Think you’ve eaten everything on the Birmingham street food circuit? Think again. BrumYumYum have actively nurtured new and peripheral talent in Birmingham’s street food scene, and their efforts have given rise to a consistently exciting monthly event in Kings Heath. The monthly street food market, on the corner of Vicarage Road and High Street, celebrates its second birthday in style on Saturday (April 11), so expect there to be more delectable delights than ever. But those that shout the loudest (or rather Tweets the loudest) aren’t necessarily the tastiest. Here are five things to get your chops around at the birthday instalment of KingshEATh this weekend.
Happily, Meatheads are not just trying to smuggle in more burgers in spherical guises: their meatballs are thoughtfully flavoured and accompanied, drawing on multiple cuisines but clearly avoiding the ‘Jimmy Spices’ effect. They have also faced head-on the pervasive problem of the sauce : carb ratio by offering what appears to be an edible cauldron. Catch them tomorrow from 11.30am at King’s Heath Village Square.
The first time they appeared back in December, Nosh & Ciao quietly sold out in about an hour. Their menu – porchetta and crackling, wild boar stew, crispy little arancini – embodies the culinary holy trinity: big warm flavours, melty meat and crunchy bits.
Not a lot beats great chips and yet not a lot of chips are truly great. Debuting just last weekend, the jury has not yet gorged on Fancy Fries, but it’s been heard on the grapevine that the potatoes are cooked a fashionable number of times and the condiments are well thought-out. They’ll be KingshEATh regulars from next month.
Like Nosh & Ciao, Mama Eti’s has made an understated but highly successful start at KingshEATh. Drawing on an enchanting family history, its menu traces a nuanced picture of Indonesian street food.
- Samurai Sam’s Sushi Shack
If Masterchef nosedives are anything to go by, sushi innovation is highly risky. A dish that seems too natural to be an invention, its ubiquity comes from the immaculate purity of its flavour marriages. Samurai Sam, however, seems to have pushed just the right distance: still in Asia; still texturally sound; still that sacrosanct balance of sweet-sharp, spicy-clean and rich-refreshing.
The Second Birthday of KingshEATh Street Food Market takes place from 11.30am-6pm at Vicarage Road and High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham, on Saturday, April 11. Find out more here.
