Good grief, another Edible Review! The boys and I met up after our fifth exam in as many days to create this defiantly inappropriate podcast. The last edible review was so well received that we convened and set about reviewing a range of delicious saussies for your listening pleasure once again.
Our first saussie was the auspicious Polish garlic sausage from Lituanica in Snow Hill.
Second on our salacious salami quest was the Bastides French minature salamis.
Keeping to the theme of dry cured French saussies, we moved straight onto the salami sec, from the deli in Waitrose Harborne.
From France, we sailed our saussie ship into the ports of Spain and England, for our next two sausages; the chorizo and pork & bramley apple from M & S Birmingham High Street.
Last, but neither yeast or least, the fabled cheese sausages from Lithuanica. Undeniably unhealthy, but equally devastating.
I hope you enjoyed this saussie poddy. Let me know what else you’d have us wrap our chops around for the next edible review!
As you well know, Friday lunch is sacred to us at Ulaw. Not one Friday goes past where we are not starved for intellectual conversation and excellent food. This week, Urban answered our fevered calls. This startling independent is situated in the middle of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. The Strained Six made their way to it in the hope of a filling lunch. We were not disappointed.
We love three things; amazing coffee, food & service. Urban
I opted for the honey roast ham and peach chutney sandwich. This was masterfully done. The bread was delightfully springy, the gammon was roasted wonderfully and the chutney compliemnted the whole thing quite well. I would have liked the bread to be toasted but this is only one small pedantic point.
St Nick, in his unbending stubborn fashion opted for the full English. Of course, if you read the blog avidly you’ll know that St Nick does not eat beans in tomato sauce. To reiterate:
I do not eat beans in tomato sauce. They are the devil’s work. I will not allow them entrance into my most sacred tummy wummy. St Nick
As per, I was honoured to sample St Nick’s cooked saussie. I dare say this was one of his better offerings. It is pictured, alone with its dishevelled entourage, below.
Connie and the girls weren’t feeling too peckish, so they opted for some pancakes. Being covetous and selfish, they did not choose to share any of their sweet bounty with the rest of us, starved and poor punters. St Nick was more Christian, offering us each a slice of delicious chocolate cake. With my scrumptious thighs in mind, I could put decline a full slice. However, the morsel I devoured was quite divine. I remember exclaiming several expletives, much to the disconsternation of my fellow diners.
Overall, the lighting; food; service; location and price were all top shelf. I absolutely recommend this to anyone in the Jewellery Quarter, looking for a quick and delicious lunch. And if you have time, visit my friends in the Pen Museum. It’s extraordinary good fun.
When Louise invited me to come along to our second Literary Salon, I fully expected to end up in another dive bar in the Jewellery Quarter. You can imagine my elation to be brought to this charming independent restaurant in the middle of town. Though parking was a nightmare, the payoff was large.
We keep our cafe food simple, cooked to order, and with options for all diets. Our focus is to provide you the best value for money without being stingy on portion size or dropping quality you should expect, such as local free range eggs or cakes that are homemade. Cherry Reds
Google describes this restaurant as funky, but I prefer exceptional. Cherry Reds really does stand out. An oasis in a sea of chains, Cherry Reds provided me with a meal as warm and delightful as their welcome. Louise in her vast and overwhelming wisdom opted for the Full English. Below is an action shot of her drowning this delightful dish in ketchup.
As per, I was honoured to sample Louise’s saussie. This was absolutely super duper. But nothing and nobody could compare to my meal. I ordered it and then asked a waitress what their best meal was. She confirmed, much to my elation, that my own meal was the greatest on offer. For carnivore at least, and indeed at most.
The mighty beef burger with halloumi on the side tasted as good as it looked. I would warn diners that Cherry Reds uses practically no salt in their food. This is good for the health, of course. But if one is not aware of it, this can be quite alarming. The granary bread was soft and meshed beautifully with the minced beef burger. The onion ring and cheese were delightful and the potato chips – well I shall let the above picture speak for itself.
The Literary Salon was set up by Nat, my old Warwick Uni criminal law tutor. This is my second time attending and I must say I feel enriched for doing so. I encourage all of you to attend for a wonderful discussion. February’s theme was Doomed Love. March’s theme will be ‘The Graphic Novel’. I’ll be there, I hope you shall be too.
Overall, Cherry Reds left me feeling satisfied culinarily as well as mentally. I am happy to wholeheartedly recommend it you, dear readers.
This cafe has been on my radar for some months. I remember when I was battling between the BPP Law School and the University of Law, both of whom were vying for my precious coins, I first ate here. Now, I am always on the lookout for unassuming brilliance. Niche Cafe positively oozes unpretentiousness. This is its crowning feature, for me.
It’s real Hawaiian food served in an authentic medieval English dungeon atmosphere. Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, Part IV: Middle Age, on the topic of Ulaw dining
Last month, I brought the boys there for lunch. We had come to a point where the dungeon cafe food at university wasn’t cutting it anymore. We have actively sought a sustainable alternative. After months of searching, I do believe we have found it.
Niche Café is by definition a greasy spoon cafe. The fare on offer is modest and wholesome. It is not terrifically healthy, but then again neither are Tesco sandwiches or under-salted slop. Now, to the food. St Nick, in his customary fashion, ordered the full english without beans. He hates beans. I had the good fortune to sample his saussie, and I must say it was quite delightful.
I hate beans in tomato sauce. St Nicholas Jenkins
Young James, by contrast, decided to go all out and order the Eggs Benedict. From the affirmative grunts I overheard, it seems he enjoyed this. The plate was quite clean once he had finished. It’s a wonder he didn’t eat the porcelain as well.
On the occasion of the previous two photographs, I went for the brie; bacon and cranberry grilled panini. Alas, this time the bacon was overcooked. But Chef is stupendous and I am sure that if I asked him to grill the bacon a little less without poisoning me, he would be obliging.
My most recent visit saw me order a delightful mushroom and cheese omelette. Now that was delightful. I’m constantly wary of a burned bottom on my omelettes. Thankfully, this was not the case at Niche Café. As you can see from the photograph below, it was cooked perfectly. The raw toast was a tad random, but then again, who am I to complain about complimentary bread.
Overall, this is not the Ritz Carlton. But what Niche Café does, it does sensationally well. This eatery is top shelf. If you go to Ulaw, you’d be mad not to go here for your lunch on a semi-regular basis. The best thing of all: you can dine for almost nothing! My meal with a two coffees came to under £6. Huzzah!
I’ll set the scene: it is Sunday morning, Mass is over and I am having a coffee with Louise. Having friends and commitments, she is unable to go for Sunday lunch. I am forced to dine alone like a solitary seagull. Cafe Reem is four minutes’ cycle from St Mary’s church, making it a new favourite for my Sunday lunch.
Now, when I am upset I tend not to eat. This week has been trying to say the least and I didn’t feel like gorging myself. I ordered the falafel first. the waiter showed genuine excitement when suggesting them to me. He said they were the best in town. Now, I have seldom eaten falafel in any town so I had little with which to compare them.
The presentation was unpretentious and the flavour, superb. The fennel and sesame danced together in a frenzied rhythm which gave the dish a wonderful feel. And to top it off, it was not heavy at all. I was left with plenty of room for my next dish.
This is possibly the best halloumi wrap I have had in my life. The flavours battled violently and reminded me of the potential heights achievable using this Cypriot cheese. The imhamara sauce blew my mind. Truly a stunning dish, I recommend it with all my hands.
To finish off this splendid Sunday meal, I ordered a cardamon Americano. I have discovered coffee relatively recently, and this one was formidable. Personally, I should say the cardamon was a little strong. But then, it is almost impossible to use cardamon without frying the end consumer’s eyebrows.
In all, I am deeply impressed by my small far. It’s proximity to my Harborne home means that I shall be returning again and again. I shall bring all my friends too, because the price is rice. After your meal, you might enjoy a walk through Grove Park, which provides me with endless inspiration. The majesty of creation is not to be sniffed at.
I’ll let you into a secret. I had already chosen AOTM for February quite early on. However, one fateful night, in the midst of a pristine carbonara with a less than interesting dinner opponent, this album occurred to me. The album title is apposite for this month of strenuously fake commercialised sentiment.
My attention was drawn from the decidedly underwhelming company, to the masterful regality of this colourful album. What vocality; what depth of sound and excellent instrumentality. Scritti Politti, originally heralding from Leeds, created something truly special in their second album.
It remains the band’s most successful album, reaching number five in the UK, and was certified gold by the BPI for 100,000 copies sold. The album contained five singles, three of which were top 20 hits in the UK.
Having read Thomas Dolby’s startling memoir ‘The Speed of Sound’, I am awake to the immense influence of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer. It is used marvellously throughout the album, helping to create stunning soundscapes, as can be heard below.
The album from which “Perfect Way” emerged, Cupid & Psyche 85, combines feather-light, MTV-friendly vocals with R&B, funk, reggae, and state-of-the-art synthesizer programming. ConsequenceofSound
The track which keeps haunting my consciousness is ‘Small Talk’. Reportedly recorded in one afternoon, it is littered with excellent melodies and prickling poignant lyrics. The pace and effortless musicality add to it, making it a tremendous success for me.
Another stand out for me is ‘Don’t Work That Hard’, a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly agree. I added it to my ‘Almost Top Ten’ playlist.
Not content to just be a collection of au courant sounds and lush vocals, Cupid & Psyche 85 uses Gartside’s interest in Marxism and deconstructionist theory to subvert the blissful, accessible pop with ideas about language, work, and capitalism. ConsequenceofSound
Overall, Cupid & Psyche 85 is a work of astounding musical value. It is suitable for a wicked party or as background to a leisurely chat about emotional trauma. The musical excellence of this album is not confined to a certain discernment or taste, it is for everyone. But unlike most chain restaurants, this crowd pleaser is of very high quality. Have a listen to it if you have time. You won’t regret it.
