One thing about working away from home is that I'm eating out even more than usual, allthough not all of the below are in Birmingham.
The weekend before last I went to Counter Culture in Clapham with![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kerrypolka. I recommended it once before when I went with themidnightgirl last year, and it was just as good as I remembered. Again, the waiter recommended one of everything, and again we started with that, and then had second and third helpings of the best dishes. On this occasion there was a mexican theme, and we had two favourites. One was the aubergine taco - with the taco itself replaced with very thin slices of aubergine, which were lightly chargrilled, with very little, or perhaps no oil, and then stuffed with goats curd and salsa and a little drizzle of honey that really pulled everything together. Second was the beef taco with wild garlic, which we'd been slightly less excited about when we saw it on the menu, but soon changed our minds when it got into our mouths. Incredibly rich and umamish, with just the right amount of heat. £145 for two, including several cocktails and a couple of soft drinks.
Last week I took myself to 1847 Birmingham, a moderately posh vegetarian restaurant. The goat's cheese bonbons were delicious, and if I had to find a flaw, could have been improved by being slightly smaller, as the accompanying kohlrabi and chilli jam were amazing, and the ratio wasn't quite what I would have ideally chosen. The main course, beer battered halloumi with buttermilk, dill, and lime, was tasty enough, but a little pedestrian. Pudding was a dark chocolate concoction with shards of meringue and a sharp and intriguing sea buckthorn gel - this was the high point; interesting and contrasting flavours that balanced each other well, and a real intense cocoa hit. £39 for one, including two non-alcoholic cocktails.
This Sunday I went to the theatre (of which more later), and afterwards popped in to Sacre Coeur in Islington for dinner. I started with a dozen escargot, followed by moules a l'ail. Both of these were delicious - the mussels in particularly were incredibly fresh, with a really well executed sauce, but snails and mussels are perhaps a bit too similar to be the ideal choice together. Pudding was possibly the best tarte tatin I've ever had - light, thin pastry, and great big chunks of apple, not too sweet, but without skimping on the butter. £33 for one, including a peppermint tea.
Last night I met up with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mrph for dinner at Itihaas, a mid-high end Indian restaurant. The poppadoms were lovely and light, and the okra fries were great (although perhaps not quite a great as Dishoom's). For mains we had a couple of lamb curries, with very distinct but both delicious spice profiles. My naan was amazing - light, and crisp, and absolutely swimming in garlic. We were bordering on too full for pudding, so decided to share a trio of kulfi - almond, mango and pistachio, all of which were good, but with a clear winner in the pistachio. £76 for two, including a beer and three lassis.
The weekend before last I went to Counter Culture in Clapham with
kerrypolka. I recommended it once before when I went with themidnightgirl last year, and it was just as good as I remembered. Again, the waiter recommended one of everything, and again we started with that, and then had second and third helpings of the best dishes. On this occasion there was a mexican theme, and we had two favourites. One was the aubergine taco - with the taco itself replaced with very thin slices of aubergine, which were lightly chargrilled, with very little, or perhaps no oil, and then stuffed with goats curd and salsa and a little drizzle of honey that really pulled everything together. Second was the beef taco with wild garlic, which we'd been slightly less excited about when we saw it on the menu, but soon changed our minds when it got into our mouths. Incredibly rich and umamish, with just the right amount of heat. £145 for two, including several cocktails and a couple of soft drinks.Last week I took myself to 1847 Birmingham, a moderately posh vegetarian restaurant. The goat's cheese bonbons were delicious, and if I had to find a flaw, could have been improved by being slightly smaller, as the accompanying kohlrabi and chilli jam were amazing, and the ratio wasn't quite what I would have ideally chosen. The main course, beer battered halloumi with buttermilk, dill, and lime, was tasty enough, but a little pedestrian. Pudding was a dark chocolate concoction with shards of meringue and a sharp and intriguing sea buckthorn gel - this was the high point; interesting and contrasting flavours that balanced each other well, and a real intense cocoa hit. £39 for one, including two non-alcoholic cocktails.
This Sunday I went to the theatre (of which more later), and afterwards popped in to Sacre Coeur in Islington for dinner. I started with a dozen escargot, followed by moules a l'ail. Both of these were delicious - the mussels in particularly were incredibly fresh, with a really well executed sauce, but snails and mussels are perhaps a bit too similar to be the ideal choice together. Pudding was possibly the best tarte tatin I've ever had - light, thin pastry, and great big chunks of apple, not too sweet, but without skimping on the butter. £33 for one, including a peppermint tea.
Last night I met up with
mrph for dinner at Itihaas, a mid-high end Indian restaurant. The poppadoms were lovely and light, and the okra fries were great (although perhaps not quite a great as Dishoom's). For mains we had a couple of lamb curries, with very distinct but both delicious spice profiles. My naan was amazing - light, and crisp, and absolutely swimming in garlic. We were bordering on too full for pudding, so decided to share a trio of kulfi - almond, mango and pistachio, all of which were good, but with a clear winner in the pistachio. £76 for two, including a beer and three lassis.
