Midlands Restaurant Reviews by James Day
Midlands
food critic James Day travels around the region sampling what the
regions' restaurants have to offer.
Each week James will be sampling food from around the regions'
restaurants and eateries and reporting back to Midlands Business
News.
For more information and restaurant reviews be sure to check out
James's other websites; Eat the Midlands, Dine With
Us and the Midlands Lifestyle Dining Club Gourmet Life.
Beef Restaurant, Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Philippe Boucheron visits a Beef Eaters Paradise
“It simply must rank as one of the very finest steaks that I have ever eaten.”
It takes the farmer the best part of two years to raise the beast, the butcher 28 to 30 days to get it ready for the kitchens, and then less than ten minutes for the chef to cock it all up.
Read MoreThree Choirs Vineyard
James Day & Philippe Boucheron enjoy lunch amongst the Vines
We were sitting on the terrace enjoying a delicious pre-lunch glass of sparkling wine. The retired Californian couple to my left had been saying how much the view reminded them of Mendicino County. On my right young husband and wife, their hands full with a toddler who was enjoying playing with a cat, were telling me that they could be looking at Margaret River vineyards in their native Western Australia.
Read MoreLove's Restaurant, Birmingham
James Day & Philippe Boucheron discover their Restaurant Heaven beside a Birmingham canal
Imagine, if you will, a romantic 'mamma & poppa' restaurant serving outstanding food set on a triangular Piazza beside a canal and overlooking a footbridge. Only this canal is in Birmingham, not Venice, and the restaurant is run by the young husband and wife team of Steve and Claire Love.
Read MoreThe Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Breathing new life into an old lion
Shropshire in general, and Shrewsbury in particular, owe a special vote of thanks to Howard Astbury. He has been patiently restoring to life the venerable old coaching inn, the Lion Hotel on Wyle Cop. He has been doing it in a way that is as sensitive of its glorious past as it is to the 21st century needs of the modern traveller.
Read MoreThe Lowfield Inn, Marton, Shropshire
The low down on our experience
Like many of my fellow foodies, I’ve found recent weeks a bit frustrating – snow, ice, more snow, and, according to restaurateurs – shortage of consumer funds due to a maxing out on credit cards during December.
Read MoreLasan Restaurant - Birmingham
The 'F' Word Review
Lasan Birmingham Voted 'Britain's Best Local Restaurant' by their customers and judged by Gordon Ramsey and James Day of eat-the-midlands.co.uk at the Channel 4 Finals.
James Day caught up with Executive chef Aktar Islam on the day of the finals for a meal and an Exclusive interview. Well-done Lasan!
Read MoreSimpsons Restaurant - Birmingham
Man does not live by bread alone
An old friend of mine, a former Egon Ronay Chief Inspector, once explained that one sure-fire way of evaluating a really good restaurant was by the quality and variety of their homemade breads. There is no doubt that Simpson’s more than satisfies this criteria not only because of the excellence of their breads, but because my colleague – who is a celiac – was immediately offered and brought some suitable bread.
Read More