Food Review: Zen Metro Gluten Free Menu

Whilst we are usually spoiled for choice when it comes to curry in Birmingham, it can be somewhat harder to find a great spot for Thai and Pan Asian food in the city.

Recently opened on Cornwall Street in the Colmore Business District, Zen Metro has been newly refurbished and transformed into a stylish Zen space.

Open for lunch and dinner, by evening this has fast become a favourite for after work drinks amongst the stylish Colmore set serving delicious cocktails and more from the long bar.

However, I was invited to try out the menu and as always, was on the lookout to see how gluten free friendly the restaurant is.

Round the corner and past the bar lies a beautiful restaurant space, and at it's centre, a stunning cherry blossom tree. Behind here, in the glass walled private dining space, we sat down to enjoy our thai dinner.

Starting off with the obligatory crackers, we took a look at the dinner menu and I was helpfully given my very own gluten free menu; we were off to a good start.

I noticed the set menu for £24.95 (minimum four guests) which seemed great value for two pre-starters, four starters, four mains and a choice of dessert, especially since it includes many favourites including Tom Yum, Chicken Satay, Green Curry and Massaman Curry. 

There was a huge amount of choice on the gluten free menu and I was glad to see my favourites were on there, including a whole host of Thai curries.

I opted for the Chargrilled Jumbo Prawn (£8.95). Usually served on fried noodles with a garlic and chilli dressing, my dish was altered slightly to exclude the noodles and instead come with a sweet chilli sauce.

The prawns were absolutely huge, meaty and tender topped off with a sweet chilli sauce. They were that good, I could have eaten them plain and they would have still been delicious.

I quickly polished these off before our mains arrived. I opted for Green Curry, with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, green beans and basil leaves (£13.95) with steamed jasmine rice (£3.25).

As well as coming out at a very generous portion size, my Thai Green Curry was everything you expect from the dish. Smooth, creamy, with large pieces of soft chicken, this was perfect with the plain rice. Besides a few spicy peas which made this spicier than normal, the dish itself is creamy and mild.

Although we could have stopped here, we couldn't help but take a peek at the dessert menu. Although there were a few gluten free options including ice cream, creme brulee and creme caramel, I decided instead for a glass of dessert wine which was a delicious sweet way to end the meal. 

Throughout the evening, the service was fantastic, with the waiters topping up our water glasses and very well versed in the gluten content on the meals.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at ZEN Metro. From the stylish, luxurious and comfortable surrounds to the quality and taste of the food, as well as the portion sizes, I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again for a fabulous Thai meal.

*Thank you to the team at ZEN Metro for the meal and for looking after us.  

Father's Day Menu Launch and Thai Cookery Class at Chaophraya

What comes to mind when you think of a Father's Day meal? Is it a Sunday Roast, pub grub, or maybe a steak. Thai food may not be your first answer, but why not?

Chaophraya Thai has launched a special menu to enjoy on Father's Day. For £14.95 per person, there's a choice of a starter, main meal and a bottle of Singha or Chang beer included in the price.

I was invited along with a group of Birmingham bloggers to try my hand at a traditional Thai dish and taste test the menu.

Making our way up to the first floor of the restaurant, a space which can be used for special events, private dining and in our case, for masterclasses, we started off by making a Strawberry Mojito.

Not traditionally Thai, you may say, but Chaophraya has an extensive cocktail menu, and I was all too happy to rustle up this particular creation. Refreshing and sweet, I made mine with just a touch much sugar than necessary to satisfy my cravings.

Next, we were able to tuck into a selection of starters from the Father's Day menu, including Chicken Satay, Chicken Tom-Kha and Vegetable Spring Rolls. Although I didn't sample the Chicken Satay as it's not gluten free, I did instead sample the Chicken Tom-Kha. Unusually, I had never tried this dish, and was surprised at the rich, creamy flavours of this coconut based soup. Complete with a piece of young coconut, straw mushrooms and the subtle flavours of galangal, lemongrass and chilli, I would happily order this again.

The final option wasn't delivered to the table, however, and for this one we grabbed a partner, headed to a cooking station and rustled up our very own Spring Rolls. Firstly chopping then cooking the filling mixture, we then filled and rolled our spring rolls before frying them until golden brown. Although I sadly couldn't eat my spring rolls, they looked pretty good!

Thai Red Prawn Curry, Panang Beef Curry, Tofu and Pineapple Curry

After all the hard work of cooking, we were then able to tuck into the main courses, which came served in adorable boat shaped bamboo plates for us to sample. The main course selection includes Panang Beef Curry, Massaman Lamb Curry, Thai Green Chicken Curry, Tofu and Pineapple Curry and Thai Red Prawn Curry. I was served a full sized portion of Thai Green Curry as this was the only gluten free option from the selection, but as I can tolerate soy sauce, I did also try small portions of the other dishes.

Thai Green Curry

As it happens, my favourite dish was the Thai Green Curry. Large pieces of chicken had been simmered in coconut milk with courgettes and aubergine, and topped off with basil and chillies. This dish to me is Thai comfort food, and served with a helping of Jasmine Rice to mop up all the great flavours in the sauce, makes a sublime dish.

Thai Red Prawn Curry

My favourites of the tasters was definitely the Thai Red Prawn Curry. The prawns were huge, juicy, and tender, and the sauce was creamy and full of flavour, balanced out in favour of sweet with some sour lime notes. The sauce was the best Thai Red Curry I've tried anywhere.

Massaman Lamb Curry

Panang Beef Curry

Tofu and Pineapple Curry

A big thank you to the team at Chaophraya for hosting such an enjoyable masterclass. If you haven't already booked for Father's Day then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it; you could even book your dad in for the Cooking School is you're stuck for gift inspiration.

To view the Father's Day menu click here. To make a reservation or find out more, visit the Chaophraya Birmingham page.