with tart berries and is served with a clementine rippled sour cream. The tart was very moist and the berries contrasted the sweet filling perfectly. I have only 1 small request, can I have a bigger slice next time please? The manager brought me a glass of Limoncello to drink with the tart and it was gorgeous. If I closed my eyes, I could of nearly of been in Italy drinking it in the sunshine. I hope to be back at Jamie’s Italian in the Bullring soon, especially as I have lots of Christmas shopping still to do!

Many thanks to Emma, the team at Jamie’s Italian, Ahmed, Sanjeeta and Charlene and her husband for a lovely evening.

You can also see this post on the Bullring website

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Posted in Birmingham, Bullring, Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Italian, Restaurant, Review, Spiceal Street

Tagged Birmingham, Bullring, Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Italian, restaurant review

I am a Naughty Blogger!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Jo | 5 Comments

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in between posts again. Life is still crazy at the moment as I adjust to being a part time working mummy for the first time. I have a confession to make…

I am a naughty blogger! I have been invited to lots of events, courses and been sent lots of lovely things to review but I have not told you about any of it. I have the world’s biggest backlog of posts at the moment and I am determined to get through it before I go insane.

Therefore I have decided that I am going to get through this backlog over the coming weeks and months. Whenever you see the ‘I’m a naughty blogger’ badge above on a post, you will know that it is a post I should of written and published ages ago. I would like to apologise to everyone who has sent me something or asked me to go somewhere and I have not written about it yet. I hope you will forgive me. I have also got lots of recipes to share with you too so this blog will not turn into review post central. I am going to try to get the balance right.

Thank you for keeping on reading Jo’s Kitchen. Your support is greatly appreciated

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Posted in blogging, Product Review, Restaurant, Review, sorry

Tagged blogging, reviews, sorry

A Meal at Turner’s Restaurant, Butlins, Bognor Regis

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Jo | Leave a comment

We are still on our honeymoon at Butlins Bognor Regis and for lunch today, we went to Turner’s Restaurant which is located on the resort. It has a relaxed and very family friendly atmosphere. The prices and the portion sizes were very reasonable too and the quality of the food was excellent.

For Thomas they had a good children’s menu, lots of high chairs and a large easily accessible baby changing facilities. I am not going to list all the food that we had here as I am on a phone and it would take me ages to write, so in summary we had: baked local hen eggs and smoked salmon as starters, pork belly and plaice as our mains, followed by golden syrup crumble and ice cream as our puddings. Thomas had homemade fish fingers and mash. The full menu is on the website.

We both loved our starters. The leeks cooked with the chilli in my dish was something I had never tried before and it was yummy. The plaice and the pork belly were both cooked to perfection. Thomas’ fish fingers were lightly covered in breadcrumbs and were some of the best fish fingers I have ever tried. (Thomas let me try a tiny little bit!) The ice cream was full of flavour and Stuart was just about willing to let Thomas share with him as it was very yummy. My pudding did not looked how I expected it too. It was a crumble tart not a normal crumble. The custard accompaniment was full of vanilla seeds and so good I could of drank it with a straw!

While we were visiting today, Brian Turner of Ready, Steady, Cook! and other tv shows came to see his restaurant. It was lovely to see him again and I can confirm that the food in his restaurant is as lovely and generous as he is. Thank you to Brian and his wonderful team for a fantastic visit today. We will be back!

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Posted in Bognor Regis, Brian Turner, Butlins, Restaurant, Review

Tagged Bognor Regis, Brian Turner, Butlins, restaurant review

Quick Review: The Lobster Pot, Felpham, Bognor Regis

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Jo | 2 Comments

We are currently on our first family holiday/honeymoon at Butlins in Bognor Regis and today, we found such a lovely place to eat that I have decided to tell you about it straight away.

It is simply called The Lobster Pot and it is located a short walk along the promenade from the Butlins resort. We arrived during a busy sunny lunchtime service but still managed to find a table straight away. We ordered at the bar and watched in awe as gorgeous looking food kept coming out of the kitchen. After a 15 minute wait (fairly quick considering how busy they were), our two fish in a bun and a kids cheese sandwich for Thomas came out. Stuart had mackerel in his bun and I had cod. Both came battered and were served with coleslaw, pickle and a lemon wedge. We were both impressed with the size of the portion, the freshness of the fish and how well cooked it was. Thomas enjoyed his sandwich too.

The Lobster Pot had a relaxing vibe and very friendly helpful staff. I urge you to visit if you are in the area like we are. It is a great place and a must if you like fish!

PS: One minor negative is the lack of baby changing facilities. It is located in an old building so I can see how this could be problem. They have lots of high chairs though and are obviously geared up for families so this is a slight disappointment

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Posted in Restaurant, Review

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Restaurant Review: Aalto Restaurant, Hotel La Tour, Birmingham

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Jo | 1 Comment

On Tuesday it was Stuart’s birthday and as a special treat, we were lucky enough to be invited to visit the new Aalto Restaurant in Hotel La Tour, Birmingham. We arrived a few minutes before our scheduled reservation time and we were warmly greeted by the staff and were taken up to the second floor to the modern and very spacious restaurant and bar. We sat in the bar and had a drink before our dinner. We perused the wine list (on an ipad!) and settled down and enjoyed the atmosphere. By chance, we saw James of Eat The Midlands while we were there and had a catch up with him before taking our seats in the restaurant.

Once taken into the restaurant, we were impressed by the chef’s table with views into Head Chef Alex Penhaligon’s kitchen and excitedly awaited the menu which has been inspired by advisor and Michelin starred chef, Marcus Wareing. To start, we decided on Charred sourdough, olive oil, roasted garlic, followed by Leek and Potato Soup and Shrimp ‘cocktail’, Marie Rose, baby gem, brown bread. The bread and garlic was absolutely amazing. I could of eaten it all night. The garlic and olive oil was full on flavour but not overpowering. My soup was one of the lightest leek and potato soups I have ever tasted however it was let down slightly by the chunks of only just cooked through potato in it. I know they are there to give a textual difference to the soup but I thought they were not needed as the soup was amazing on its own. To clear our palette in time for the main course, we were treated to The 1889, a in house invented cocktail made with Bombay Sapphire, apple, elderflower, ginger, and lime. It was very refreshing and zingy on the tongue.

For mains, I had Great Garnetts Farm pork belly slow baked, apple sauce, kale and Stuart had Hereford beef rib eye steak, red wine sauce, horseradish, chips. My pork belly was fantastic. Very well cooked and it was complimented beautifully by the apple sauce which was the sweetest and the most intense apple sauce I have ever tasted. I could of eaten bucket loads of it. Stuart’s steak was perfectly cooked to medium and was very tender. The horseradish was sharp and was the perfect choice for dipping the chips into.

In between our mains and my pudding, we were treated to a glass of a dessert wine and the name of it now escapes me as we were having a very good time by this point! For pudding, I had Jaffa cake pudding, warm chocolate, orange cake crumb, cream. I was very impressed by the pudding and thought the flavours were amazing. It was the freshest and most yummiest jaffa cake I have ever had. One of small let down with the pudding was that it was served with cream. I think it would be better if it was served with ice cream as it is a very heavy pudding with everything combined and I think ice cream would cut through this a little bit.

We finished the night with a well needed latte and headed home with very full bellies and a big smile on our faces. Overall, we were very impressed with the Aalto Restaurant and would happily eat there again. I have only one request: Can we stay the night next time and get to sample the breakfast too!

Many thanks to Sue and the team for a fantastic evening. We were invited for complimentary meal that was well timed with Stuart’s birthday however all opinions and views on the experience are my own.

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Posted in Aalto Restaurant, Birmingham, Hotel La Tour, Marcus Wareing, Restaurant, Review

Tagged Aalto Restaurant, Birmingham, Hotel La Tour, Marcus Wareing, restaurant review

Discover Ireland with Selfridge’s

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Jo | Leave a comment

From the 10^th-29^th April, you can discover more about Ireland and its food at Selfridges Birmingham. This week I was lucky enough to be invited to try it and I was certainly not disappointed. They have a wide range of Irish produce available to purchase in the food hall and they even have a special menu to celebrate in the fourth floor Gallery restaurant.

I went to the Gallery Restaurant early on a Monday evening when the restaurant was quiet. It was lovely to see into the Bullring below and see people shopping/getting on with their day. I was greeted warmly by the staff and given their Discover Ireland menu to peruse. As I was with my partner we were able to try both starters and main courses on the menu.

To start, my partner had potato and thyme soup served with soda bread and I had a ham hock terrine, served with white pudding and an Irish Whiskey Jus. The soup was light and creamy with a lovely background note of thyme. The ham hock terrine was rich and sticky. It was complimented beautifully by the velvety white pudding and crisp salad leaves.

Our mains were Guinness Braised Beef Brisket served with Colcannon and Sausage and Potato Pie served with cabbage and bacon. Both portions were very generous. The brisket was rich and full of the flavour of the Guinness. The pie was topped with crispy pastry and filled with large chunks of sausages and lots of lovely vegetables. One minor flaw in both dishes was the over seasoned cabbage. It was a disappointment for both of us as the cabbage would have been an excellent accompaniment otherwise.

For pudding, I had Apple and Raspberry Crumble served with Buttermilk Ice Cream. The crumble had lots of texture in it and the fruit was not too sweet. The ice cream was creamy and delicious too. Overall we had a good meal at the Gallery Restaurant and look forward to return there soon to try their normal menu.

Many thanks to Emma at the Bullring and Selfridge’s for a lovely meal. It is much appreciated