Situated in the centre of Harborne High Street, The Junction is a pillar of the local community. The weekly quiz here is legend. But alas, the gang and I did not visit this public house to answer trivia questions, we came for Sunday lunch and were richly rewarded.
The Junction menu comprises the option of three small dishes for £10, much like Wetherspoons. Much debate was had as to whether we should go for these, but we opted instead for the Sunday Roasts. Two of us opted for the nut roast. This is typically consisting of onion, celery, mushroom, carrots, breadcrumbs and assorted nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts. I believe this nut roast had a few pine nuts, which made it all the more delicious. This was served on a bed of roast carrots, parsnips, red cabbage and roasties, as well as a whopping great Yorkshire pudding. I was particularly taken aback by the nut roast, as it happened. It positively exuded flavour. The texture was moist and each constituent ingredient came to the fore beautifully.
I ordered the roast pork belly. This was served on the same marvellous bed of vegetables as the last dish. I’d like to talk about these veg for a moment. This is what I consider perfection in Sunday cooking. The cabbage was delicious and freshly made, sliced the correct size and held together by a gorgeous sauce. The roasties were cooked in fat and fell apart beautifully. The parsnips and carrots tasted as though they had been cooked together and both were the correct size and texture for Sunday Roasts.
The pork itself was divine. My one gripe was the skin was somewhat tough and difficult to get through as it cooled. So don’t wait too long to finish it! The meat was cooked over some time which made it fall apart. This pork had a deep, satisfying flavour, notes of fat throughout and a tender juicy texture. Combined with any of the other ingredients on the plate, and the sage and apple jelly we destroyed in the process, this was a winning Main course.
Finally, being enormous, hedonistic gluttons, we ordered some pigs in blankets and cauliflower cheese. I’ve always found cauliflower cheese to be a horrendously bland dish, no matter what is done to it. Pigs in blankets, however, are a game changer. These ones in particular were succulent, with brittle bacon and went deliciously with the gravy at hand.
Overall, this was a marvellous way to spend Sunday lunch. Mass can have quite a stark effect on one’s mood and such a fabulous lunch tips the scales towards the euphoric, rather than disdainful. Tilting thus is bolstered, of course, by their fine selection of alcoholic beverages. Their Aspall’s draught Cyder was a work of art. I recommend this pub for anyone with a mouth and teeth. Enjoy the fantastic fare and beautiful surroundings.