+44 (0) 121 643 3993
www.thaiedge.co.uk

Contemporary Thai cuisine

Restaurant: 3.5/5

Thai Edge is located in Brindleyplace, in the heart of Birmingham. The decor is very nice, both modern and Thai. The restaurant is very comfortable. The music was a bit loud and repetitive. While the tiles on the floor are practical, they make the place feel a bit cold.

Service: 3.5/5

The service was very good. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us. All the staff wears very nice Thai uniforms.

Food: 3.5/5

I shared a “Royal Orchid” menu as it offered a wide diversity of dishes. As starter, the menu offered chicken satay, golden bags, spring rolls, prawn rolls and chicken in pandanus leaves. The golden bags are a kind of fried shrimp dumpling. Everything was good but the chicken satay and the chicken in pandanus leaves were above the rest offering more subtle flavors.

As main course, the menu offered chicken green curry, stir-fried beef with chili and basil, pork with garlic and pepper, stir-fried mixed vegetables and egg fried rice. The egg fried rice was more Chinese than Thai but again everything was good. The stir-fried beef with chili and basil was above the rest being hot and very flavorful. The chicken green curry was very good too.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $70, including drinks (still water, beer and espresso) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the British pound, Thai Edge offers very good value for money. I’ll come back.

Bank
4 Brindley place
Birmingham, B1 2JB
UK

+44 (0) 121 633 7001
www.bankrestaurants.com

French British fusion cuisine

Restaurant: 3.5/5

Bank is located in Brindleyplace, in the heart of Birmingham. The decor is very modern and the restaurant is very comfortable. You should note that they have nice terraces overlooking the canal at the back of the restaurant.

Service: 3.5/5

The service was very good. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 3.5/5

As starter, I had the smoked haddock and leek risotto. The risotto was served with a poached egg and mustard dressing. It was both original and very good. The texture of the risotto was perfect.

As main course, I had the rump of lamb. The lamb was served with peas, potatoes, spring onions and bacon. The lamb, perfectly cooked was very tasty. It was well complemented by the vegetables. Very classic but very good.

Value for money: 3/5

Around $80, including drinks (still water, wine and espresso) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the British pound, Bank offers good value for money. I’ll come back.

New Diamond
23 Lisle Street
London, WC2H 7BA
UK

+44 (0) 207 437 7221

Chinese cuisine

Restaurant: 2/5

New Diamond is located in Chinatown, right in the center of London. The restaurant is relatively comfortable. The decor is very basic without any real effort. As negative, table cloths are not changed between customers.

Service: 3/5

The service was good. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 2.5/5

I shared a “menu B” as it offered a wide diversity of dishes. As starter, “menu B” offered prawn toasts, hot and sour soup and crispy aromatic duck. The prawn toasts were served with crispy seaweed and BBQ ribs. The crispy aromatic duck was served with pancakes, cucumbers sticks and spring onions. The prawn toasts were a bit dry but the seaweed was excellent. While the hot and sour soup tasted good, the texture was very artificial. The crispy aromatic duck was excellent.

As main course, “menu B” offered special rice, oyster sauce vegetables, chicken with cashew nuts, sweet and sour pork and spicy beef. Everything was good but sweet and sour pork and the spicy beef were above the rest. Servings are generous, so it’s a lot of food.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $50, including drinks (beer) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the British pound, New Diamond offers a good value for money. I’ll probably come back.

Gusto
Edward Pavilion
Albert Dock
Liverpool, L3 4AD
UK

+44 (0) 870 401 2125
www.estestest.co.uk

British cuisine

Restaurant: 2.5/5

Gusto, formerly Est Est Est is located in the center of Liverpool, on the waterfront in one of the world heritage buildings of Albert dock. The restaurant has a nice cozy decor an is relatively comfortable.

Service: 3/5

The service was very good. It was relatively fast and our waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 3.5/5

I had the suckling pig. The pig, served with roast garlic mash potatoes and apple sauce was perfectly executed. Fully cook while still moist with a crackling skin. The mash potatoes and the apple sauce were a perfect complement.

As a side dish, I had the courgette (zucchini) fries. the courgettes, cooked tempura style were very good but a little too greasy to be perfect.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $40, including drinks (mineral water and coffee) and tip. Considering the restaurant, the food and the current exchange rate (close to 2 dollars for 1 pound at the moment), Gusto is definitely a good value for money. I will certainly come back.

Circo
Britannia Pavilion
Albert Dock
Liverpool, L3 4AD
UK

+44 (0) 151 709 7097
www.circoliverpool.com

British cuisine

Restaurant: 3.5/5

Circo is located in the center of Liverpool, on the waterfront in one of the world heritage buildings of albert dock. The restaurant has a very interesting freak show decor. With the help of numerous candles and strange light fixtures, the athmosphere is quite sureal. The restaurant is comfortable but you can feel that priority has been given to the design.

Service: 2.5/5

The service was very good but a bit slow. Our two waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 3.5/5

I started with the wild mushroom rarebit. The creamy mushrooms were served on a toasted cheese crostini, with a crusty cheese piece. While it was very good, it would have been better with a bit more salt on the mushrooms.

As main course, I had the duck pastrami. The duck breast, pan seared, was truly excellent and well complemented by the Cointreau glaze. The pastrami crisp and the vegetable were very good. I would add a special mention to the tomato that were perfect.

For dessert, I had the Eton mess, composed of crushed meringue, strawberries, lightly wiped vanilla flavored cream and covered with passion seed. While the presentation is somewhat ordinary it was really good. I will certainly try to reproduce that at home.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $85, including drinks (mineral water, a bottle of red wine shared between the 2 of us and coffee) and tip. Considering the restaurant, the food and the current exchange rate (close to 2 dollars for 1 pound at the moment), Circo definitely offers good value for money. I will come back.

Chez Kristof
111 Hammersmith Grove
London, W6 0NQ
UK

+44 (0) 208 741 1177
www.chezkristof.co.uk

French cuisine

Restaurant: 3/5

Chez Kristof is located in Hammersmith, in London west side. The restaurant has a very nice cozy decor and is very comfortable.

Service: 3.5/5

Service was excellent. Our waitress not only made genuine efforts to please us but was able to recommend a bottle of wine which was not only reasonably priced but truly excellent.

Food: 2.5/5

I started with the Bagna Cauda (that literally translate to hot bath). The Bagna Cauda is a hot anchovy and garlic dip served with raw vegetables. The anchovies in the dip were not too salty and didn’t overpower the dish. It was both good and original.

As main course, I had the Corsican braised rabbit. The rabbit, served with a lemon sauce, carrots and a side of spatzle dumplings was truly excellent. It was perfectly executed. The spatzle dumplings, soft and tasty, were as good as the rabbit.

For dessert, I had the profiteroles. While the profiteroles were prepared as they should (vanilla ice cream stuffed pastries covered with hot chocolate sauce) they were the disappointment of the meal. The pastries were hard and neither the vanilla ice cream or the chocolate sauce was excellent.

Value for money: 3/5

Around $100, including drinks (mineral water, a bottle of red wine shared between the 5 of us and coffee) and tip. Considering the location (London is very expensive), the restaurant, the service and the current exchange rate (close to 2 dollars for a pound at the moment), Chez Kristof definitely offers good value for money. I will come back.

Wagamama
30 Kensington Street
Brighton, BN1 4AJ
UK

+44 (0) 127 368 8892
www.wagamama.com

Japanese Cuisine / Ramen Bar

Restaurant: 2/5

Wagamama is located in the heart of Brighton, on the British south coast. While they did make an effort to create the decor, it feel more like a cafeteria than a restaurant. The comfort is minimum as the emphasis is on practicality.

Service: 2/5

Service was relatively good. While our waiter made some efforts, he was very busy as he was catering to a large number of tables. They certainly could do with a bit more staff.

Food: 2.5/5

I ordered an Ebi Raisukaree which is a Japanese style rice dish. It is stir-fried black tiger prawns served on rice with a curry sauce and garnished with ginger, galangal, chilies, coriander, red peppers, green peppers, spring onions, mangetout and lime. The presentation was very good and the taste of the dish was very well balanced. One note: I would have preferred the curry sauce to be a bit thicker. That would make the dish easier to eat as the rice quickly goes apart in the sauce.

Aside the Ebi Raisukaree, I ordered a fruit juice which is a fruit cocktail composed of apple, orange and passion fruit. While it is very good, the orange juice dominate the mix and hide both the apple juice and the passion fruit juice.

Value for money: 3/5

Around $30, including drinks (fruit juice) and tip. Considering the food and the current exchange rate (nearly 2 dollars for 1 pound), Wagamama offers good value for money. I will come back.