Mrs Chew's Chinese Kitchen — Restaurant in Birmingham

When you hear this name, you would think it would be an actual authentic Chinese woman’s kitchen however I am slightly unsure it is. Then again, as a non-native, there is a shred of doubt I could be wrong.

Located conveniently in the middle of Grand Central, on top of the busiest station outside London, New Street, it is easily accessible by the various commuters, the working lunch crowd as well as the shoppers in the vicinity. Nestled amongst other competitor eateries, it does stand out with its red décor and USP of authentic halal Chinese food. You will find ping pong rackets/paddles/bats (depending which part of the world you are from) hanging at top which must signal their superb prowess and domination in the sport.

It is one of the very few places I have come across that serve halal duck (which I had before and doesn’t taste too bad).

Finding myself in Birmingham which could be my last lunch in the City Centre prior to Ramadan commencing, out of the many options, I opted for Mrs Chew’s Chinese Kitchen, which signifies how highly I rate this place.

Escorted to the table by the fine waitress I was told many times that they accepted card only. I am not sure why it was insisted like I carry a briefcase of cash like some notorious money launderer however I reiterated politely that it is fine. They are kind enough to give you a fork for all those who lack the skills of eating with the traditional chopsticks. I scoured the menu and opted for the Black Pepper Beef with Jasmine Rice. It did not take long to arrive and once it did, I was so glad I ordered this.

The beef was tender and flavoursome. It married up really well with the rice and vegetables. I pondered the culinary delights of the Chinese culture with every bite and devoured the whole thing.

When the bill arrived, they cheekily added a 10% service charge however as I was in my suit as well as thoroughly enjoying the meal, I did not argue over it and gladly tapped my card and look forward to my visit post Ramadan when hopefully I will be a few pounds lighter.

A really good spot for authentic Chinese food with a vast...

I visited Mrs Chews in Birmingham expecting a halal meal, as advertised. Firstly, I think it would be a good idea to list the ingredients of what's in your food, asking people's allergies after they've stuck an order in is unprofessional and advertising something as "chicken noodles" while serving it with different meats and vegetables is deceptive.

After ordering what was supposed to be chicken noodles, I found several types of meat in the dish, including red meat that clearly didn’t look or taste like chicken. When I asked the staff, they denied it being anything other than chicken. Based on appearance and texture, I have strong reason to believe it was pork. If true, that’s a serious breach of trust and completely unacceptable for a restaurant claiming to serve halal food. Even if it wasn't pork. Don't lie to your customers? It's basic etiquette as a waiter to be honest.

It is not a nice feeling to sit at restaurant eating something that isn't clear to you.

The food was served cold, and a service charge was added to the bill before we were shown the total. The overall attitude of the staff member came across as dismissive and rude which basically helps confirm suspicions that we had been tricked.

I’m writing this review so others, especially those who eat halal, can make an informed choice. I hope management takes this seriously; honesty and respect for customers’ dietary and ethical religious requirements are the bare minimum in hospitality.

We will not be eating here again and I'll be raising this with the consumer agency to have this...

Thought we would try this place with the family today and whilst the food and and service deserve a much higher rating than the 1 star our experience was completely ruined by one staff member in particular. Whilst I totally understand the rule for not allowing food from another restaurant for obvious reasons, Mrs Chew's does not have a menu which caters to young children. My 2 year old is going through a phase of only eating very specific foods at the moment, any parent will understand. I had purchased some chicken and fries from a different shop for my little one and me and the other 2 adults had already ordered full meals from the menu at Mrs Chew's. This rude staff member flatly stated no food allowed from outside and when explained it was for the little one and that she would either have to starve or sit outside the shop and eat, he reluctantly agreed. Why this review gets 1 star is because being watched like a hawk whilst trying to enjoy a family meal out is not ideal, this particular staff member came over to question us like a male Karen (will call him Karen as he refused to provide his name) about me eating a few fries whilst feeding my daughter. Imagine a worker coming over to actually question why you put fries in your mouth. The tall Caucasian brown haired Karen wearing the checked t-shirt if you have kids of your own one day you will understand our frustration today. If not it is probably...