Out and About in Brum: April 2017
An occasional round-up of eating and drinking in Birmingham and Beyond. Welcome to Out And About in Brum: April 2017
Street Food in Kings Heath
April saw the return of a monthly street food market in Kings Heath. On a sunny Saturday, sprawled out on the grass outside All Saints Church, with a plateful of Buddha Belly crispy chicken and noodles, or a Baked in Brick tandoori chicken wrap, you can forget that you’re just steps away from the busy high street. The beer selection left a lot to be desired (a bit of a running theme this month it seems!) so we quenched our thirst round at the York Road branch of our favourite Brum cafe bar Cherry Reds
Zindiya, Moseley
Our Good Friday loomed with no plans, so to make sure we got out of our cave, I booked us a table at Moseley’s new kid on the block, Zindiya. It’s colourful and noisy, and there are some fab posters, especially in the toilets. I’m particularly taken with this one:
After a couple of drinks in the Dark Horse beforehand, we wisely opted for non-alcoholic beverages – Mr Fletche had the masala chai whereas I went for the amazing Goan Sunset mocktail (which tasted not unlike a Solero). We went for three small dishes, and then two “mains” to share.
Served first are the masala fries. Sadly, these are a little soggy but still tasty. Then came the aloo tikki chaat, and the bhel puri. Both of these dishes were lovely, but whereas I could easily have eaten the former as a main meal, Mr Fletche preferred the puffed rice, peanut and tamarind bhel puri. The chicken tikka is perfectly cooked and nicely spiced; I probably wouldn’t order the kati roll again, but that’s because I found the paratha flatbread a little sweet for my liking.
The staff are efficient, but not overly friendly. They seem more concerned with getting food served than with customer service. Our plates aren’t cleared at the end of the meal, in fact no-one returns to our table at all once the food is served. At just over £30, it’s a well-priced alternative to the usual Indian restaurant experience.
The Big Birmingham Soul Night
We went to the Night Owl takeover at Birmingham Town Hall for their “Big Birmingham Soul Night” on Easter Saturday. You can read what happened here.
An unplanned all-day Brum Session
Don’t you just love it when a quick “pop out for lunch” turns into an all-day session? That was our intention when we headed to the Spring Seasonal Market at The Bond in Digbeth. We usually arrive just after opening time, but this time we don’t arrive until mid afternoon and it’s much busier than we usually see it. We even have to queue for the beer bus.
Beer finally in hand, we cast our gaze over the street food offering. Too much choice is not always a good thing. I fancy a nice big juicy cheeseburger so opt for The Meat Shack. Mr Fletche goes for the chicken offering from Kebab Cartel.
We’re another pint of beer down and feeling a bit fuzzy. That’s what happens when you drink in the afternoon in the sunshine. So we decide to amble into town via the canals. Did anyone ever mention that Birmingham has more miles of canal then Venice? We wind our way past Aston University, the Jewellery Quarter and finally pop up near the NIA/Barclaycard Arena/whatever-it’s-called-these-days. We continue beyond the familiar Brindley Place area, for a while before crossing the bridge and doubling back towards the city centre.
Always one to try out something new, we cross back over the canal and head back down Sheepcote Street towards The Distillery. There’s a big focus on gin – with an extensive gin list, perfectly matched mixers and cocktails. Downstairs there’s a decent range of beers, whilst upstairs is all about the gin. The brickwork interior mirrors that in its sister bar, but like The Button Factory it’s the outside space which is the draw on a nice sunny afternoon. In this case, the canalside terrace. I’d go back just for the pomegranate & basil tonic, which went lovely with my raspberry and peppercorn gin.
We wander back into the city centre, debating where to go for a light dinner. We could have stayed and sampled The Distillery’s offering but instead we find ourselves at Wildwood on New Street. It’s a nice bright space, and its bustling but not full on 8pm on a Saturday evening. There’s pizza, pasta, salads and a grill selection too; we go for the shared pizza and a side salad option. Friendly service, good food and not over expensive – it’s a good alternative when you want a step up from pub grub in a pleasant setting.
We finish the evening with a quick drink at the wonderful Tilt. It was good to see that the place was busy, with people finishing – and starting – their evening here. The pinball machines are a great place to get rid of your old pound coins.
We’re finishing off April back up in North Wales over the Bank Holiday weekend. Will there be more mountain climbing? Where have you discovered to eat and drink in April?
Happy birthday to Mr Fleche 🙂
Sounds like a fun-filled birthday month!