Food Review: Sabai Sabai Thai Birmingham City Centre

For a city as into it's food as Birmingham, there really aren't too many places to go for Thai. However, Sabai Sabai, the local chain that started off in Moseley before spreading to Harborne, Stratford and now Waterloo Street in the city centre, is now on hand to cater for all your Thai food and cocktail needs.

With a good sized bar offering diners or simply drinkers a place to perch, there is a great selection of cocktails on offer from classics to something different. We started off with the Bangkok Fizz (£8.25), a prosecco based cocktail with citrus flavours. This was a great way to kick off the night, where bloggers from the city and beyond had gathered to try out the new joint. 

At the table, we were treated to sharing portions that weren't really that. I'm pretty sure we all had more than one dish each, which meant that we could avoid the awkward "oh no, you take the last one" situation because there really was plenty to go around. The portion sizes themselves were also extremely generous.

The first dish to arrive was the Meat Sharing Platter (£12.95 each), a mix of lamb chops, spare ribs, chicken wings and crispy duck rolls. The lamb chops were served pink, which is how I like them, and were very, very meaty. The chicken wings were again, thick and meaty and seasoned with chilli and salt. I was also treated to a warm bowl of Tom Yam Goong, Spicy and Sour Prawn Soup to cater to my gluten free dining requirements.

Next, we moved onto the main event, where the table was laid out with Monkfish Thai Green Curry (£17.95), Short Rib Beef Massaman, Papaya Salad (£9.95), Weeping Tiger Steak (£16.95), Pad Thai (£10.95), Tenderstem broccoli and Garlic Rice. 

A veritable feast, and something I would heartily recommend to anyone dining in a large group, please do order as we did and get stuck into a variety of dishes; it really is the most fun way to dine!

The stand out dishes here were the Massaman Beef, a delicious, thick nutty curry sauce poured over the softest piece of short rib beef you'll ever try paired with the garlic rice, with nutty flavour hints that complemented the sauce.

For fresher flavours, it was the Papaya Salad and Pad Thai that worked well together. Pad Thai was exactly as you'd expect it to be, a consistently good dish that never fails to deliver just the right balance of sweet, nutty and sour. The Papaya Salad was something little different, with shredded papaya and veg brought together by some big, crunchy peanuts and a touch of sour and sweet from the lime, chilli and palm sugar. 

For dessert, we opted for the prettiest Espresso Martini, just because food bloggers don't do Dry January. Cheers!

*With thanks to Sabai Sabai for the complimentary meal

Food Review: Siamais Brindleyplace Thai Food and Cocktails Review

What's Siamais? The name Siamais is taken from 'Siamese twins', to reflect the dual nature of Brindleyplace Birmingham's only Thai restaurant.

A restaurant and bar, the two areas are quite separate meaning you can enjoy an evening at the bar or in the restaurant without needing to do both.

I was able to enjoy an evening at the restaurant courtesy of Brum Bloggers and met up with Kerry from Brum and Beyond for a Bloggers Dinner Date.

Taking a seat in the main restaurant, myself and Kerry were matched up for a blind date and hit it off like a house on fire. My date had already started on the cocktails so I quickly caught up and ordered the Oriental Orchid, mainly because I tried this at the launch and have craved it ever since. Served with a smoking flask, the cocktail itself is stunning; a light combination of peach and vodka that I could simply keep drinking.

We ordered our starters of Weeping Tiger Sizzling Steak and Crispy Duck Salad and decided to try both. The Sizzling Steak was gluten free but the Duck salad was served with the sauce on the side for my benefit as this part was not.

Both dishes were beautiful, with the steak being rich and full of flavour, whilst the salad was exceptionally light and refreshing.

For our main course, I opted for Green Curry with Chicken which comes served with Jasmine Rice, whilst Kerry chose the Massaman Curry. Again, my curry was gluten free whilst Kerry's Massaman was not.

The server was very helpful when it came to helping me pick what was suitable for a gluten free diet, and checked with the kitchen to ensure I ordered the right dishes!

I adored my Thai Curry, and since Ekachai in Selfridges has closed I've found it difficult to find somewhere that matches up. Thankfully though, I can safely say that I would come back repeatedly for this dish, and that's before I even get started on the cocktails.

Kerry enjoyed her Massaman and similarly to mine, felt that the flavours were just right and rich enough to carry everything in the dish, without tasting like a wash out of coconut milk.

We also shared a cocktail called the Bang Pai Falls, which I highly recommend for the social media pictures alone. This is a sharer that comes served in a skull head glass, complete with steaming top. The drink itself is bright red and delicious, and comprises rum, cherry, vanilla and cranberry juice.

We were both far too full to enjoy a dessert, especially since we'd tried a few cocktails too and picked some sweet options! However, if you're not drinking then definitely try three courses.

The atmosphere whist we were there was lively and it has an almost electric feel at the moment as it is one of Birmingham's hottest restaurants/bars. The restaurant was full and the seating means you can come either in a couple or large group, with the restaurant being able to accommodate both. If you were after a quieter experience, then I'd recommend coming at lunch time to try out two course for £12.95, which is fantastic value for the quality of food.

The cocktails were all imaginative and fun, and the waiting team were really knowledgable on the menu so were able to recommend drinks based on our preferences. This meant that we were happy with each cocktail we tried and I'd order everything I tried today again.

The food was well crafted, well put together and full of flavour, as well as offering good value. My beef starter was £12 and the Green Curry was £14.95 including rice, making it an affordable treat.

No matter what the occasion, a casual lunch, a few drinks after work or a celebration with friends, Siamais ticks all the boxes. The food, drink, service and atmosphere are all to a high standard, as well as the value for money offered by the dishes.

Time for Thai? Yes please!

*My meal was complimentary and courtesy of the team at Siamais.

Event: Siamais Thai Restaurant and Bar Launch, Brindleyplace

Siamais restaurant has just opened in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, and I was lucky enough to attend the launch event and also sit down for a three course meal on the night.

Located on the corner of Oozells Street by the IKON Gallery, Siamais sits on the site of Thai Edge. Offering Thai food and cocktails, the restaurant takes it's name from the word Siamese to reflect the dual experience on offer to customers.

At the entrance is a gorgeous gothic cocktail bar, decorated with lamps and skulls to create an exotic, stylish area for serious cocktail drinking.

Beyond here is the main restaurant, where diners can sit and eat in a space that's quite separate from the bar area.

At the launch, we were treated to a VIP night of smoking cocktails, music and Thai treats.

Following a champagne reception, we were able to choose from two cocktails at the bar. I opted for this smoking teapot cocktail:

This was prime selfie time and you can see I got to spend time with the very lovely Denise Morris and Claire from Nosh and Breks.

After the cocktails, we were seated and presented with a menu that included dishes such as satay chicken, prawn rolls, stir fried chicken beef or lamb and pad thai.

As a gluten free diner, the team were great at navigating me through the menu and instead of a starter platter, I was able to try the Tom Yum soup instead of the House Platter of prawn rolls, fish cakes, spring rolls, satay chicken and chicken wrapped in Pandan leaves. There was also an option to try the Vegetable Platter which included spring rolls, deep fried tofu, sweetcorn cakes, deep fried vegetables and samosas.

My Tom Yum was exactly as I'd want it to be, and edged enough to the side of sour to make me believe that this is a pretty authentic rendering of the dish.

I also tried the chicken satay and chicken wrapped in Pandan leaves, and was again pleased with how well these had been cooked and how delicious and tender they were.

Onto the main course, there was a choice of chicken or vegetable Thai Green Curry, vegetable or seafood Pad Thai or a spicier option of stir fried chicken, beef or lamb.

I opted for the Thai Green Chicken Curry and was again, pleased to find that there is finally a new player in the fight for the title of 'Best Thai in Birmingham'. Again, this was exactly as I'd want it to be, creamy without being overpowering, with large tender chunks of chicken and vegetables that made this a dish I can't wait to try again.

At the table, we were also able to try another cocktail, this time the Oriental Orchid. I picked this as my tastebuds do tend to edge towards the sweet scale. A blend of vodka and peach, served in something that looks like it came out the laboratory was light, but sweeter than I expected. However, the presentation was excellent, hot on the heels of our favourite trend for chemistry inspired concoctions.

Finally, we were able to finish off with a little bit of something sweet, the mango and coconut Thai sticky rice. A small but perfectly formed portion, I adored this dessert for being sweet enough to satiate a craving, but light enough to not overpower the meal. I'd take this over an Alabama Fudge Cake any day.

Siamais offers cocktails and Thai dining without compromise. Whether you're happy to stay at the bar and work your way through the extensive cocktail menu or prefer a quieter night at the main restaurant, you'd be happy with your evening either way. The cocktails on offer were varied, thoughtful presented and well executed, whilst the food was to an exceedingly high standard and fills the gap for Thai food, something which is under-represented in Birmingham. Personally, I can't wait to come back again soon.

*With thanks to Siamais and Delicious PR for the invitation.

Event: Cookery School Launch at Chaophraya Birmingham

When an email inviting me to learn to cook the Chaophraya way landed in my inbox, my finger hit the reply button in super fast time.

Chaophraya Thai Fine Dining restaurant has been a fixture on Spiceal Street, Bullring Birmingham since 2011 and brings authentic Thai cusine and genuine Thai hospitality to sites across the UK.

Already popular in Leeds, myself, Natasha from NutellaTasha and Laura from Full To The Brum were invited to trial out the cookery school format and space in the Birmingham restaurant.

Lesson in progress

Heading down on a cold winter evening, I met Laura in the bar area downstairs before Natasha joined us. Lynsey from Chaophraya runs the cookery schools and took us upstairs ready for the cookery evening.

The upstairs seating area had been closed off for us to use as a specially converted kitchen, and we took to our stations which were ready and laid out with the ingredients for each course, a gas burner, knives chopping boards and even our own hats and aprons!

Chicken Spring Rolls - before

Chicken Spring Rolls - after

The format of the evening was interactive and fun, with our chef demonstrating step by step how to prepare and cook the ingredients as well as flavouring the demonstration with knowledge and tips.

With my spring roll!

Spring Roll vegetables and chicken ready to roll

Spring Rolls frying

For starters, we prepared Chicken Spring Rolls. Although I can't chop as quickly or professionally as the chefs there, I can roll a mean Spring Roll!! I somehow ended up with a huge pile of Sping Rolls and we also got to fry these ourselves.

My alternative King Prawn dish

As a gluten free foodie I was able to make these but sadly not eat them, but the chefs prepared me a special spicy prawn dish instead to eat whilst Natasha and Laura tucked into their dish. They were also really good at adapting dishes to our requirements (more on this later), and Natasha had Vegetable Spring Rolls.

Beef Stir Fry ingredients

With my huge portion of Beef Stir Fry

The finished dish - Beef Stir Fry with Thai Basil and Rice

The main was Stir Fried Beef with Thai Basil. In place of Soya Sauce I used fish sauce but my stir fry tasted amazing, so much so that I ate a massive portion with the rice provided, much to everyones amusement.

Banana in Coconut Batter ingredients

Banana in Coconut Milk simmering

My finished Banana in Coconut Milk dessert

The desserts we cooked were Banana in Coconut Batter for everyone else and Banana in Coconut Milk for me. Again, these were fried in oil, but mine was simmered in coconut milk (yum!) and flavoured with pandan leaf which has a fabulous sweet, slightly citrus taste. I also got to garnish mine with sesame seeds and strawberries.

The cookery lesson was not just great fun, but fascinating too as we touched on the flavours used in Thai cooking, how to balance sweet, salty, sour and spicy elements and the usage of Pandan in Thai cookery. As well as cooking the food, we were able to eat our creations course by course and enjoy our meal in the company of bloggers, on this occasion, and the friendly, helpful team at Chaophraya. They were also able to tailor the sessions to vegetarian and gluten free diets with ease. At the end of the night we even got to take away our aprons, recipe cards and selected ingredients to help us on our culinary adventure.

The cookery lessons will start running from 3rd February and take place once a month in Birmingham at a cost of £60 per person. This includes a welcome drinks reception, introduction to Thai ingredients, demonstration and practical hands on session, all equipment and ingredients. The evenings last approximately 3 hours and cover a complete meal, starter, main and dessert, and can include stir fries, curries, traditional starters and desserts. To find out more, contact Lynsey Miller on lynsey.miller@chaophraya.co.uk.

A big thank you to Lynsey and the Birmingham Chaophraya team for having me!