A Taste of Saigon at Birmingham Hippodrome

I’m a huge theatre fan, and I certainly can’t resist a Mackintosh/ Schönberg/Boublil collaboration. So when Brum Bloggers asked if I would like to attend an event at the Birmingham Hippodrome to sample their new Miss Saigon inspired summer menu, meet their head chef – oh, and see the show too – I jumped at the chance. Here’s my review of the evening – with a theatrical theme of course…

The Curtain Goes Up

Our welcome reception is held in the Birmingham Hippodrome’s bright and airy atrium, a chance to mingle with fellow Brum Bloggers. We’re greeted with a Miss Saigon inspired “Sun and Moon” cocktail, a moreish peach concoction. I wander around clutching a programme, bottle-opener keyring (I’m a sucker for a bottle-opener keyring) and an envelope containing my show tickets, whilst trying to juggle phones and cameras (essential blogger kit).

Our hosts for the evening start wheeling out the canapes. I’m slow on the uptake on the photo front, but there is a constant stream of trays coming out and I’m able to finally get a snap of our first course. Perfect finger food to soak up the cocktail, and the goats cheese and caramelized onion combination gets a particular thumbs up from me.

Acts I & II

After the canape selection, we are guided to the Circle Restaurant. Despite seeing many shows at the Birmingham Hippodrome over the years, I’ve never eaten at their restaurant, so I’m excited to sample their menu. Unique menus are created, inspired by the show. In this case, there are strong Asian influences, and head chef Melissa Meens explains that it’s an exciting opportunity for her to research culinary trends in other countries and recreate them in order to give a full immersive experience to the theatre-goer.

Both courses are made up of small plates, which allows us to sample a selection of items. Wine glasses are topped up, and food is served.

It’s hard to pick a stand-out dish as everything tasted amazing. The delicate Vietnamese Prawn Summer Roll is a twist on the spring roll, delicious dipped in the subtle sweet chilli sauce. And for the main course, each mouthful – be it of melt-in-your-mouth duck, delicious pork tenderloin, or flavoursome fillet of coley – was a joyful experience. And that yellow curried lentil scotch egg? I wasn’t sure, and rolled it around my plate a little, but when I did finally sample it…oh my word. Like Pavlov’s dogs, I’m now drooling just thinking about it. Book now, just for that scotch egg alone.

Did you know that if you book a pre-show dinner in the Circle Restaurant then you can return to your table during the interval for drinks, coffee or dessert? No battling with the queue at the bar!

Curtain Call

After an emotional first half, it’s time to take a breather and sample the sweet treats for the final part of our Miss Saigon menu. Like an unruly bunch of children on a school outing it takes a while to get us all together but eventually we all congregate in the Gowling Suite, another one of the theatre’s hospitality areas.  Glistening glassware and pristine white tablecloths greet us and (after the obligatory photographs) it’s time for dessert.

This photo doesn’t do justice to the beautiful presentation and vibrant colours, but rest assured, the desserts were every bit as delicious as the earlier courses. The pannacotta was unusually flavoured, and the savoury sesame tuille provided a pleasing contrast. I love the colour of the pistachio & peach cake – a colour Birmingham Hippodrome may revisit for next year’s Wicked-inspired menu maybe? But as a chocolate fan, it was the bitter chocolate tart which tempted me most. It didn’t disappoint.  When a roomful of bloggers all fall silent then you know you’re on to a winner.

Final thoughts?

I’ve never considered dining at the Birmingham Hippodrome before a show previously, but after sampling the menu then I wouldn’t hesitate to return. At £30 for a three course meal it is also reasonably priced and perfect for a special occasion.

The hospitality staff were welcoming, friendly and as fascinated by the blogging world as we were by the theatre world. We even caught one or two of them Instagramming their food. If you can’t beat us, join us! And yet the same hospitality was offered across the board to other diners. Fellow non-blogging diners were clearly also enjoying a wonderful culinary experience.

Dreamland

Of course it would be remiss not to mention the show itself. I was lucky to see Miss Saigon on it’s return to the London stage in 2014, and I’m pleased to say that this touring version loses none of the drama of the West End. Would there be a helicopter? Hell yes, there’s a helicopter. Would the cast be as excellent as that West End cast, many who are now appearing in the Broadway version? You betcha. Did I cry buckets (again)? I may have had something in my eye at a point or two. Would I see it again? Yes, definitely.

I was invited to attend this event by Birmingham Hippodrome as part of the Brum Bloggers community. All food, drinks and show ticket were all complementary. However this in no way at all influenced my opinion of the evening, nor this review. All images are my own, unless otherwise stated.