21 replies to this topic

[Harters]

We're going to be visiting the NEC a couple of times next year. Hotels look like being either on the NEC site or around Solihull.

Is there anything worthwhile for dinner in area, without too much schlepping about - decent casual places would be fine, as well as more upmarket?

TIA

[david goodfellow]

John,
As you will only be twelve miles from Birmingham, it would be a real shame not to try at least one of their three Michelin starred places.

We have dined at all of them, and whilst perhaps Purnells is my favorite, Simpson's and Turners put a smile on our faces also.

They all do bargain price lunches that will not break the bank.

[nickloman]

Andreas Antona from Simpsons is planning on opening a steak house in Kenilworth, that might be worth a try:
http://www.birmingha...65233-27610344/

[Prawncrackers]

I'm sure Harters has heard all about Birmingham's many fine restaurants. But the question was around the NEC/Solihull, and on that count we may be struggling! Solihull town centre there's The Townhouse, standard gastropub stuff menu here, but done pretty well. On the high street there's Solihull's first fine dining place The Fat Cat (can't find a webpage). I can't personally recommend it as I've not been but the missus has and liked it. But as I write this, she says it's closed down! Solihull, not good for food.

[Prawncrackers]

Andreas Antona from Simpsons is planning on opening a steak house in Kenilworth, that might be worth a try:
http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/restaurants-birmingham-midlands/2010/11/05/simpsons-owner-to-open-steak-restaurant-in-kenilworth-65233-27610344/

Nick, this is very exciting news indeed!

[Pam Brunning]

Prawncrackers are you being sarcastic?? A steak house exciting
They have only got to get one thing wrong - the steak - and you have had your chips!

[Prawncrackers]

Not at all Pam! Even in my thickest Brummie accent i couldn't be that dry
If Andreas Antona is doing proper steakhouse then I'm genuinely licking my lips in anticipation. In the land of 2 for £5 sizzling steakhouses, I'm all over anyone who knows their grain-fed from their grass-fed.

[Harters]

I keep meaning to nip over to Chester to try the Marco Pierre White branded steakhouse. Unless anyone wants to warn me off?

[Prawncrackers]

Funny thing I was in Chester yesterday on the way back from the Lakes. Dropping in on friends, they were raving about a local steakhouse Upstairs at the Grill, if it's near you it may be worth checking out.

Not very helpful with your original question I know!

[YSL]

Duplicate post - sorry!

Edited by YSL, 20 November 2010 - 02:39 PM.

[YSL]

The Fat Cat has indeed, closed. They've certainly removed the sign. Can't really say that it's a big loss for Solihull - I've not been too impressed with the food (especially when they mistake coriander for flat leaf parsley and use it as a garnish!)

There are some places in Hampton in Arden - The White Lion which serves French bistrot-type fare and Beeches Bar and Grill (although the food can be a bit hit-and-miss, but the hits are very good). The Inn at The Farm (on the outskirts of Solihull) is further out but worthwhile for dinner. Finally, Peels has been getting some nice reviews so may be worth looking at?

[Pam Brunning]

Prawncrackers if you want a realy good steak you need to go south a bit and try The Wellington Pub at Wellington, Hereford. All their beef is Hereford - much better quality than the ubiquitous Aberdeen Angus that you get in most places.

[nickloman]

Speaking for myself, I'm hoping Andreas' place can reproduce the quality of steak served at "next-generation" steak joints like Goodman and Hawksmoor in London. Such places usually have a variety of cuts and breeds on offer, including a variety of options from the UK (including Angus, Hereford). I saw Wagyu was also mentioned in the Birmingham Post article.

[Harters]

I'm hoping Andreas' place can reproduce the quality of steak served at "next-generation" steak joints like Goodman and Hawksmoor in London.

Although not the "lost generation" sort of place as reviewed today by Jay Rayner.
http://www.guardian....en-angus-london

[ermintrude]

Last time I was in Birmingham on business wanted to check out some of the better restaurants BUT I went on Monday and they are closed, can see why as Monday is generally a quiet day but a pain none the less. Still in general in the town there are many decent eateries, I found a nice Italian, slightly overpriced for what it was but great service.

[nickloman]

I'm hoping Andreas' place can reproduce the quality of steak served at "next-generation" steak joints like Goodman and Hawksmoor in London.

Although not the "lost generation" sort of place as reviewed today by Jay Rayner.
http://www.guardian....en-angus-london

Haha, indeed. I enjoyed this review as well a little while back:
http://cheesenbiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/08/aberdeen-angus-steak-house-piccadilly.html

[Harters]

Ooer. Nasty, indeed.

I try not to be too sniffy about places, not forgetting that Bernie Inns were where people like me went for celebrations meals in my younger days. Even so......

[nickloman]

Yeah, but back then no-one knew any better (Or so I understand ... before my time!)

[Pam Brunning]

I don't think it is just rose coloured spectacles - Bernie Inns did the job right - their crispy half duck was to die for. It was all down to their fantastic grills - every few weeks you would hear of one going up in smoke!!

Don't believe you Nick!!

[KaffirLime]

I'll come clean and admit to having an interest (co-owner) in Birmingham Plus, a West Midlands based restaurant website with over 3000 restaurant reviews and an active, if sometimes heated, forum. Please feel free to visit us and hopefully enjoy what we do here

Edited by KaffirLime, 19 December 2010 - 06:59 AM.

[Harters]

BEEF, KENILWORTH

Better late than never - we never made the NEC trip last year but are just back. My thanks to Nick and YSL for the reccs.

When you’re going to a gaff owned by a Michelin starred chef, you’ve an expectation of quality. And, in general, Beef delivers. It’s business is steak. With chips or salad. There’s a few other mains for the steakophobes and a handful of offerings in the starter and dessert listings.

Good bread is quickly brought to you (chargeable). We scoffed that and ordered another basket. Prawn cocktail was a good version of the classic – generous portion of prawns, crisp lettuce, punchy sauce.

I fancied the crab, guacamole and spicy peanuts. But I quickly found it read better than it ate. A bland and boring guacamole still managed to overpower the delicate flavour of the crab, although the nuts did give and interesting and welcome texture contrast.

Needless to say, we both went with steaks. One, an 8ox sirloin, more well done than the requested medium and with a good handful of salad leaves (although the dressing was pretty tasteless). The other, a 12oz rump was really good meat, cooked medium rare, with some excellent chips. Really excellent chips. Béarnaise sauce was disappointing – another aspect of the meal that was simply underflavoured, with hardly a hnt of tarragon. A side dish of garlic mushrooms was pleasant enough, even if the garlic was muted.

There was good coffee to finish. They have a really cute offering here – a coffee and a mini-version of the desserts, described as a bonbon. No more than a couple or so spoonfuls, but a really nice idea when you don’t feel you could have managed a full dessert. Vanilla ice cream with Armagnac soaked prunes was really lovely, although not exactly an ideal accompaniment to coffee (but you try telling that to my partner).

Edited by Harters, 14 June 2012 - 09:33 AM.

[Harters]

PEEL'S, HAMPTON IN ARDEN, SOLIHULL


There’s some aspirational cooking going on here, although it doesn’t always hit the mark. Service has an air of formal efficiency but, like the cooking, doesn’t feel as though it’s a good as it probably likes to think it is. At just about every stage, there was a slightly too long wait for something to happen – even if it was just shifting the dirty crockery. Still, there was an awful amount of faffing about placing cutlery and drinks to the precise millimetre. It meant that three course dinner turned into a bit of a marathon.

There was decent bread and an amuse – a cream of indeterminate vegetable soup that was nice enough but did little to actually amuse the bouche. My partner’s starter was a cracker. A bed of wilted spinach, topped with a thin slice of braised Middle White pork belly. In turn, this was topped with a well made langoustine raviolo. A puddle of langoustine bisque finished the dish.

I wish I’d ordered that. Instead, I’d been intrigued when I read the menu and saw lettuce gazpacho, griddled asparagus and tomato chutney. I wondered what cheffy tricks would be employed to bring that lot together. A deconstructed gazpacho, perhaps? Well, none was the answer. What I got was three disparate offerings that bore no relationship to each other. A bowl of cold soup; half a dozen asparagus spears and a dollop of spicy chutney. Yes, they were well made but this was one of the strangest dishes I’ve had in a goodly while.

My main course was a damn sight better conceived. Brill, served on the bone, surrounded by a few clams and a chopped up razor clam. There was crisp, salty samphire, a couple of batons of cucumber and a few new potatoes. All very simple and I liked it a lot. Across the table, best end of lamb was seen off. Some bang-on cooking there, with the lamb nicely pink. There was an onion and anchovy puree providing a savoury/salty kick, a couple of garlic beignets, green beans and new potatoes.

Pre-dessert was possibly the best thing we ate all evening. A shot glass of intensely flavoured lemon posset, topped with a raspberry puree. I would have happily eaten a bowlfull. Dessert proper was a pineapple tarte tatin, served for two. Good crisp pastry, chunks of caramelised pineapple and little Kilner jar of caramel “in case it isn’t sweet enough”. A blob of vanilla ice cream was a good counterpoint.

Coffee was excellent and came with decent petit fours.