Mediterranean Delights – The Upper Room at Byzantium

For the first time in a while, it was nice to get out of the city centre and mosey on down to the suburbs on a foodie adventure.

On this occasion I was invited by Byzantium, an independent family-run restaurant which serves up a wide variety of tapas, to join them for the opening of their upper room.

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A good crowd had turned out to try the new food, not surprising since this is one of Kings Heath’s little gems. The upstairs room had been tastefully decorated in neutral colours, with a Mediterranean theme, and was surprisingly spacious!

After a very warm welcome from the owners Efua and Antonello and the team, I got to work quickly on the lovely drinks on offer and then, chatting to the other lovely guests of the evening.

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We were taken on a whirlwind tour of the Mediterranean with some amazing tapas, including

French bread with caramelised onions and Camembert and Moroccan Zalouk; Italian Arancini balls with prawns and mozzarella; Greek halloumi souvlaki; crispy pork belly with a balsamic glaze, anchovy and black olive tapenade; courgette fritters; quinoa salad; chicken ballotine with black olives and chorizo; and albondigas with a spicy tomato sauce.

My favourites of the evening were:

  • The crispy pork; paired with an amazing balsamic glaze the sweet, sour and umami flavours played delightfully on the tongue.
  • The albondigas; well seasoned mince meatballs partnered with a powerful spicy tomato dip, which left tendrils of warm heat after the first taste.

I would’ve been happy with them all to be honest and it’s definitely encouraged me to drag Wifey down one evening, so we can have a nice relaxed evening out of the bustle of the city centre.

The Upper Room seats up to 40 people, catering for a wide range of functions. Byzantium’s special party menu has something for all tastes.

Their xmas menu can be viewed here, and bookings are now being taken on 0121 444 5444.

Byzantium is open Tuesday to Saturday 12-2:30pm for lunch, and Monday to Saturday 5:30pm-10pm for dinner.

Disclaimer: For this evening, we were guests of Byzantium who provided all food and drinks; this provides no bias to this post. This blog is my own personal opinion and strives to provide an independent view, promoting, enjoying and reviewing the range of exciting food and venues in and around Birmingham.

When: 13/10/2015

Where / Who:  Byzantium, 11 York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham

A Kings Feast – Kings Heath Street Festival

Well, that took longer than expected to get back to you all! My main laptop died last weekend, hence the delay in getting back to blogging. No matter, the spare has been brought in so I can continue telling you lovely folks about food in and around Birmingham. Anyway….back to it.

As you may be aware, we had been to Birmingham Independent Food Fair in the morning so our bellies were a little full. However, there’s always more room for streetfood! A short bus ride away is Kings Heath, a bustling suburb with a burgeoning streetfood scene (mainly due to BrumYumYum and their #KingshEATh at the Churchyard).

Today’s event was a slightly different affair from the usual as York Road was closed off by Enjoy Kings Heath to celebrate all that’s great about Kings Heath. It was a busy affair:

Kings Heath Street Festival
Kings Heath Street Festival

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