After a fantastic first look cocktail party at Rofuto a couple of weeks ago, me and Sam returned on their first Saturday lunchtime service for the soft launch to try their full menu. From the moment you step foot into their very own entrance on Five Ways to the top floor where the restaurant is based you are received with the warmest of welcomes.
We arrived earlier than planned to our lunch sitting which was booked for 2pm but we were kindly given the option to be shown to our table early or to head to the bar which takes centre stage in the middle of the restaurant. Of course, we opted for the bar. After sampling a range of their cocktails the previous Monday I had already decided I was going to opt for a glass of Riesling from their extensive wine list on this visit. I opted for the Waipara Hills Riesling from the Waipara Valley in New Zealand, it was fruity in flavour and delivered a crisp, lingering finish.
Shortly afterwards we were escorted to our table with an amazing view of Birmingham by Tim Davey, the general manager at Rofuto who again made us feel very welcome and relaxed. After perusing the menu for a short while we were greeted by our friendly waitress who carefully explained the differences between the sushi on their menu. There was a wide selection including sashimi, nigiri and maki rolls and considering the restaurant wasn't officially open yet she had a great knowledge of the menu.
Eventually we decided on our starters/small plates. I opted for the Beef Kushyaki, Caramel Soy skewers from the Robata grill and Sam went for the Grilled Octopus, Rocket and Pine Salad. We also ordered some Tempura Salt and Pepper Squid to share. I loved the idea of coming back to Rofuto for some drinks and simply ordering a few of these small plates to share between friends. When the food arrived I was slightly disappointed with my Beef as it was a bit tougher than I expected it to be and wished I had chosen the amazing Crispy Chicken with Kimchi sauce that I tried at the cocktail party instead. Sam however loved his Octopus dish, he said it was a fresh but tasty combination. The Tempura Squid was also the best we have ever tried and was seasoned perfectly.
For mains, I opted for a Japanese classic - Chicken Katsu Curry and Sam decided to go for the Saffron Miso Black Cod, Razor Clams and Pancetta. When these dishes arrived Sam's definitely looked beautiful - like something from Masterchef: The Professionals. It has been about a month since this visit and Sam still hasn't stopped talking about this dish. He said it was one of the best fish dishes he has ever had and would highly recommend it. Despite the appearance of my Katsu Curry which according to Sam 'looks like a giant chicken nugget' I absolutely loved it. The rice was perfectly sticky and the luxurious silky curry sauce was delicious. If only there was more of it!
We left Rofuto impressed with the venue, service, drinks and the food certainly lived up to expectations too. I cant wait to return already to sample some of the other dishes. I've particularly got my eye on the Halibut Champagne Yuzu Miso with Pak Choi.
I've also added some pictures from the toilets too which may seem odd but I reckon these must be the only loo's in Brum with a view like this!
Let me know if you've tried Rofuto yet and what dishes you would recommend!
Cariad,
Last night me and Sam were fortunate enough to be invited to Rofuto's first look cocktail party at their new Izakaya style restaurant on the 16th floor of the Park Regis Hotel at the end of Broad St/Five Ways.
Claiming to be the highest restaurant in Birmingham - defeating Marco's steak house and with huge floor to ceiling windows it gives a great view across all of Birmingham.
Rofuto aims to serve high quality dishes using some traditional Japanese techniques but serving them in a creative modern style.
Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly staff and were shown to the bar where we had a choice of three signature cocktails - a Lychee Martini with vodka, Melon Fizz with Midori, vodka and topped with lemonade (my personal favourite) and finally - Ronin Out of Time which included Nikka whisky and plum sake (Sam's favourite). I was extremely grateful that I had the chance to try all three. I also had a look at the wine list and was really impressed that they had an extensive choice of Riesling.
I also loved that the kitchen is open plan so you can watch your food being cooked over the coal grill. We were served a variety of canapés all evening, the standouts for me were the crispy chicken with kimchi sauce and lime, yakitori chicken and the halibut champagne yuzu miso. They also served some knockout desserts - matcha tiramisu and cardamom panna cotta.
Me and Sam have booked in for lunch at the restaurant soft launch this Saturday and after seeing the full menu I am very excited to try it! I will keep you updated!
Check out their website and twitter - @RofutoTweets for full details about the official opening of the restaurant on the 26th of April.
It's nearing to that time of the year where my legs start making an appearance as the summer season approaches. Despite the fact that I love summer AND summer clothing, I absolutely despise shaving my legs.
Recently, I was invited to a blogger event at Café Opus in Birmingham for a cocktail masterclass with a company called Friction Free Shaving (FFS) to celebrate their recent success. I was intrigued to find out more about the UK's first ever women's monthly razor subscription service and how the concept worked and of course I was excited to be sipping on some bubbly alcoholic beverages with some fellow bloggers!
During the cocktail masterclass we were fortunate enough to be able to re-create 3 of Café Opus' best selling cocktails which were each named after the 3 different razors that FFS offer as part of their monthly subscription service.
The first cocktail was named after their most expensive razor - Samantha which still only costs £7 a month, the handle is rose gold (I hear you reaching for your purses already!) and it has 5 blades per head. The first subscription box you will receive comes with the handle and 4 blades, the reason behind this is that you should ideally be changing your blade every week in order to achieve the best results and avoid irritation. This is a complete game changer for me as I am guilty of forgetting to change my razor regularly, resulting in me putting pressure on my skin by shaving with a blunt razor and the end result? Horrible shaving spots and ingrown hairs on my legs - not ideal! FFS make remembering to buy razors in a weekly food shop at Tesco a thing of the past as each month after you receive your first subscription box you will receive 4 new refill blades that are suitable for the razor that you have opted for.
The Samantha cocktail included Chase gin, Limoncello, topped with lemonade and fresh lemon juice. This was my favourite of all 3 cocktails as it was refreshing and light - it would be the perfect summer drink for a BBQ whilst showing off your new smooth legs in a cute dress!
The second cocktail was named after the cheapest of the 3 razor's - Faye. Faye costs only £3 per month and you will receive a silver handle and 2 blades per head. Again, you will receive 4 new blades each month. All of the razors from FFS are high quality - you wont notice any difference from those you would usually purchase on the high street. This cocktail included brandy, honey, vanilla syrup, topped with milk and sprinkles of honeycomb. I was unsure about the flavours of this cocktail, especially because of the milk - it was good but perhaps a little too sweet for my taste!
The final cocktail we created was named after the Frankie razor blade which costs £5 a month for a 3 blade razor and refills. No matter what blade you end up going for I think its great that FFS also allow you to change your blade preference at any time. This cocktail was the hardest to re-create as it was layered with rose syrup, Chase blackcurrant gin and topped with my all time favourite tipple of choice - prosecco. So good- but unfortunately I did not win the competition for the best looking Frankie cocktail!
We were also very kindly gifted a goody bag at the event which included our very own personalised Samantha rose gold razor, FFS t-shirt, Joe & Seph's gourmet popcorn with white chocolate and vanilla bean and a whisk.
Thank you to FFS for an inviting me to such a fun event and Café Opus for hosting!
To find out more about FFS visit their website here.
Whether you are single or in a relationship this valentines I personally think it is a great day to share the love with those you care about! It could be the man or woman in your life, your best friend or even your nan! You could even use this opportunity simply to treat yourselves ladies - I mean, why not? I've decided to create this gift guide with some gorgeous items in order to either inspire you to hit the shops and treat someone special or to 'accidentally' leave this web page on display where your man can see it! Either way, I hope you enjoy!
What will you be buying your significant other this Valentines?
Let me know in the comments!
I absolutely love reading other bloggers' 'What I got for Christmas' posts and I also enjoy watching youtube videos of the same title. So, I decided I would write one to share with you what I was lucky enough to receive too! Please do not think that this is my opportunity to show off or brag about what I was bought - this is simply a post to demonstrate how extremely grateful I am for what I received. If you do not like 'What I got for Christmas' posts then this one is not for you!
Christmas 2015 was spent with my family in Swansea and me and Sam were so spoilt! I didn't ask for anything in particular for Christmas, although typically my straightners conked out a few days after!
My Christmas wishlist only contained a few make up products and some new pyjamas! I was honestly just really happy to spend the day with my family this year, stuffing our faces and arguing over who was winning in the 'Best of British' board game! (Its a good one - try it!)
So, lets talk about the gifts I did receive - I wont bore you with everything, just the gifts that were my absolute favourites!
A beautiful Olivia Burton watch with a light grey strap and a rose gold face.
The Naked Smoky eye shadow palette and some Charlotte Tilbury products.
Lots of new comfy pyjamas!
Some lovely items of clothing.
The most delicious Merlyn Welsh cream liqueur from Penderyn Distillery.
More booze...
Beautifully scented Yankee candles.
Snow fairy of course!
Sam pulled out all the stops and bought me the Naked 3 eye shadow palette.
He also treated me to my most luxurious lingerie set I've ever owned from Victoria's Secret!
My Nan also treated me to the Stila eyes are the window eye shadow palette in the colour Spirit which I am really enjoying using for an everyday make up look.
I was also given some money from my family to spend on my travels this Summer - Me and Sam have just booked our 3 week adventure to Sri Lanka so I am saving every penny so we can have an amazing time out there!
Finally, on Boxing Day we drove back to the Midlands to visit Sam's family and we couldn't believe it when we discovered his parents had treated us to a trip to Amsterdam on the first Bank Holiday weekend in May! It is so thoughtful to be given something that you can look forward to and I have always wanted to go! Expect a City guide blog post in May!
So there we have everything! I didn't want to go into too much detail but I hope you have enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoy reading others!
Let me know what you got below and send me links to your similar blog posts! I'd love to know!
Lots of love,
Happy new year lovelies!
It has been a while since I have posted here but with the start of the school term looming I thought I had better review a new restaurant I tried around Christmas time before I get flooded with marking again!
I first tried an O.P.M burger at Digbeth dining club and it was honestly one of the best burgers I've ever eaten. Therefore, when I heard the boys were opening a new permanent venue in town I was desperate to drag Sam along to try it.
Situated in a rather strange location, under a railway arch on Shaw's passage but only a stone's throw away from the bullring the location is actually really accessible. We entered a side door and into the small venue which only seats around 30 people but it had a very industrial look to it - something which I quite like.
It was quiet for a Saturday afternoon and we were able to select our own table. Notably, O.P.M have also teamed up with Siren Craft Brew - a Reading based brewery to open the restaurant so there is plenty of their beers available to choose from. Sam went for one called Soundwave which he said was OK but a bit too hoppy for his liking. They also have a range of other canned and bottles beers, spirits and soft drinks to choose from the menu. I went for the bottled lemonade which came in a really cute and quirky glass bottle.
When it came to choosing what to eat, the menu is simple but with something for everyone. I opted for the Cheeseburger and Sam went for a burger called Darrons fancy which included pork scratchings and Red Leicester cheese. We also ordered a portion of the O.D.B fries to share which were triple cooked with a spice mix, sriracha mayo, crispy onions and fresh spring onions. The food arrived quickly and was served on trays - perfect to avoid making a mess!
The beef in my cheeseburger was delicious and the onions complimented it perfectly. My only niggle was that the contents of the burger almost fell out of the bun! I didn't try any of Sam's but he said the burger was well cooked to his taste and the pork scratchings added a tasty, salty crunch. The O.D.B triple cooked chips were also demolished by the both of us within minutes.
Overall, value for money was pretty good - we paid around £25 for 2 drinks, 2 burgers and a side to share and the burgers really are worth it.
They are only open Thursdays-Sundays at the moment so if you are a burger lover I suggest you head down and give them a try! You can keep up with any of their menu changes through their twitter and facebook page.
