Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food — Restaurant in Birmingham

What a very unique and hidden gem this was. 😊 Today I went to the Restaurant @ Birmingham College of Food.

A restaurant that is run by students who are training to be future ambassadors at heart and has a modern and bright feel to it with contemporary food options.

The location was also offering 50% off food and soft drinks during this period.

I popped in for lunch and booked a table in advance. I was greeted immediately on entry and shown to the table. Hand sanitiser was avaliable with NHS test and trace in operation and tables adequately distanced. All staff were wearing PPE. Inside has a very minimalistic approach with tidy decor and neutral colours.

The key thing here was the service. It was spot on and I could see some of the students were nervous in that regards but they provided excellent customer service skills and were very attentive. They regularly asked how I felt during service and the attention to detail was great. Ample cutlery was avaliable in the middle of the table. The manager was actively interacting with customers and directing their team to do a good job. I actively started speaking to the team about their experiences at UCB too.

I went for this today:

Starter - Griddled Lamb Kofta (With feta, cous cous, pomegranate, yoghurt, mint and lime dressing and pitta bread.)

The kofta was cooked well done and it had a very tender taste to it. I had no issues with it. The pitta bread was warm and lightly toasted. The cous cous tasted fresh and the cheese well was 🧀 🤣.

Complimentary sourdough bread and butter was also given. A bonus 😊

Main - Chargrilled Hangar Steak (With spinach, Salsa Verde, rocket leaves and parmesan fries)

Presentation wise this was good. Though the fries literally just had parmesan over them. 🧀 overload! They were crispy and well salted though. The steak was sliced and cooked medium rare. It was cooked exactly how I liked it and was rich in flavour with not much toughness to it and was delicate as such. The green stuff also accompanied well.

This came to £9.65 The menu is excellent value for money even before the discount.

I do hope that after lockdown that this location reopens as I can thoroughly recommend it 10/10. ⭐ I felt good dining at somewhere which supports our future...

UCB dining has always been a pleasure for us. Nowadays we all have to contend with restrictions in restaurants. How are they doing? They are coping rather well; and this generation of students will have memories of how they coped. It’s clear that there has been some careful menu planning for the autumn season. The dinner menu is available on-line (another recent development) and so far we have enjoyed starters – small in size but full in taste – pork cheek and tiny vegetable accompaniments, and guinea fowl encased in a cabbage leaf- again superb contrasting and complementary textures in a few mouthfuls. These formal starters were preceded by an amuse bouche – a scallop encased in ravioli. Chef da Vito’s brilliantly inspired main courses include the Cotswold lamb, a duo of meat, with apricot puree as a sweet contrast. The succulent Gressingham duck comes with seasonal accompaniments- tiny beetroot, blackberry, and blackcurrant reduction. Desserts, courtesy of Chef Gary, include mousse – Chocolate or seasonal Blackcurrant – we have our eyes on the Lemon Brulee for the future. The wine list is select, with some excellent and unusual additions, and advice on matching wine with food available; advice we have been happy to take, given the knowledge and expertise of staff members (Mr Bisconti in particular), and growing knowledge by the specialist students. Of last year’s students we have seen Sarah; and encountered Chris, in his first year and showing great enthusiasm and potential. All students are wearing face-coverings, even Shrey at the bar, which makes contact and discussion less easy than before, but not impossible. They keep a social distance which makes for an interesting way of distributing plates! Seating in UCB is well spaced suitable for the present situation – we estimated 18 people now occupy the space previously given to about 60. We’ll continue to be in those 18 for as long as service is maintained! Karen O’Rourke...

As a relatively well established Google reviewer, I can quite confidently say that I have frequented some amazing restaurants and food outlets. However, this is the best dining experience for me to date. Not having heard of this venue before I drew my own conclusions prior to attending and thought "University, experimental perhaps, worth a try...". I was blown away by the whole evening. We arrived to be greeted like I have never been greeted before when going out to eat; there were multiple young waiting staff ready to take my coat, see me to the bar and attend to my pre-dining alcohol needs. (Lots of bar staff - and AMAZING prices!). We took our seats when all were in attendance and we were seated at suitably sized tables. Generous in size and a well thought out floor plan / layout. Great décor, perfect ambient temperature and genuinely helpful staff. I chose a starter of Cajun Salmon (mango salsa, cucumber, tempura squid), followed by a Guinea Fowl main, with bacon jam, gem lettuce and peas. We were provided with a complimentary goats cheese cracker with floral decoration (tasted amazing). The starter and mains were mind blowing. No other description for it. The meal was a taste sensation and one of the best I have ever had. Everything was cooked and presented to perfection. I opted for a whipped chocolate ganache dessert and this too was culinary heaven. We were even provided with complimentary birthday chocolate / lemon drizzle cakes to end the evening. Just absolute perfection! I will stop raving about this venue now, however I cannot recommend...