January 2009 Archives

There are many causes of irritation in modern life: people who eat fast food on buses, drivers who block junctions by jumping traffic lights to join the end of a traffic jam and, of course, anyone who speaks with an Estuary English accent.

But one of the greatest irritations of all seems finally to have evaporated as surely as West Bromwich Albion's chances of remaining in the Premier League.

I refer to the disregard that national newspapers have until now shown towards Birmingham, in particular its restaurant scene.

With the recession officially declared, times are officially hard. As though anyone needed telling.

In the spirit of the age, the Birmingham Mail will be offering information and advice on how to save money.

Eatng out is, of course, a luxury. Likewise glugging wine.

But starting next week, our Food + Drink section each week will offer tips on the best bargain eats and drinks.

Even its greatest fans - count me among them - would find it hard to argue that the old Jyoti restaurant in Stratford Road, Sparkbrook, were elegant.

There will be no such misgivings about the new premises further along Stratford Road in Hall Green.

I was invited to the new restaurant last night. It is light and airy and modern.

One thing that remains unchanged is the standard of Indian vegetarian food on offer - the dishes I ate were fresh, flavoursome and thoroughly enjoyable.

It's always been a surprise to me that the north of Birmingham has been a bit of a culinary desert compared to the south of the city.

No longer, though. Last night I visited a recently opened restaurant called Mint on Thornhill Road, Little Aston.

It serves what it describes as "straightforward" food based on great British ingredients.

It's underselling itself because though the menu contains apparently simple dishes such as pies and suet puddings, the cooking is sophisticated and skilled.

In a couple of weeks we'll be carrying a guide to the sort of treats people might enjoy on Valentine's Day.

My contribution has been to compile a list of drinks suited to such a romantic occasion.

Champagne is in the list, of course. And Chablis to neck back with oysters. Plus Sauternes to sup with strawberries.

Then there's an Italian beer on the grounds that Italian men are known for their love-making prowess so a bottle or two or their favourite brew might help us under-achieving Brits.

Eating out is one of life's luxuries - increasingly so in these credit crunched days.

So starting next month we at the Birmingham Mail will be passing on information and tips on how readers can save money.

In the the paper's Food and Drink section each Thursday, for instance, we'll be highlighting some of the great meal deals that are available plus drinks bargains.

Let us know of any cracking restaurant or pub offers so we can pass them on.

Meanwhile, to get you in the mood, look out for a great burger offer in tomorrow's Mail.

If the success of a television programme can be measured by how often you want to throw your shoe at the screen then I guess Big Chef Takes On Little Chef scores very highly indeed.

The concept is wacky: Heston Blumenthal, one of the world's greatest culinary talents and pioneer of dishes such as snail porridge, has been drafted in to try to revive the fortunes of the Little Chef chain.

Trouble is, Little Chef's boss doesn't seem to have a clue about the cost or effort involved in producing the sort of food for which HB is famous.

Heartiest congratulations to Purnells and Turners for their new Michelin stars and to Simpsons for retaining theirs.

I fully expected Purnells and Simpsons to be recognised, but Turners took me by surprise, I must admit.

Not because I have anything but the greatest admiration for Richard Turner's classy food, but because I thought Michelin might shrink from awarding a star to a small, suburban restaurant.

Shows how much I know.

I was up horribly early on Sunday cooking for a group of 20 Spanish students who my wife had invited because they'd just arrived in the Birmingham as part of an exchange scheme involving Birmingham City University, where she works.

It was an impressive spread - bruchetta of white bean puree with garlic and rosemary, bruchetta with roasted tomato and anchovy, smoked salmon and horseradish on dark bread, a couple of onions tarts and good quality cocktail sausages.

When they got out their camera phones, I glowed with pride. Then they started taking snapshots of the log fire I'd lit in the dining room.

Good news for lovers of Indian vegetarian food - that excellent restaurant Jyoti is moving to swish new premises soon.

The family-run restaurant, one of my favourite places to eat, will move further along the Stratford Road from Sparkbrook to Hall Green in a couple of weeks' time.

Jyoti has been operating a takeaway in the new premises for several months, but has now finally finished work to turn the back section into a restaurant.

I'll be eating there very soon. Watch this space.