Tapas at Grand Central: Tapas Revolution

Tapas revolution is nestled amongst a range of shops and other restaurants on the upper floor of Grand Central/New Street Station. This expanding chain of restaurant was founded by Spanish born Omar Allibhoy and I had also heard so many great things about the Birmingham branch that I couldn't wait to try it out for myself!

 

Despite the hustle and bustle of shoppers nearby, the restaurant and bar has its own enclosed area and when we arrived for our lunchtime sitting we were placed on high stools by the bar overlooking the kitchen and the atmosphere was chilled.

 

 

The staff at Tapas Revolution were super friendly and were willing to recommend us drinks and dishes. We were assured that Omar's vision was to bring authentic yet simple Spanish food to the UK and that everything was cooked from scratch in the kitchen in front of us - even the aioli!

 

There is a good drinks selection including a variety of gins, Spanish inspired cocktails, wine, beer and of course, Sangria! I was recommended a Verdejo white wine from the Spanish region Rueda, it was refreshing with fruity and herbal notes - a perfect accompaniment to a seafood dish. Sam was recommende the Limonada casera which was a homemade lemonade with hints of saffron which gave it the bright yellow colour. He said it was enjoyable and it was nice to try something different.

 

 

Everything on the menu sounded appealing and I liked the way the tapas were split into specials, meats, seafood and vegetables. In the end I chose the lunchtime deal which included bread and aioli to start, one tapas and one main for £9.95 which seemed good value for money. For the tapas option I chose croquetas de jamon (deep fried Iberico ham and béchamel croquettes) and for mains I chose the paella valenciana (included chicken and not seafood too). Sam then decided to chose 3 of their tapas dishes and went for;

 

1) Alitas de pollo a la miel y limon (chicken wings with a honey and lemon dressing)

2) Chorizo a la sidra (spiced chorizo sausage cooked in cider)

3) Calamares fritos (deep fried squid)

 

 

 

 

The first dishes to arrive at the table were the croquetas and the chicken wings and the rest of the dishes followed shortly after. We fully embraced the idea of sharing all the dishes we chose between us in true Spanish style. I wont go into too much detail about the food but I felt the standout dishes were the Chorizo a la sidra which was very tender and the Iberico ham croquetas which melted in my mouth!

 

The biggest disappointment for me was the paella, as you can see from the picture it was extremely stodgy and lacked any authentic flavours. I also normally prefer my paella to include chorizo and seafood along with the chicken too. I felt like it had not been freshly cooked (as was mentioned earlier) and had simply been reheated. The calamares was fried in a light batter and was served with a lovely garlicky alioli but again, I have tried better calamari in other restaurants in the city.

 

Overall, Tapas Revolution is not a bad restaurant and with a few tweaks could be great! However, I do feel there are better Tapas restaurants to eat at in Brum!

 

http://www.tapasrevolution.com/birmingham/

 

Are there any Tapas restaurants you can recommend for me to try around the West Midlands? I'd love to hear what you think!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Smoke haus, Brindley Place

 

Recently a new restaurant called The Smoke Haus opened in Brindley Place. I am already quite familiar with The Smoke Haus as their original restaurant is based in Swansea and I have visited it on a couple of occasions.

 

Fortunately, I was invited to their VIP launch night to try out some of their meaty delights at the Birmingham branch for myself. We were warmly greeted as we walked into the restaurant and were shown swiftly to our table. I was slightly disappointed to have not been placed next to the window as the views across the canals were pretty decent. 

 

Our drinks order was taken within a few minutes. I went for the Strawberry Daiquiri and Sam went for a bourbon recommended by the bartender. My cocktail was delicious but I was slightly disappointed there wasn't more crushed ice in it.

 

 

After browsing the menu which is classic American grill food with several burgers, hotdogs, ribs and other grilled meats to choose from, including a variety of sides, (Is your mouth watering yet?) we opted for a BBQ chicken wings appetizer to share. For mains I ordered the Baby back ribs and I was given the choice to upgrade my fries from several different options including; spiced, cheesy, chilli etc. I decided to go for Sweet potato fries and I also ordered a Mac 'n' Cheese on the side.

Sam ordered 10oz New York Strip steak served Blue with cheesy chilli fries and a side of fried pickles.

 

The BBQ chicken wings arrived promptly and they looked messy yet delicious! I was not wrong, these were potentially the nicest chicken wings I have tried whilst dining out. There was plenty of meat on each wing and they were generously coated in sticky, tasty and rich BBQ sauce. They were accompanied with a blue cheese dip which wasn't to my taste but Sam loved it. The wet wipes were greatly received following the completion of the wings.

 

 

The main meals arrived shortly after the appetizer was cleared away. The ribs looked amazing and sticky alongside a very generous portion of sweet potato chips and a not so generous portion of coleslaw - I wished there was more of it as it was crunchy and creamy! Sam couldn't wait to get stuck into his steak and rightly so, he said it was one of the best steaks he has eaten out at a restaurant as it was cooked to perfection for him. As you can see from the images it looks very bloody, I don't know how he manages to stomach it! Sam also enjoyed his cheesy chilli fries although, our eyes were obviously bigger than our bellies as we couldn't manage to finish it all. I didn't personally try the side order of fried pickles however, Sam said they were ok but not something he would order again.

 

 

 

 

 

To wash all the meaty goodness down, Sam ordered a Blue Moon white ale and I opted for a fruity cider. We couldn't possibly order a dessert as we were stuffed from our appetiser and mains, although they all sounded amazing.  

 

 

 

Overall, I was really pleased with the standard of the food at The Smoke Haus. Our waitress seemed really nervous for most of the evening, however the service she provided was really good. I think The Smoke Haus makes a great addition to Brindley Place and I'm looking forward to visiting again in the future.

 

        (The food at the VIP launch was complimentary. This does not affect my opinion and I was not required to write about the event.)

Rofuto: Lunch with a view

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,  

Rofuto: First Impressions

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.