Simpsons Restaurant, Edgbaston

September has to be my favorite month of the year. There’s so much going on with our wedding anniversary, cheeky holidays abroad and my birthday! With so much to celebrate, dining out is like a daily routine, which means food babies are normally in full swing and gym sessions are a distant memory.

I normally like a good hearty menu, but for my birthday I prefer something a little more exclusive. So when I heard that Simpsons ‘one of Birmingham finest’ Restaurant in Edgbaston had a face-lift I was eager to go check it out.

 

Entrance to Simpsons Restaurant in Edgbaston

I first went to Simpsons in 2011, in fact it was my first Michelin dining experiences and what really started my fascination for fine dining. And hearing that it was one of the first restaurants in Birmingham to be awarded a Michelin star, I  really didn’t know what to expect.

Before the face-lift, Simpsons was quite different in terms of appearances to what it is now, but even the dining experience was somewhat ‘too formal.’ But my experience this time round felt a lot more relaxed and relatable, and what the restaurant describes on their website – ‘informal, contemporary and elegant dining’ matched up to expectations.

The oak wood setting in the main restaurant really gives a warm and ultra modern feeling.

Simpsons Tasting Menu 

This time round, Abz (my hubby) and I had the taster menu; it looked really interesting with some unusual options such as rabbit – great for anyone who likes to try something new. However what was good to see, was that the menu had some favorites like; duck breast, caviar and mackerel making it very appetising. Like most taster menus a selection of snacks were served before and during the dishes.

To kick off the snacks, we casually ate some squid crackers.

Followed by these colourful edible flowers sitting on a selection of crackers.

This has to be the best bread I’ve ever eaten, it was perfectly soft with a rustic edge.

After these filling snacks, we dived into the taster menu kicking of with some trendy rabbit meat and hen of wood mushrooms. This was the first time I’ve eaten rabbit and to be honest it taste similar to chicken and had a pleasant taste. The hen of wood mushroom complimented this dish well.

Next up was the cauliflower which was served with caviar. I really enjoyed the cauliflower but I wasn’t keen on the caviar. Having said that Abz thought it was a winning combination.

The next two dishes; mackerel served with fragmented carrots and the duck breast were my favourite two dishes. The duck breast was served with the ducks heart (which I couldn’t bring myself to eat) but made for some good table conversation and snap chat videos!

Mackerel served with fragmented carrots.  

The duck breast was simply divine, I really enjoyed this and cleaned up the dish…except the ducks heart of course!

To cleanse our pallets, a pre-dessert was then served by one of the chefs, which was a miniature hazel nut ice-cream. The ice cream had an unusual after taste, I couldn’t put my finger on if I liked it or not but the cone was delicious.

To finish off, two desserts were served. The first was the mango, pineapple and coconut curry ice-cream garnished with coriander. And the second was the blueberry yogurt and fennel ice-cream. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the mango dessert, because Abz and I decided to get a photo taken so my attention was distraction. But I’ve substituted it for a picture of the home made chocolate and hazelnut brownie that the chef made especially for my birthday.

The chocolate brownie was a complete delight, but as you can imagine Abz and I were completely full.

Final thoughts

The dining experience and taster menu at Simpsons, is a great way to try the full menu in short bursts of flavoursome dishes. Especially if you’re the type of person that likes to try something new.

A nice touch to the dining experience, was the noticeably, happy and optimistic people that work here. They described each dish without losing you – which can often be the case at Michelin restaurants.

So the next time your planning a special meal, and have run out of ideas – give Simpsons a go you won’t be disappointed.

Oh and the good thing is that you can book rooms and stay overnight to make your evening that extra bit special.

We didn’t do that instead we took one final picture in the hall way, and made our way back home to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Poonam x