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  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Rudie’s Jamaican

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Rudie’s Jamaican

    ★★★★ | Rudie’s – Great Jamaican food in hip Dalston!

    rudies_bc_img_1871Rudie’s offers what they call a ‘Boss Burger’ – a rare breed of beef chuck patty that is topped with apple wood smoke cheddar, sweet honey mustard, red onion, tomato, pickles and jalapeño chilli – and it’s huge – worth the £12 price. My dining companion ate the whole thing.

    Sides were a must to have, and it was the Avocado and Mango Salad that was the best dish of the night. A snip at only £4.25, it’s a big bowl of fresh avocado and mango with dices of onion and tomato in a very nice vinaigrette dressing. Amazing. The Sweet Plantains were also amazing – at £3.00 a great deal – topped with a hint of sugar to give them a sweet flavour.

    Desserts are recommended after your meal but they’re very small! I had the Rum Cake expecting a nice portion, but it was quite a small, perhaps the size of the palm of a hand. It was sprinkled with berries and almonds and a syrup sauce, and came with ice cream, but it left me wanting more! My friend had the Banana Brulee, it has a nice crust and underneath the coconut custard créme was heavenly, but again a bit on the small side. Both were £5.50.

    It’s all about exotic drinks when going to a Jamaican restaurant, and Rudie’s does not disappoint! There are 10 delicious sounding cocktails to choose from, and while we didn’t have all 10, we did order the ‘Jamaica Nice’ – a nice smoothie with almond syrup, lime, nectarine, rum, with a huge slice of pineapple – it’s as delicious as it sounds! My friend ordered ‘The Colony’ – another rum cocktail that included brandy – he said it was smooth going down. All ten cocktails are priced at a very friendly £8.50 each.

    The bill for the meal came to £80 – not too bad considering all the different types of food we ate, coupled with the drinks. Rudie’s is a great place to eat, with large windows so you can watch the passing trade walk by. Service is wonderful, and they’ve been in business for just over a year. With Dalston becoming the hip place to live, Rudie’s will most definitely live up to a similar mantra – it will be the hip place to eat.

    Reviewed by: Tim Baros

    Telephone: 0207 249 9930

    Address: 50 Stoke Newington Road N16 7XB

    Opening hours:

    Mon – Wed: 18:00 – 22:00

    Thur: 12:00 pm – 22:00

    Fri – Sat: 12:00 to 23:00

    Sun: 12:00 – 22:00

    PRICE: ££ (explained)

    STAR: ★★★★ (explained)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Chicago Rib Shack – Aldgate East

    Chicago Rib Shack – Aldgate East – stomach busting food that will do damage to your waist – in a very delicious way!

    There have been so many times when I’ve dined in a restaurant only to be left feeling not fully satisfied and still a bit hungry. Well, a visit to Chicago Rib Shack is quite the opposite – I left very full and extremely satisfied, read more to see why.

    Chicago Rib Shack has just opened it’s fifth London location, right near Aldgate East tube station. Already with a presence in almost every direction in London (Stratford, Clapham, Camden and Twickenham, and they’re also in Leeds), Chicago Rib Shack is changing the way ribs are eaten in London. Their ribs are smoked over applewood chips for a minimum of six hours in a wood burning oven at 107 degrees celsius. So you have a taste of nicely smoked ribs with the option of adding as much BBQ sauce as you want.

    On a Thursday night visit to the newly-opened (two weeks) Aldgate East location, the restaurant was jam packed. Evidently, word had gotten out that on this otherwise unfriendly and bland street a few minutes walk to the tube station was a brand spanking new American-style rib joint. Even when you’re walking by the smell of ribs is so strong and powerful that if that doesn’t lure you in then you’re sense of smell needs to be checked by a doctor.

    The beef ribs did not disappoint. The two on my plate were massive, extremely tender and wonderfully large. These particular ribs are smoked for 18 hours and arrive on the plate moist and meaty. BBQ sauce brought to the table is optional, and while the sauce is one of the best I’ve ever had – not too thick and overpowering – I just had to eat the meat on its own to get the full effect of the flavour. Delicious. If this is too much meat for you, then the baby back ribs might be your style. Lean and much smaller, they are light and lovely. The beef ribs are worth every pound of the £19 price, while a half portion is a snip at £10. I had initially wanted to order the £18 Thick Cut Belly Ribs, but they had run out and it was only 8pm! Hopefully, the restaurant will realise that they need to cook enough to last all night! If you don’t fancy ribs then perhaps a burger (classic cheese at £7.50 or shack stack with a double patty, potato cakes, onion rings, egg, avocado and cheese for a whopping £16). Or perhaps the rump steak (£18), cobb salad (£8/£13), griddled chicken (£13) or Catfish (£12).

    As sides, we ordered pulled pork spring rolls (£6) and crispy catfish (£6). Both were very good, very delicate, and not too overpowering (especially the catfish, which was nicely breaded and not too fishy tasting). They’re served with a cajun sauce but it’s very spicy – try the BBQ sauce instead – it’s a better accompaniment. The Onion Loaf was the most amazing ever! Baked Caramelised onion, it literally looked like a loaf of bread – crispy, very big and absolutely amazing (only £6). The coleslaw was perfect – not overwhelmingly creamy (£4) and the handmade BBQ beans were tasty and good (£3.5). Also on the side menu were fries, mash, and mac & cheese. When you order expect your food to come all at once. Our table was literally overflowing with dishes!

    I had absolutely no room for dessert but stuffed down a Lemon Pot – a lemon curd with lemon biscuit chunks, vanilla ice cream and chantilly cream served in a jam jar – a lovely and sweet dessert, and was an absolute perfect ending to a perfect dinner.

    I can’t stress how delicious the meal me and my dining companion had. While she felt that the spring rolls and catfish were a bit flavorless, (they’re probably meant to be because they’re served with a side of sauce) – we were both amazed at how delicious the ribs and onion loaf were, and how reasonably priced it all was, and how thirst-quenching the Nojito (a non-alcoholic mojito) was, at just £4.50. Their drinks menu is, as you would expect, full of many different types of drinks – classics such as cosmos, martini’s, peach teas, among others. Their signature drinks have intriguing names such as Four Roses Milk Punch, Rib Shack Fizz, Jungle Bird, Paper Planes and Cane ’N’ Oil – all that need to be tried during multiple visits! They also serve all sorts of shakes and the usual wines, bubbles, ciders, beers and soft drinks and juices. The root beer float (£4) is a signature American drink that must be tried, either with your meal or for dessert! A must!

    The Aldgate branch is smartly designed – open planned, with the bar straight ahead as you walk in and the open kitchen inside on the left. But with the open kitchen comes the issue of the whole place smelling of meat! Don’t be surprised that when you leave your clothes and hair will have the smell of meat. Make sure you don’t have any dogs following you home! The tables are nicely laid out in the restaurant, with free standing tables that I urge you to sit at. We sat in the mashed up back section, next to a table of four rowdy bankers – the tables were a bit too close to each other, enough so that when someone got we had to hold the table down to make sure their bum didn’t knock down our drinks and condiments.

    Chicago Rib Shack is stomach-busting food at affordable prices. It’s a trendy hip joint for meat lovers, food that is perfectly cooked and willingly devoured. And some of the branches (including the Aldgate branch) serve brunch. I’ll be back there either again for dinner or brunch once my waistline returns back to normal!

    Reviewed by: Tim Baros

    Telephone: 0207 426 0218

    Address: Wentworth Street London E1 7AL

    Opening hours:
    Mon – Fri: 12:00 pm – 23:00
    Sat: 10:00 to 23:00
    Sun: 10:00 to 22:30

    PRICE: ££ (explained)

    STAR: ★★★★ (explained)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tabun Kitchen

    ★★★★ | Tabun Kitchen – Soho, an excellent new and healthy choice in Soho!

    PR Supplied

    Berwick Street is known for its famous market, but soon it’s going to be known as the street where Tabun Kitchen is.

    Located midway between the market and Oxford Street, Tabun Kitchen is a beacon of light on an otherwise dreary block. It will be the food that will lure you in, and it will keep you going back for more.

    It’s hard to put into words just how delicious the food is at Tabun. There are so many spices, ingredients, elements, and surprises in the food that you’re not exactly sure what you’re eating but then you don’t care because you’ve never experienced these tastes before – Jerusalem Street Food. It’s owner, Hanan Kattan, grew up in a Palestinian household, and she incorporates the ‘Tabun’ oven into the architecture (and cooking) of her restaurant to bring to Soho a unique and flavorful eating experience.

    The menu is quite big and varied so it’s hard to recommend a dish or two as I’ve only been there once (I plan to go back a couple more times actually). Its menu recommends dishes to share; a good idea as it will give you twice as much of a taste of their extremely varied dishes. Our mezze plates were out of this world; the Maftool Cous Cous Salad was a mix of peppers, spring onions, a hint of chilli, coriander, pomegranate dressing and included lamb sausage. The Moutabal Smoked Aubergine Dip was a delicious pomegranate garnish and flatbread croutons sprinkled with thyme. Both are rewarded five stars each! Next time I will try the Jerusalem Falafel and the Jerusalem style dip with cumin spiced fava beans. And to top it off none of these mezze plates are more than £5! Bargain!

    CREDIT: PR Supplied

    For mains, again, it’s hard to pick from the traditional and grills menus. We had the mixed grill – chicken kofta, shish taouk marinated chicken kabob, lamb kofta with warm artichoke with an egg lookalike dollop of white creamy garlic with yellow coloured very spicy yolk. It’s a flavorful dish, sprinkled with parsley. While the meat is cooked just right, and at £14 not a bad deal, I could’ve eaten more meat! My companion ordered, from the pizza menu, the Manaeesh Palestinian pizza (dough topped with white cheese, sundried tomatoes and olives and a bit of ground meat). Palestinian pizza, as you might know, is thin, wet and soggy. My dining companion enjoyed it, however, I wish he would’ve ordered something more exotic like either the Lamb Three Ways, Musakhan Chicken (with caramelised onions and pine nuts), Grilled Prawns or even the Vegetable Makloubeh – with rice, spiced aubergine, cauliflower and broad beans, yoghurt, cucumber and mint sauce, pistachios, pine nut & raisin garnish – it sounds heavenly – and I’m having this next time! The mains and grills are all under £14 while the pizzas are a snip at £8.50. Also, If you want to try a wrap, there are five to choose from: Chicken, Falafel, Cheese and Lamb, all at a friendly price of £8.50.

    Tabun has a huge sides menu to choose from; dishes that will complement your mains. We tried two and they were, while complete opposites, both extremely wonderful. The Avocado Salad – chopped avocado with tomato, coriander with lemon and garlic sauce – was just what you would expect – amazing (£5). And the Za’atar french fries, dusted with thyme spice mix, came with Toum (garlic) sauce (£3.50) – amazing! Also on the menu are pickles, olives, aubergines, hummus, kale salad and the always reliable tabbouleh Salad. But the Avocado Salad and the French Fries were perfection!

    And finally, puddings are a must. The Harisa Cake – semolina cake with coconut and orange blossom syrup – was divine. The Baklava selection, as you would expect, was also delicious and enough to put you over the top. But if you want to try something new – try the Jerusalem Knafe – cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup. It’s extremely heavy yet very good, and I would recommend you sharing this with your dining companions because it is very filling. All cheaply priced at £5 each.

    Tabun Kitchen has a good white and red wine, rosé and beers and spirits and soft drinks choices, but go for one of the cocktails. The Tabun Mojito – beefeater gin, tonic water, fresh mint leaves, lemon and rosewater – was very thirst quenching and absolutely tasteful, while the Orange Sunset – Vodka, aperol, agave syrup, with freshly squeezed orange juice – was sweet and yet had the right amount of vodka in it. The Spice Trip – rum, orange juice, chilli and watermelon juice – and the pomegranate bellini – are both on my must have list.

    Tabun Kitchen seats 45 people comfortably, both on the ground floor and in the basement. The front room of the ground floor is hot – it’s where the oven is – and on the night of my visit the front door had to be kept open, but then it got too cold, so it was closed again, then it was too hot. I hope Tabun is able to sort this problem out. And one of our dishes didn’t arrive so we had to remind the wait staff, all of whom are very pleasant and nice, what we had ordered. I recommend sitting in the lower ground floor; it’s quant, Mediterranean-style, and very cosy that’s perfect if you’re looking for a place to enjoy the food without being in the hustle and bustle and heat of the main room. Faisel, the charming manager, will take you through the menu if you have any questions. And while the pizza was not sexy and the service a bit disjointed, Tabun Kitchen will not disappoint. It’s warm food and cooking style and abundant fresh and delicious flavours will blow you away.

    Reviewed by: Tim Baros

    Telephone: 020 7324 7767

    Address: 77 Berwick St Soho, London W1F 8TH

    Opening hours:
    Mon – Sat: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
    Sun: Closed

    PRICE: ££ (explained)

    STAR: ★★★★ (explained)

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW: VQ Restaurant

    If you’ve ever been to America you’ll know that diners are a staple of the culture and way of life. VQ Restaurant, now with three branches in London, is looking to fill a diner gap here in London, and it succeeds.

    With already established locations in Bloomsbury and Chelsea, and now Notting Hill, VQ (Vingt-Quartre, or 24) offers American style food in a restaurant with a very modern design which makes you feel that you are not in a greasy spoon cafe but in a very classy and posh diner.

    What is not posh are the prices. Like American diners, VQ offers an extreme range of food that you can have anytime, including breakfast. How many restaurants do that? If you fancy buttermilk pancakes, at say, midnight, they’re there to order. If you want a hamburger or pasta or salad at say, 11:00 a.m., feel free! As a matter of fact, VQ has just one menu, and not separate menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner – brilliant!

    A friend and I visited the new Notting Hill branch, just a few steps away from the tube, and were placed in a very cozy table in the back, next to a wall that reminded us of a lava-lamp. Since the menu is so big, and with sections such as Burgers Hot Dogs and Sandwiches, Classics (Fish & Chips, Chicken Milanese, Ribeye Steak and Ribs), Omelettes and 24 hour breakfast, not including the starters and sides, plus drinks, it took a bit of time for us to decide. I went with the Club Sandwich with sweet potato fries. What I received was a massive club sliced in four sections containing chicken, bacon, melted cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mustard mayonnaise. It was so big I could not finish it all, though it didn’t help that I had also ordered the chorizo sautéed new potatoes and red onions as a delicious starter which was a meal in itself. And at only £9.95, the club sandwich is a excellent deal and could be shared by two people alongside starters or desserts. My friend ordered the breaded butterfly king prawns with sweet chilli sauce as a starter – at £7.95 it was quite a steep price for just four, but they were good. His main course was the ribeye steak, which was cooked to perfection, accompanied by the delicately smooth peppercorn sauce, but at £21.95 it’s not quite a steal. As a side dish (what was I thinking?), I ordered the cole slaw which I thought would be a complement to the sandwich. It was a massive massive portion for just £3.95, but too mayonnaisey for my tastes. Deciding that we could not stuff our faces with banoffee pie, apple crumble, eton mess (you’ll have to go to VQ so they can explain it to you), brownie or drizzle cake, we both went for the fruit salad. It was extremely divine. Soaked in mango juice, with all sorts of fruit in a medium sized bowl, beautifully presented – one of the best fruit salads I’ve had in a very long time. Their drinks menu is just as diverse as their food menu. This includes selections of white rose and red wines, vodka, gin, whiskey blends, bourbons, tequila, rums, a great beer and cider selection, as well as hot iced and soft drinks, plus virgin cocktails. We had what was the best bargain on the menu – fruit smoothies – ranging from £2.95 to £4.50 – served in jam jars. I went for the Six-a-day, which included spinach, banana, melon, pineapple, grape and apple – delicious. My friend went for the Berry Boost, a selection of three berries. Great bargains for very delicious and refreshing drinks.

    Having previously visited the Bloomsbury branch, which is open all night, every night, I’ve had the burgers and they are much better than the burgers you get at Five Guys or Shake Shack (and starting at £6.95 a better value as well). They come in several types from chicken to pulled pork to falafel, to of course beef. VQ Restaurants also have great pasta choices (Mac ’n’ Cheese, Penne, Linguine with Smoked Salmon, and Spaghetti Bolognaise), an excellent salad selection (Caesar, Cobb, Salmon Lentil and Quinoa, or the VQ Salad which includes pomegranate, feta, baby beetroot, butternut squash, mixed leaves, honey roasted pine nuts, dijon vinaigrette.

    So a visit to VQ is a must, anytime – day or night. Their restaurants are relaxed, friendly and are really cool, all in central locations, and with very friendly and attentive staff. Hats off to Geoff at the Notting Hill branch. A very nice and smart young French man, he took very good care of us, who loves his job, and is perhaps one of the happiest guys in London. And that’s what a visit to VQ diner will make you feel, happy.

    Reviewed by: Tim Baros

    Address: Notting Hill – 24 Pembridge Road, W11 3HL –

    020 3745 7224 –

    7am every weekday morning (8am Saturday & Sunday) until 3am on Thursday-Saturday, 1am on Monday-Wednesday and midnight on Sunday
    Bloomsbury – 111A Great Russell Street London WC1B 3NQ – 020 7636 5888 – 24 hours
    Chelsea – 325 Fulham Road London SW10 9QL – 020 7376 7224 – 24 hours

    Website: http://www.vqrestaurants.com

    Star Rating: ★★★★★ (explained)

    VQ Restaurants serve all-day breakfast / brunch, lunch and dinner, with cocktail serve as well

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | ‘O ver Italian Restaurant

    If a Londoner wants white, earthy, luxurious truffle oil, or by chance pungent époisses, or perhaps is in the mood for Pacific fresh rock oysters – where does an Old Smoke dweller go?

    Borough Market’s a given. But what if you’ve a hankering for seawater pizza? Up until now you’d have had to cross the Channel and head to southern Italy. But as of 29th July 2016 you can now hop on the Jubilee line to south London’s borough of Southwark, where the Big Smoke’s first seawater pizza restaurant resides – a mozzarella-ball’s throw from Borough Market.

    At the opening night we arrived to chaos – it was like feeding the 5000 without the miracle. Prosecco and pizza were being served as if they only had five loaves and two fish – at first, not a lot didn’t go very far.

    The space is bright, clinical and intimate – fresh white walls, marble counters, a wood-fired pizza oven and being able to see the chefs beavering from every angle, make up the main fixtures. A neat, boutique Pizza Express, with a White Cube gallery feel.

    ‘O ver’s mantra is healthy, delicious, genuine Neapolitan street food. Eventually, when we were able to bypass the other locusts we were able to try:

    First up: Regina, Neapolitan buffalo mozzarella, piennolo cherry tomatoes, San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh basil. Our moods lightened instantaneously – the pizza base is almost crape floppy, light and beautifully salty. Ripe tomatoes lifted with aromatic and peppery basil – scrumptious.

    We did manage to get our hands on a glass of Prosecco, but there was so little in the glass it’s not worth writing about.

    Margherita: Fior di latte from Monti Lattari, San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh basil. It’s all ’bout that base, ’bout that base, no treble. Instead of adding salt and water to make the dough, they add purified seawater from an already ‘pure section’ of the Mediterranean – apparently, withholding its 92 minerals and the sea salt – making a lean, moreish lip-lickin’ pizza.

    After wrestling a few hacks out the way, we made it to the bar. We were offered: Aperol Sprits, Aperol, “Mabis” Prosecco Millesimato DOC, Soda. It took two staff six mins to make two drinks – serving others in between was apparently more important. Thanks were given to the second member for taking over the process, at which she retorted “I don’t like the way you were looking at me – I can do two things at once”. Pleasant. The Sprits was bitter, sweet and orangey – decent, unlike the service.

    The last we tried: Paloma, smoked mozzarella from Sorrento, Chiodini mushrooms, rolled Italian pancetta, black pepper and fresh basil – again, limp and luscious. Truffly mushrooms gave the spicy meat and smoking gooey cheese a sophisticated edge.

    Mama Mia the ingredients are fresh, pizzas are £7 to £15 and so worth a jaunt to SE1. Hopefully, after a few weeks of being open, they would have regained that Neapolitan charm.

    Star Rating: ★★★
    Price Rating:
    Website: http://www.overuk.com
    Phone: 44 2073789933
    Address: ‘O ver 44 Southwark Street London, SE1 1UN

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Top Dog Diner Soho (CLOSED)

    One could easily meander past Top Dog (TD) on Frith Street Soho without a second squint.

    UPDATED: 26th Sept 2016 – now closed

    First of all, the name doesn’t grab you like Herman Ze German or House of Ho – but equally, it’s not as off-putting as La Polenteria – really, polenta-smolenta. And secondly, the dark exterior doesn’t wink at you – one has to sport a bright button-hole on one’s lapel to make an impression in this neck of the smog-laden metropolis.

    But you’re not to be put off, TD has recently undergone a bit of a refurb and has utilised the space upstairs by transforming it into a speakeasy bar. What they don’t exude in a colourful shopfront they make up for in cool.  A minimalist bar with ’70’s leaf-shaped and made-out-of-scaffolding tables, grey walls with a hand painted mural: think a merman Eddie Izzard in a spacesuit, sporting an orange umbrella, serving drinks – it just works.

    We arrived to the Going Live of all receptions; the staff are animated and personable – move over Ant and Dec.  We were whisked straight up to the speakeasy drinking room where two cocktails were suggested.

    Dill or No Dill: Gin, elderflower cordial, lemon, cucumber, dill and smoked sea salt at £8.  A martini-style imbibe, aromatic and citrusy. The cucumber tones down the salt – slightly bitter.  Not bad, but not top hound.

    El Chaplulin:  Olmeca Altos Reposado, Tio Pepe, Briottet Cacao and Briottet Menthe Blanc at £9. A touch of the My Fair Lady’s, a decent enough tequila softened by the dryness of the sherry – a fruity kick from both Briottets enhances tobacco flavours. The world was a better place once the glass was empty – Top Dog.

    After our sharpeners we were led downstairs to the restaurant. You’ll feel as though you’re sitting in an industrial staff canteen, but with a touch of the Hoxton Square’s.  More of the scaffold, simplistic bare wood chairs, tables and work counter all lit with factory-style caged bulbs.

    We shared all the nosh.

    To arrive first: Kentucky fried cauliflower served with home-made BBQ sauce at £4. If you like cauliflower, and you like tempura – you’ll find this finger-lickin’-good.  We then tucked into truffle mac and cheese at £6.50: al dente pasta – the truffle oil didn’t overpower the mild cheese. My dining chum vacuumed up the lot.

    Before choosing the food we were informed all ingredients are straight off the farm wagon and all the burgers and hot dogs are made on the premises. We think they secretly have a little abattoir and greenhouse out the back – f-f-fresh.

    Next up: chilli cheese hot dog, cheese sauce, lettuce, coriander, pickled chillies and red onions at £9. A sophisticated hot dog – quality meat, porky and beefy notes elevated by lemon and nutty undertones from the coriander. Chilli and pickle is like adding hollandaise to a poached egg and muffin – the ruler of dogs.

    And: pulled pork ’n’ slaw, slow-cooked pulled pork, apple slaw, lettuce, pickles and Kansas City BBQ sauce at £10. My dining compadre wasn’t keen, which made me very happy indeed – not a crumb was left. An addictive beef patty oozing beefiness covered with succulent pork all merged with sweet apple and tomato – hints of garlic and chilli and a tease of paprika – makes a Big Mac seem like a shrivelled up chipolata – we’ve all been there.

    Along with: sweet potato fries at £4 – overdone and dry.  The house white, El Muro Macabeco 2014, had a similar bouquet to carpet stain remover.

    Bung Top Dog to the top of your Soho easy stops to line stomachs before snogging hotties in the Shadow Lounge, for an easy-on-the-Gucci-purse-strings buzzy din-dins with chums or if you just need to fill ya chops with a decent, fresh, meaty flavoursome sausage.

    Review By: Thabian Sutherland
    Address: Top Dog
    48 Frith Street
    London, W1D 4SF
    Telephone: 020 3019 2380
    Star Rating: ★★★★ (explained)
    Cost Rating: ££ (explained)
    Tipping Policy: A discretionary 12.5% gratutity is added to all bills.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW: Royal China (Queensway Branch)

    Brimming with locals, the Royal China (Queensway) was super busy even for a late lunch sitting, which is always a good sign.

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  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tapas Revolution in Grand Central – Birmingham

    Last night, I went on a palatable trip to Spain with Tapas Revolution in Grand Central – Birmingham, restaurant of which was started by the passionate and Spanish food enthusiast Omar Allibhoy.

    Tapas Revolution has been around since 2010, with three existing restaurants in London, and now Tapas Revolution Birmingham has made a grand opening in the second city, and boy – what a gem it is!

    Specialising in Spanish food, in particular Tapas – food that is prevalent in most regions of Spain where various dishes are displayed to share and sample at leisure, this restaurant combines tradition and modernity within a contemporary setting, with an oval-shaped bar where you can grab a sneaky dish, to a spacious dining area with view to the whole of Grand Central, adorned with quirky wooden features, that made you feel at Spanish home. In this space, we had a table to fit all of our Tapas choices.

    I went along with my Spanish friend, who was slightly dubious about authentic Spanish food situated in Birmingham, but with a warm welcome from the service team, and a later introduction from Omar himself, we succumbed to the pleasant atmosphere. My partner’s face lit up as soon as he saw La Socarrada on the menu which is a beer renowned for its rosemary and honey tones, but it was a close match between that beer or the ‘er Boquerón’ famous for using sea water during the brewing process, so after all this, I knew he had been won over.

    We ordered few Tapas, all of which were priced below the £6.00 mark, and in fact all Tapas come under this price, which makes it flexible to have fun and be unashamedly creative when choosing different combinations. We went for: Torreznos con mojo dulce (crispy belly pork, with spicy sauce), Croquetas de Bacalao (béchamel croquettes with deep-fried cod), Pulpo a la Gallega (steamed octopus with paprika potatoes) and Patatas Bravas (deep-fried potatoes with spicy tomato and alioli). All dishes were sublime and tickled the taste buds: the winner for me was the crispy belly pork in spicy sauce which was perfectly cooked and seasoned to the point of being able to order five dishes of Torreznos.

    When our Tapas arrived, we were greeted by the friendly and bubbly Omar who took pride in asking us about our thoughts and took time to share his story of how Tapas Revolution came about. The most surprising fact learned was that Tapas Revolution is the only restaurant in Grand Central to have cooks start at 6am to have the finest food prepared and made for the opening time.

    I was so impressed with the whole experience, from the atmosphere, the service, and was extremely inspired by the Omar’s hard-work and dedication to his restaurant, as he told me that he comes up and down on a weekly basis to cook, manage and serve Tapas to the highest standard and at a very modest price.

    I am already forcing my colleagues to go and visit, and picking dates on my diary to go back!

     

    Reviewed by: Alex Da Silva | @AlexMDaSilva

    Address: Tapas Revolution –Grand Central, 68A East Mews, Birmingham, B2 4XJ

    Website: http://www.tapasrevolution.com

    Star Rating: *****

    Cost Rating: ££

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tozi

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tozi

    Everything about Tozi oozes something smooth.

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