Friday 25 January 2019

Food review: Fiesta Del Asado, Solihull

Most foodies in Birmingham will have heard of Fiesta Del Asado, the Argentinian steak restaurant on the Hagley Road. What many people don't know however is that Fiesta Del Asado has a new little sister; Fiesta Del Asado in Solihull.


On the main High Street in Shirley, this Fiesta Del Asado has a markedly different look and feel. Whilst both restaurants retain a masculine, dark wood interior, this site also has large windows and plenty of indoor foliage. 

The Solihull restaurant also has a slightly different menu, with an after school family platter available for two adults and two children to share between 3pm and 5.30pm.


The space itself is also more varied and more accommodating to different group sizes and different types of diners. For example, the cosy window nooks are great for smaller or more intimate groups.

Onto the meal itself; we arrived and propped up the bar for a little while whilst we rounded up everyone's Christmas and New Year. I opted for a gin and tonic since I'm not doing Dry January. Just in case you were wondering why, it's because I don't go out much over Christmas anyway, so there seems little sense in it for me personally.


It will become apparent that I'm also not partaking in Veganuary. I'm gluten free already and lactose intolerant, although I try to pretend I'm not (cheese anyone?) and the thought of giving it all up for leaves and berries is not an appealing one. However, stranger things have happened so perhaps one day I'll give it a shot. Until then, I'm still on the meat bandwagon.

I digress. We made our way to a table with velvet covered bench seating on the balcony area. The interior is very spacious and wide open, unlike the nooks and crannies that can be found at the sister site.

We started off by ordering Padron peppers and olives, both of which had a kick. I tried not to eat too many as I knew what was coming next; steak.


I ordered the Marucha Flat Iron, a 20oz flat iron steak taken from the feather muscle, chuck and blade. I seem to remember hearing that this was a flavourful cut. We also ordered fries, pepper and squash asados and potato criolla to share.

My dining companion Paul Fulford also ordered steak and Helen from Positive Fridays ordered the Chicken Parilla. 


My steak was very big and very tasty, seasoned with a rub that I am dying to get the recipe for. I ordered this medium rare, as recommended, which worked well with this particular cut. It was by far and away the best steak I have eaten in a very long time, probably since having dined at the original Fiesta. As much as I love to eat steak, too often I find that I'm disappointed or that the piece I've been served is too tough even when served medium.

The chicken also went down well, and looked very well seasoned. 

All of the accompaniments were delicious and I tried to steer myself away from the chips, as delicious as they were.


We ordered a main course each and skipped the starters and desserts. I would recommend this tactic if you're thinking of dining here and want to make the most of the delicious steaks on offer. As a gluten free diner, this makes a lot of sense as many of the starters and desserts are not suitable for a gluten free diet, with the exception of the chicken wings, padron peppers, olives and sausage.

The quality of the food is always exceptional at Fiesta Del Asado. As tempting as it is to go elsewhere and compromise on price, it always results in a compromise on taste.

A meal at Fiesta Del Asado is always special and never disappoints. For committed carnivores, the steak is always high quality and flavoursome, cooked just right to respect the cut and flavour of each steak. There are of course, other options on the menu, but when they do steak so well, it seems a shame to skip the star of the show.

*With thanks to Fiesta Del Asado for the complimentary meal.