Hey there everyone! Am I the only one who’s confused about what day or time it is?! This Christmas week is such a lovely time to sit back, chill, eat your body weight in nibbles and chocolate and catch up on all the TV… we’ve just started S.W.A.T. and our plan is to finish the first series (22 episodes!) before we go back to work on the 2 Jan… lots of chill time is planned!
Instead of getting each other presents, the hubby and I treat ourselves to a nice meal. This year we decided to go to Simpsons in Harborne, a Michelin star restaurant in Birmingham and wow! what a treat! I just had to share it with you all…
As soon as we got in the door we were taken through to the bar where we had a very nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc – my fav wine of all! It had to be a large glass because… why not?
This is the room where we had our pre-dinner drinks… I loved the decor and style of the room. I would have loved to have seen what the house looked like when it was a large house and known what this room was used for. Also, look at that chandelier! 😍
After some yummy olives (something I used to hate but now love) we were taken through to the main dining room which is like a huge conservatory. We were by a ‘living wall’ which I loved! I definitely took great pleasure in pointing out the string of hearts to the hubby to which he was like ‘How on earth do you know all this stuff?’, to which I obvs replied ‘Instagram darling!’ 😂
Now for the best bit… THE FOOD! We’d come here convinced we’d go for the 3 course lunch menu but as soon as we saw the tasting menu it didn’t take long for us to change our mind and treat ourselves to 6 courses 😋
This was our weapon of choice…
I forgot to take a picture of the first amuse bouche which was turnip soup and oh so yummy. This was followed by a sweet potato charcoal nugget with a delicious ketchup thing. They were meant to look like charcoals and tasted better than they looked 😋
These 2 mini appetisers definitely got us ready for the meal! We’d only had fruit and yogurt for breakfast in anticipation of this yummy meal so were starving by 2pm when we came for lunch.
The bread was fairly tasty. We each got a little baguette and an olive swirly bread which had a texture of a flaky pastry and bread. The hubby was a little disappointed that they didn’t offer us any more after we devoured it fairly quickly! Tbh I wouldn’t have been able to finish the meal if we’d have had more!
It wasn’t long until the first course came which was cured salmon with beetroot and dill and wasabi dressing. Tbh this was the one course I wasn’t too sure about. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised by it and demolished the lot! The salmon just melted in the mouth.
The next course was beef cheek and was the hubby’s favourite. The beef was so succulent and just melted. Honestly I can’t remember the bacon in it but that broth was just 😍
Now for one of my FAV courses, the Seabream… It was like a flavour explosion with every bite. It made me wonder why I don’t go for a fish main course more often. In 2019 I will definitely have more fish. I’d love to try and recreate this dish.
Duck was the next course and I was definitely getting a little full by this point. The duck breast was very yummy but I wasn’t really blown away by the duck leg or the seed/ grain mash. I was definitely comparing it to the fish course and the fish won for me.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a very sweet tooth so I couldn’t wait for pudding! I think this was my favourite course of all… a medley of peer, gingerbread and ice cream… heaven! For anyone wondering, Parkin is a type of gingerbread (I didn’t know what it was until yesterday – I actually plucked up the courage and asked the waiter 😋). I definitely could have eaten 6 of these.
The final desert was a bread and butter pudding using croissants with cranberries and the yumminess that is burnt butter ice-cream. I was super full but we still managed to finish it all!
Overall it was such a lovely treat and the best tasting menu we’ve ever had… tbh we’ve only ever done one other tasting menu but it was still so good 😋 The atmosphere was nice and chilled and we could definitely relax. Here’s a rare photo of me… I’m going to try and be better about posting pics of myself in 2019. If I’m being honest I’m a bit camera shy compared to what I used to be like (even a few years ago!) which is ridiculous when I actually admit it, so I’m going to get out of my very comfy comfort zone and post more pics of myself!
I love the dress I wore to Simpsons – think it’s the deep navy colour and flower design. I don’t have another dress like it and is good for going out for meals due to its elasticated waistline! Its an old number from about 6 years ago and still nice and comfy!
I’d definitely love to go back to Simpsons and eat outside in their lovely looking garden… One day!
Me and the hubby definitely love our food and can’t wait for our next special meal. In April we’ll be going to Le Manoir with the hubby’s parents. I’ve wanted to go for a while and have heard its a real treat so counting down the days!
What’s your favourite Michelin star restaurant?
Have you been out for any yummy meals during the holidays?
Until next time,
Cathers x
