All in Stirchley
Being a sucker for double fried anything, I’ve gone for the Korean chicken burger. It also promises kimchi and gochujang aioli, although the tick box quantities mean it’s nowhere near the flavour-explosion I’d imagined, but worst of all is the soggy batter. Oven chips and bought in coleslaw are unable to pick up any slack… READ MORE
The hot, meaty spread of ‘nduja on ‘grilled bread’, more like crunchy, oil soaked, fried stale bread is throwing new light on the tomato and mild cheese combo. It’s the dream stage for creamy slabs of mozzarella and allows fresh, sweet datterini tomatoes and pickled chillies to combine for tongue tingling pleasure... READ MORE
Our table quickly turns into a trading floor with us negotiating and swapping the variations of fried chicken joy. We’ve got jerk-fried Gravy Baby Wings, Nashville Neville Strips that crank the heat dial up an extra two notches with a hot and spicy dredge… READ MORE
It’s a thick and rich, meat-laden stew, with different textures from the softness of pork belly, seared crusts and the sheer comfort of braised meats all making themselves known. A lightly truffled mash is an immaculate companion, with the sweetness of fried onions and peppery tingle of spring onion oil … READ MORE
I’ve been left with just a third of the courgette tempura. In three fabulous mouthfuls it’s gone and I know I’ve been robbed. There’s light crunch from the batter, sweet juiciness from courgette, a meaty, salty, fiery kick from ‘nduja and fresh cooling, lemon scented creaminess from whipped ricotta… READ MORE
The BBQ butterflied mackerel, wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery, yet it still manages to taste even better than it looks. It’s a big piece of fish, likely a heavyweight champion in the mackerel world, cooked perfectly with a sweet and sour smoked onion sambal that I’d happily drink from the plate… READ MORE
The pie arrives looking like a golden crown, alongside two plates of mash and the buttered hispi; almost translucent lime-green, fully leaved sweetheart cabbage. It looks like a plate of food from the school canteen but that comparison stops exactly there… READ MORE
The tamarind chicken—coated, deep fried wings topped with peanuts and spring onions—are crunchy, succulent, bursting with flavour and sticky too, meaning the accompanying finger bowls are absolutely necessary. This is my new fried chicken high benchmark… READ MORE
Nothing improves the swagger of a pizza quite like gorgonzola, but when I said I can’t actually taste the gorgonzola on mine there returned a chorus of “nor can you on mine.” READ MORE
We choose beğendi—a mushy roasted aubergine dish very much like a baba ganoush; menemen—egg poached in a tomato sauce with peppers in the style of a baked huevos rancheros without the chilli; and kuru misket köfte—beef meatballs… READ MORE
