Best breakfast
My favourite place for breakfast is Caneat on Stirchley High Street. The food is exactly what a morning needs, with plenty of culinary verve. The quiche is awesome, too.
Best brunch
The Plough in Harborne is great for brunch. The eggs benedict washed down with a Bloody Mary is a great way to spend a Sunday off!
Best lunch
My favourite lunch is at Ken Ho on Hurst Street. Between 12 noon and 5pm they do an extensive dim sum menu consisting of dumplings seafood and my favourite – chicken feet.
Best place for food shopping
The Moseley Farmers’ Market on the last Saturday of each month is a great way to food shop. It wins awards every year and is packed with local artisans who make, grow and create a range of specialist cheeses, nuts and awesome kombuchas! I actually use five of the guys as regular suppliers to my restaurant.
Best place for a pint
I love going to The Patrick Kavanagh Bar in Moseley for a quiet pint. It’s a great local pub and they really do care about the Guinness.
Best place with the family
I don’t have kids, but over Christmas when the family meets up, we love to go for a curry at Mughal-e-Azam. It’s authentic, delicious Indian food. You’re not a Brummie if you don’t like curry.
Best for Sunday lunch
I love to go to Original Patty Men in Digbeth on Sunday lunch for a day-off treat. Because I cook in a British style at the restaurant all week, it’s nice to swerve the traditional roast and go for one of their awesome patty creations. The Darron’s Fancy with a side of chicken poppers is my all-time favourite.
Best place for dinner
Favourite for dinner is Raja Monkey in Hall Green. I have been visiting it for many years and the food is always consistently good. I love being able to eat Indian food that is delicious and healthy – at Raja Monkey, it’s all that. The naans are fantastic, the pickles are great, but most of all I love the thali, a dish comprising six individual dishes to make a complete meal. Also, go for the Rajasthani mutton – it’s amazing.
Where to go for a post-pub snack
Although it’s naughty, I do love a chicken tikka naan from King Kebab in Kings Heath when it’s late or post-pub. I try not to have it too often, but when I do it’s more of a treat. I’ve been going there since my school days and the food always delivers. It really is good for late night cooking.
If I could eat only one thing in Birmingham, it would have to be….
The best thing to eat in Birmingham is the double roast at Look In takeaway and restaurant on Ladywell Walk in Chinatown. For £7.20, it’s pound-for-pound the best value for money and the tastiest thing to eat in Birmingham. Roasted fresh everyday, the meats are exemplary and the rice is always perfectly cooked.
