Basilico Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Birmingham

We went to Basilico on a Saturday evening a couple of weeks ago, without a booking, but the restaurant wasn’t too busy and was able to cater for us. We were both tempted by the specials. I had a tuna steak dish which came with king prawns, capers, olives and cherry tomatoes on a bed of linguine and with a touch of lemon, garlic and cream. My husband opted for a veal dish which came with peppers, onions and tomatoes, and a side of potatoes and vegetables. Both meals were outstanding. My tuna was a very large juicy cut, cooked medium/rare so it retained juices and was very meaty. Combined with the prawns it was a very filling dish and incredibly tasty. My husband said his was beautifully cooked – the veal was flame-grilled so the meat was tender and juicy – and the accompaniments levelled up the meal.

We decided to go back the following Saturday and didn’t book again. This time, the restaurant was very full and we were lucky enough to get the last small table for two. I chose the tuna dish again as it was still on the specials and having enjoyed it so much before, I couldn’t resist. My husband this time opted for the fillet steak with garlic and mushroom sauce, with home cooked chips. He’s very fussy about his steak but it came perfectly cooked just as he’d requested and he said it was tender and flavoursome, and the sauce very tasty. On both occasions he has also gone for the crème brulee, which is very good, and the Primitivo on offer is a great red wine option, which we usually follow up with a limoncello, and on the first occasion, and very well made espresso martini.

Basilico has an extensive menu with plenty of good options to suits all tastes, and a well-stocked bar. We’re almost reluctant to share how good it is, but we will definitely be sure to...

Had a night out in sutton and past Farina, looked a beautiful little smart restaurant and decide to eat there. Seated down, decors really nice and suttle. We had been at work all week , long hours, fancied a night out and Unfortunately the evening didnt start well. Seated down , given menus and then was left to ponder whether or not we had turned invisible, plenty times we were passed, seemed to me that the regulars and upper clientel were of more importance..30 minutes had passed until I had to go up and say its been 30 minutes and we havent even been offered a drink. Offered some olives as a way of an apology , unfortunately we dont like olives. And no other means were offered after blatantly being disregarded for a third of our evening. Compliments to the chef The food we ordered , chorizo starter, lamb espetada and parmesan chicken, was very nice. And the waiter we had when one came over was very good. However we all know the negatives stand out a hell of a lot more than the positives and thats generally what you tell people. The food made the evening ok, even though it was very good, Something so simple as a drink which is normal to ask in restaurants immediately or within 5 minutes was totally forgotten, honest mistake perhaps or unprofessional, but based on that we wont be returning. Again the food was lovely, but overall the evening was marred by sitting there for half an hour seemingly disappearing into the...

We visited on Friday 27th December needing to get out after the 2 days of Xmas. Booked a table thinking it was Farina, turned up and it’s Dizi now, a Persian restaurant. Now we loved Farina, and after the initial disappointment of it being no more, we settled in to see what was on offer from the new hosts. We ordered 3x starters between the 4 of us, and a main each. Starters - hummus, mashed aubergine and prawns, served with beautiful crisp flatbread - delicious. Mains 2x kebabs, a shishlik and a mousakka, everyone commented how good they were, how beautiful the rice was and how generous the portion sizes; maybe a little too big after the starters, so next time we may mix it up and share mains as well as starters. Finished with a sharing plate of small desserts between all. We had a couple of bottles of a delicious vinho verde for the table and a couple of beers for the guys. In summary: excellent, friendly and knowledgeable service. The restaurant is light and bright. Food quality superb, good self drinks and really good value. We ended up not disappointed that we were not at Farina, and we will definitely visit early in...