Birmingham Blue Nile Restaurant

Ethiopian Food. For the converts I need say no more. For those yet to believe… read on.

Ethiopian food?

Ethiopian food holds a mythical place in my mind, until I moved to Brum I had never eaten it in England. The restaurants hide themselves so well that when you stumble upon one it feels as thought every star, sun, planet and moon in the galaxy has aligned in order for you to have the greatest dinner of your life. The first time I ate Ethiopian was in Paris with my parents (14 years ago), after spending an hour wandering the streets in search of dinner we discovered ‘Addis Ababa’, went in and had our lives changed. For years we spoke of the legendary Ethiopian meal we had once shared. So much so that on their 40th anniversary I commandeered the kitchen and attempt to cook a replica. I was half successful considering I lacked a lot of the main ingredients. But this was not enough. 5 years ago I experienced it again. This time driving through Georgetown in Washington DC. We were looking for an Indian restuarant, saw the Ethiopian sign and immediately pulled over. We were not disappointed. Then a year ago, nearly to the day,  I went on a Birmingham Balti Bus Tour, where the tour guide (not realising the enormity of his comment) flippantly pointed out the Blue Nile Restaurant. Lives changed that night. Specifically the lives of every person who has come to visit me in Birmingham because I have dragged every.single.one of them there.

You really like Ethiopian food. I get it. Can I get some specifics about what it is (rather than a long and pathetic story of your obsession).

You could have asked more politely. But yes, of course.

Rose Villa Tavern (RVT to the locals)

Slap bang in the ‘centre’ of the Jewellery Quarter you will see a massive, slightly scary building that looks like an old man’s pub.

By the clocktower? Is that the ‘centre’. I’ve seen that place, looks weird.

Yes, I always think of the ‘centre’ as being the clocktower, top of Newhall Hill. I totally thought the Rose Villa Tavern looked creepy/scary when I first moved to the JQ. My more daring friend disagreed and so we piled in for a drink one evening. I could not have been more wrong. RVT, in the space of about 30 seconds, quickly became my (second) favourite place in Brum.

It’s not just the adorable brightly colour painted stools, ironic ‘hunter’s lodge’ wallpaper behind the bar or their rather awesome cocktail selection (happy hour 4-7pm!). It’s the fact that they sell every single go-to comfort food that I like and do the most amazing brunch menu I have ever seen outside of London.

Comfort food? Brunch? I need more details.

Urban Coffee Company

This was my first foray into a Birmingham away from the Bullring. I googled “good birmingham coffee shop” after arriving in Brum for the first time on a day trip with friends. It was the top of the search box, ended up being amazeballs and I left the city thinking maybe it was a place brimming over with awesome, funky, independent delights. I was almost nearly right. A few months later, after moving here permanently, I found a second home in Urban Coffee (particularly during the dark days of no home wifi) but as I looked around for more such gems they failed to appear quite as easily as Urban Coffee did on first google.

But that is why this blog exists, to ease future googlers who hunt for more than a shopping centre to wet their Birmingham appetites.

So to Urban Coffee. There are two delightful locations. One up by the clock tower in the Jewellery Quarter and the other located more centrally on Church Street just off the cathedral square. They are equally lovely with their own character and menu.

Why should I venture to the Jewellery Quarter branch?