tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986Fri, 30 Aug 2024 06:16:31 +0000Birmingham restaurantsWonderBirminghamBirminghamChinese restaurantsChinese foodPolish foodChinatownIndian foodSeafoodBalti TriangleFoodMiddle Eastern foodSweet stuffJapanese foodMarketHarborneNew OpeningPersian foodBreadBritish foodCaribbean foodCheeseCookingFarmers' MarketIndian sweetsModern BritishNepalese foodPakistani foodSpanish foodBBQBaltiBrindley PlaceBullringDim SumEast African foodLyeThe MailboxVegetarian foodartbuying foodcatporkAfrican FoodBangladeshi foodChristmasCypriot foodFish and ChipsFive WaysGreek foodHealth foodMoseleyNorth African FoodPersian sweetsPisaSelly OakUKbakewarebuffetcoffee shopcookwaredairyeggsfruitsfun stuffgarlicmovingnoodlespubWeblog of <a href="http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/index_en.html">WonderBirmingham</a>http://birmin.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)Blogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-3587593264568886548Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:36:00 +00002009-01-15T06:52:46.764+00:00Persian foodYesterday 3 of us went to Persian restaurant "Doyna" in Bristol Road.Donya is the restaurant took the place of Phoenix Cafe (aka House of Phoenix) a year ago or so. I ate once at Phoenix, but this was the first time to eat at the successor.As I don't have photo, I won't write a full review and will keep myself to a short note.It is a small restaurant of maybe 30 covers or so. Although it was http://birmin.blogspot.com/2009/01/persian-restaurant-donya-in-bristol.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-6856928100115181504Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:18:00 +00002009-01-11T21:41:09.361+00:00Birmingham restaurantsChinese buffet restaurant in Corporation Street, Minzu, was closed down.I don't know when it actually was closed, but I have an impression that it was still open just before Christmas.It used to offer Chinese as well as South East Asian food. The lunch, if I remember well, was mere 5 pounds or so. I have never tried it, as I don't do buffet in principle, but in price wise, it looked very http://birmin.blogspot.com/2009/01/bye-bye-minzu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-7998181146029102880Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:23:00 +00002009-01-11T19:27:52.264+00:00Indian foodPars, Iranian (Persian) grocery shop on Hagley Road, has been taken over by Super Pars.Apart from the addition of vegetable section in front, the arrangement inside looked pretty much the same.http://birmin.blogspot.com/2009/01/from-pars-to-super-pars.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-2687933402498387453Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:28:00 +00002009-01-11T19:30:37.947+00:00These days the temperature does not seem to go above 0 even during the day. I shot this photo at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.Coooooooooooold.http://birmin.blogspot.com/2009/01/sotto-zero.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-7007855463876158519Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:36:00 +00002009-01-09T19:53:21.164+00:00Balti TriangleHappy New Year!I know it is late, but I returned from holidays on 7th. So I pretend it is OK. :pAlthough it is already January, I continue the entries of 'Balti Triangle Walk' of December.Adil, one of the oldest establishments in Balti Triangle, is open in Ladypool Road, while the premises in Stoney Lane is in refurbishment. It is a good idea to refurbish, as it looked really shabby standing http://birmin.blogspot.com/2009/01/december-balti-triangle-walk-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-618832369628508497Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:46:00 +00002008-12-28T11:36:31.483+00:00Chinese foodSeafoodDo you remember that I went to Han Dynasty try whelks dish, but slightly frustrated because whelks were frozen, thus probably not British? (If you don't, please read here).To not to remain defeated, I bought boiled whelks from the Indoor Market and stir-fried them myself.These are 200g of boiled whelks, £1.20 per 100g, so these cost £2.40 (I bought them on 24th December, so I might have paid http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/stir-fried-whelks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-1525882262881508390Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:19:00 +00002008-12-24T15:21:34.904+00:00http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-holidays-and-bright-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-3729957690677251973Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:54:00 +00002008-12-24T10:26:24.735+00:00HarborneModern BritishSpanish foodWonderBirminghamI have just uploaded two reviews.Café Ikonhttp://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/ikon_en.htmlHonestly, I was rather disappointed on this occasion.Instead, still excellent was this place.Turners in Harborne, Birmingham.http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/turnerschristmas_en.htmlI am not sure if I can upload more stuff during the holiday period.　　　　　　　　　　　***********************In http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-entries-cafe-ikon-and-turners.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-3083371569987009477Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:46:00 +00002008-12-24T10:27:55.097+00:00Balti TriangleFoodApart from the restaurants, another thing that I look forward to seeing in Balti Triangle are fresh and/or exotic vegetables.Here are some examples.Turia.Evidently it is a kind of gourd.These green leaves are over-grown rocket.I bought these. The leaves can be eaten as salad and the stalks in stir-fry. Yum yum. And only 60p a bunch.Red mooli (radish).I don't know how they taste like.And these. http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-balti-triangle-walk-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-2454408833751753967Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:39:00 +00002008-12-22T20:46:16.158+00:00ChinatownChinese restaurantsI revisited Han Dynasty this month.http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/handynasty3_en.htmlUnfortunately, this visit wasn't as good as the previous ones for the reasons I explained in the review, but it was not as bad as to make me stop visiting.http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-entry-han-dynasty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-6435042267079678515Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:21:00 +00002008-12-21T09:00:38.090+00:00Balti TriangleBirmingham restaurantsHaving not been to Balti Triangle for some months, I just went there to check things out yesterday. I will write about this walk little by little, as I don't have time to write a long post.The first discovery was this: A new site acquired by Al Faisal's.It is near the beginning of Ladypool Road, about in front of Yaadigar.The shop is still occupied by a video shop, but I don't imagine Al Faisal' http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-balti-triangle-walk-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-5056059640880150592Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:08:00 +00002008-12-20T18:27:06.353+00:00Indian foodWonderBirminghamThis week I went to Rajdoot Tandoori and sampled Christmas lunch.Rajdoot TandooriTruth or not, Rajdoot claims to be the first to introduce tandoori oven to UK (their website says 'Europe', but I assume this Europe includes Great Britain). ******************The name Rajdoot reminds me of an Indian guy I met in Birmingham. He was from South India and was doing PhD when we met. We used to live in http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-entry-rajdoot-tandoori.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-837863705153335840Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:57:00 +00002008-12-20T12:12:02.379+00:00ChinatownI had a very confusing experience tonight (yes, about just a couple of hours ago).A friend and I met up for a drink after work. She said we should go dinner before Christmas, and after come considerations and happenings, we decided to go actually tonight. She suggested Michelle La Bastille, but I opposed as 1) it should be Christmas dinner season, and 2) I did not like the food when I ate there 3http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-much-do-you-pay-for-dinner-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-8530162487565052989Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:31:00 +00002008-12-17T22:39:44.746+00:00Birmingham restaurantsPassing Broad Street this evening, I noticed the Italian restaurant Del Villaggio was worringly dark, so I went close to find this notice.Closed until further notice.Both Del Villaggio restaurants and Del Villaggio trattoria were closed.Sounds very bad, especially in this season when the restaurants should be heaving with Christmas parties. I had a dinner in Cafe Ikon. I expected it to be full, http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/del-villaggio-gone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-3532342634935690402Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:51:00 +00002008-12-15T07:03:27.023+00:00Nepalese foodSpanish foodUploaded a review of the lunch I had last week in Jojolapa Nepalese restaraunt.http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/jojolapa_en.htmlFood was brilliant, especially the Nepalese dumplings called Momo. I would return only to eat momo again.And I wrote also extended the version of Cafe Ikon review. http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/ikon_en.html***************************Yesterday Ihttp://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-entry-jojolapa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-3778622829980117057Sun, 14 Dec 2008 09:37:00 +00002008-12-14T10:36:40.042+00:00FoodMarketIt was cold and dump yesterday.I did not want to go out, but as my flat is very cold during the day time (I have central heating in the morning and in the evening only) and as I was running out of milk, I eventually went out.On normal Saturdays I go to shop in Cape Hill, but as I am leaving for Greece in 10 days, it was unwise to buy too much food (besides, I have some plans to eat out in these http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/strolling-and-shopping-in-city-centre.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-8119330798433858800Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:18:00 +00002008-12-13T09:04:57.596+00:00HarborneModern BritishYesterday I returned to Turner's in Harborne for Christmas lunch, alone. I discovred that I enjoy eating alone in good restaurants. To me, savouring is just like appreciating paintings or music: if you cannot find a good companion with similar taste, you'd fare better enjoying alone, because, otherwise, they will ruin your enjoyment with irrelevant - no matter how interesting - conversations http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/turners-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-5365837117365086482Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:33:00 +00002008-12-12T07:09:20.196+00:00Spanish foodToday, I went to Ikon Cafe for the first time. If you do not know, Ikon Cafe is a spanish tapas restaurant in Ikon Gallery in Brindley Place.I had some business in the area and needed to finish lunch within 50 min. 50 min is a delicate time. It is too long for a quick sandwich break but too short for a proper lunch in a restaurant. I mean, we can finish eating 2 course in 50 min, but we have to http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/ikon-cafe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-4199644847363392780Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:13:00 +00002008-12-10T21:26:35.628+00:00Middle Eastern foodNepalese foodYesterday, I published a review of Lalehzar, Persian restaurant in Hockley, Birmingham.http://wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/lalehzar_en.htmlAs I have already announced in the previous entry, this is a BAD review. So, read it. Bad reviews are always more entertaining than good ones! Well, at least I enjoy more when I read bad ones.**************************************************By the way, http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-entry-lalehzar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-6740732306204331068Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:25:00 +00002008-12-08T21:27:34.786+00:00Middle Eastern foodYesterday, I went to a Persian restaurant in Hockley called Lalehzar.It was a memorably bad meal. Maybe it was the worst, or the second worst I have had during five years in Birmingham.I have read many good reviews on this place: great food, great service, and great price. In my experience, only the last was true. But, when the food isn't good, I cannot say it was cheap. It would have been http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/bad-meal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-7410166214412516020Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:50:00 +00002008-12-24T08:56:51.677+00:00Modern BritishYes, finally, I went to Turner's.http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/turners_en.htmlI am afraid I cannot afford £40 a la carte (not because it does not worth it, but just because I don't earn enough!), so I went for lunch. £17.50 for 3 is a good price, but with a coffee and petits fours, it got more expensive than the lunch at Edmund's. Read the review for the detail.As I liked the food http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-entry-turners-of-harborne.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-2082510482700817000Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:43:00 +00002008-12-06T07:19:54.706+00:00dairyI like organic milk.Not because it is organic, environment friendly, and animal caring, but because it tastes better.There are people who can tell good wine from bad wine. I cannot. But, I can tell good milk from bad milk. Ha!Organic milk tastes sweet and has some kind of umami in it. If you put a glass of organic milk and a glass of normal milk in front of me, I can tell which is which even http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/organic-milk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-2353118202667725369Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:44:00 +00002008-12-02T21:11:29.188+00:00Went to the University Centre in the University of Birmingham. That is a building containing various shops and facilities of students and staff.And I notices a few new features.First, this. It is a display showing bus timetable of the departures from uni. Wow. New technology.If only the bus runs more punctually... This is the International Food Shop (I think that is the name) saying that now theyhttp://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-features-in-university-centre.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-7925836652366694473Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:54:00 +00002008-11-30T08:36:32.857+00:00ChinatownChinese restaurantsWonderBirminghamWent back to Shangri-La, Szechuan restaurant in Station Street, behind New Street Station, after 8 months or so and wrote an update.http://www.wonderbirmingham.co.uk/birmingham/shangrila1_en.htmlWell, actually, there was nothing much to up-date; the food and service are still good and even the price remains the same! They seem to resist the temptation to sell Chinese Hot Pot, which I don't care http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-entry-shangri-la.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498680578392758986.post-3442398987982380253Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:05:00 +00002008-12-05T21:26:38.485+00:00porkWalking around the Christmas Market area, I noticed a new stall selling "German" sausages.I think they are new comer of this year. In the German sausage stalls we are already familiar with, big sausages are grilled on charcoal, as I posted about two weeks ago.http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/11/german-sausages-in-german-market.htmlInstead, in this new stall, slimmer sausages are boiled in hot http://birmin.blogspot.com/2008/11/sausage-alart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (mesogeia)