A Night At Resorts World Birmingham & Dinner at Andy Waters Restaurant

Over the festive period, we were invited to Resorts World Birmingham which is located by the NEC and near to M42 junction 6 to check out the food and entertainment options. Due to a babysitting miracle, we were able to stay the night at the Genting Hotel, located within Resorts World and soak up the atmosphere without worrying about driving, when the last train home was and taxi fares.

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We arrived at the hotel and after a tiny bit of confusion at check in, found our superior room on the 4th floor. The room overlooked the Pendigo Lake and the NEC. We were very impressed with the quality of the room which included a king sized bed, smart TV, Nespresso machine and generous sized shower area/bathroom. We got changed and then went to an early dinner at Andy Waters restaurant.

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I have dined at a previous Andy Waters restaurant before and I will be honest and say, our expectations were high. My first impressions though, were not that great as Water’s restaurant is located on the first floor next to the cinema which seemed a strange place for a fine dining place to be. However, once inside we were not disappointed and the food was amazing!

For my starter, I had Ham hock terrine with black pudding, butter fried egg and marinated shallots which was lovely. The shallots sharpness cut through the richness of terrine and the egg. Stuart had Cured salmon with puff pastry sandwich, filled with smoked salmon, horseradish, lemon zest and cracked pepper which he really enjoyed.

The staff were very attentive and we eagerly awaited our mains. I had Fillet of beef with a cannelloni of slow cooked beef, creamed mushroom and sherry sauce and Stuart had Slow cooked blade of beef, baby onions, lardons of smoked bacon and button mushrooms, served with its own jus. We both loved our main courses but for full on flavour, the blade of beef was my favourite of the two. It just melted in the mouth and was super tender. The fillet was excellent too but I would of liked a tiny bit more jus with it. To go with our mains, we ordered a flight of seasonal vegetables and some chips. Due to the size of the main courses, I suggest only ordering one or other. We both liked the way the vegetables were served in individual bowls and the chips were some of the best we ever had.

For dessert, I ordered Chef Andy’s signature dessert of Delice of chocolate, marmalade ice-cream and chocolate shortbread crumble (top photo). I am not usually fan of oranges or marmalade but this intrigued me so I had to give it ago. I was amazed when it turned up. It was a work of art. Chocolate crumble on the bottom, tempered white chocolate cup holding the delicately flavoured marmalade ice cream, then the delice topped off with a beautiful tempered white chocolate rose. The delice was rich and intensely chocolatey which was perfectly balanced by the marmalade ice cream and the textures of chocolate on the plate. It was one of the best desserts that I ever had and I could eat it again now! Stuart had Warmed chocolate tart, vanilla ice cream and Baileys crunch which he quite enjoyed despite not really being into baked things. At the end of our meal,  Andy Water’s kindly came out and spoke to us about the concept of the restaurant. It is fine dining but he wants it to be accessible fine dining so the restaurant allows walk ins and has a menu rapide so if you are after a quick bite to eat before the cinema or after shopping, then they can cater for you. They even have a children’s menu. I am planning on bringing Thomas and Daniel to test that out soon!

Feeling very full from our amazing meal, we headed up to The Sky Bar to enjoy the view from the very top of Resorts World and sample a cocktail or two. The Sky Bar is unique (to me, at least) as it’s food and drink menu is influenced by the Chinese philosophy of Wu Xing which uses the five basic elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water as a guiding principle throughout life and culture. I tried the signature ‘Earth’ cocktail which is described as ‘Chi’ A strong, solid life force’ and the cocktail contained Japanese whisky, tangy fruit, ginger, mandarin, and honey. It was delicious and I could of enjoyed quite a few of them but we were very tired by this point so we went back to our room, via a quick stop at The World Bar so Stuart could watch a bit of football. The Sky Bar does tasting plates of Japanese food so I hope to go back soon to try them.

After a 9 hour sleep, we woke up feeling very refreshed and enjoyed a Nespresso coffee in our room before heading to the Robata Bar & Grill for breakfast. Normally the Robata Bar & Grill is a pan Asian restaurant with an impressive sounding menu but in the morning, it serves good quality breakfast fare for the hotel guests and early morning shoppers. The staff were very attentive and everything was very fresh and tasty. We managed a quick walk around the shops before we had to head home and pick up the boys. For the foodies, they have a Denby and a Pro Cook shop with good discounts from what I could see. We had a lovely time and are already planning our next visit to Resorts World soon.

We were invited to review Resorts World Birmingham and the hotel stay with breakfast and dinner at Andy Water’s was complimentary. Additional drinks and some shopping were paid for by ourselves. All opinions are our own. We were not required to write a  positive review