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I've walked past Amantia soo many times since it opened last year and I've heard some great things about it. This was my first visit and we were in a big Yelp group. The sangria was great and having a big group was pretty cool. We shared starters between groups of four or five. Patas Bravas, Chorizo, Bread, Cheese, Calamari were all shared. The cocktails were two for one so Julie and I had a Gin Cocktail. The lady who was making the cocktail was also responsible for the Paella so I felt a little guilty about keeping the others waiting.. well a little.. We were presented with three different paellas. Rice rabbit and chicken were on my plate. It was pretty nice. I had a second plate! Spanish food is all about taking your time and enjoying the company and this style very nicely fit our group. The venue itself is quite a big square space and it feels quite British rather than a Spanish venue. Oh and we finshed with Churros and they were great!! I tried this experience for free as part of the Yelp Event. The venue were very kind to host 25 people so thank you to them.
Little contemporary delights. Amantia is a restaurant brave enough to do tapas without any potatas bravas in sight and instead serve up a selection of modern, beautifully presented and interesting tapas dishes (the tuna was a real standout for me) that really inject something new into what's becoming a tired selection. The setting reflects the menu, no terracotta to be found here, just a clean and airy space albeit, in my opinion, slightly too harshly lit. The staff are incredibly welcoming and helpful, this is a family run affair, and the service was quick and efficient. They also have a good selection of gins, each served with the correct botanicals and in the Spanish style (in a big wine glass with lots of ice). The prices are very reasonable for the city centre and there is enough on the menu to demand several return trips!
I attended Amantia for a Yelp meet up, my first official one! I had passed the smart looking place before and had read about an exciting new Family owned Spanish restaurant opening. This kind of thing is right up my street so this prospect excited me. Amantia is a welcome addition to the burgeoning food scene in the area. Set in a beautiful old building, the facade is unsuspecting....perhaps they could do more to make the place stand out. The big sign is quite simple and classy but the the stick on window signs advertising the beer is not so. More of a feature needed to draw the crowds in needed in my opinion. The decor is smart and contemporary, not stereotypically Spanish which I quite liked actually. The space is large so I do think more needs to be done to make the space more intimate and less brand like and vacuous. The bar area is clean and sleek with high gloss white which shined with perfection and the drinks offers were great. Sangria on entrance was a treat and was very tasty. The tapas was varied, interesting and delicious! The calamari was particularly pleasing, it stood out to the normal squid rings served up. This was delicate and elongated strands of delight, lightly fried with a subtle garlic alioli. The second course, paella was OK although a little oily. However in fairness, paella wouldn't be my choice to order and it was authentic and looked freshly prepared and cooked. Churros for dessert which were fine, if they are your bag! Marta, the owner was lovely, works really hard and was very attentive! She really welcomes you in and is keen to take care of her customers. I would return for tapas for sure and would love to enjoy a few drinks at the beautiful bar! Be back soon...
With a number of new businesses opening in Brum whilst I was on holiday I felt duty-bound to check them out. We ventured to Amantia last Saturday with some friends and whilst it was a busy day in the city centre the restaurant was pleasantly chaos free. The spacious interior is well laid out with plenty of room between tables so you don't feel crammed in. The service from start to finish was fantastic, Claudia offered friendly banter and a couple of recommendations and we eventually settled on a bunch of tapas dishes to share over a bottle of wine and a couple of beers. All the dishes were excellent, but the stand out items were most definitely the aubergine chips, the black pudding parcels and the dates wrapped in bacon. From start to finish the tapas was incredible, and fairly well priced given the quality and care evident in the food. After a brief respite Vicky and I decided to finish the meal with a cheese board to share which was accompanied by a glass of sherry. I'm not a huge sherry drinker (more of a port man myself) but the slightly tart sweetness of the sherry complemented the cheeses perfectly. And whilst on the subject of cheese the guys at Amantia have got their cheese/cracker ratio spot on! A fantastic addition to Birmingham's culinary repertoire.
There's not a huge amount of Spanish or tapas places in Birmingham so I was really excited to check out Amantia. I was lucky to go along to the opening night. The tapas available that night was lovely but they weren't sure about which would be going on the menu so it didn't seem right to review it then. Drinks wise we had fantasic giant gin and tonics with Gin Mare gin garnished with lavender. This went very well with our food. We also tried the sangria which tasted of decent red wine but with the lovely sweet fruit taste too. We had tapas to share for our meal rather than mains. Everything sounded delicious so that was a good start. In the end we went for: *Octopus (amazing) *Seared tuna (melt in the mouth) *king prawns (good, excellent garlicky sauce) *Dates wrapped in bacon (you have to try them) *Aubergine fries drizzlerd in honey (yum) *Filo parcels with chorizo and goats cheese. All amazing. They were brought out in threes which is a good idea but we probably could have done with the fries the whole way through. Service was lovely throughout. It is quite a large restaurant so felt spacious although it was quite busy. We will definitely be back to try mains and more brilliant gins!
Simon H. said he wanted to check out a new place each week so as Amantia had practically just opened, I suggested we check out the tapas. Adam S. joined us and we ventured down on a weekday to taste the menu! I'd been given a few recommendations from Vicky O and Dan G so I was looking forward to it. On entering the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by the staff and our coats taken and hung up. I really like the décor, its modern and feels spacious. However, it can seem a little dark as there appears to be some sort of 'blackout' on the windows, which means you can't really see into the place either from the outside. We got our free sangria (thanks Dan G!) and settled in. I opted for three tapas dishes, which they recommend as the standard portion for one person. I had the 'Hojaldres de Morcilla' - these were little puff pastry parcels with black pudding, cheese, onions and marmalade. I loved them! I only got two but could have eaten more. My next dish was the 'Delicias de Sobrasada' - again these were filo pastry parcels filled with chorizo and cheese. I was expecting something slightly different from these and there didn't appear to be a lot of filling, which I would have preferred. My final dish was the 'Datiles con bacon' - and as you can probably guess, its dates wrapped in pancetta! These were amazing and again, I wish there were more! The food came out as and when it was made so between three of us, there were more than 9 dishes but the service was good and when one plate was finished it was quickly taken away. However, even though we were tasting each other's choices, we were not sharing, which meant that at times, I was sitting there with nothing while the boys had 2 plates each, but we were warned! There is a cocktail menu full of gin but as I had sangria (which was very tasty) I can't comment. The bathrooms are situated downstairs and I thought the décor was well-thought out. It's a great use of space but I couldn't help but feel that some of the dishes were slightly overpriced for what I got. Either way, I enjoyed my evening and would go again.
This is a lovely, friendly restaurant very well located on Bennetts Hill.I arrived a little hot and bothered after a meeting and then a long walk into the city centre. I'd stupidly put on my coat on account of the grey skies but it was actually a bit muggy. Anyway, I needed some lunch and fast and I needed a sit down. It was around 3.30ish so pretty much the dead zone, with maybe 2-3 other tables occupied. I was greeted by the friendly Claudia and selected a comfy seat by the window for myself - no fuss at all. The whole vibe and decor shouted up market, but her informal politeness made me feel at home. Now, food wise, I've had two Deliveroo deliveries from this place. So I was interested to see how their sit in offering compared. The delivery food was solid enough, but a little spartan to say the least. Based on that I ordered what I thought would be similar amounts of food. The problem was portion size was much larger when it arrived and so I couldn't actually eat it all. The reason they don't get 5***** is because of the difference with the delivery and sit down value. First arrival from the al la carte menu was a serving of Bravas. For delivery, I'd call it a Ok starter. In the restaurant (same pricing mind you!) there was easily enough for two. Despite ordering everything together it didn't arrive together, as I expected. The Chicken with Stilton dish only came after I'd eaten the Bravas (I was starved!) and it came also with the vegetables. Had I seen it all together I could have eaten less Bravas and more veg or salad. As is, there was more wasted than I'd have preferred ... and actually, had I know the portion size would be so different, I would have ordered less. The Chicken also came with a reasonably substantial side salad, which I didn't have when the same meal was home delivered. It was served on a bread board, which I always find irritating! I didn't fancy wine so ordered a very nice Mocktail; can't remember the name, maybe a boro boro or something, but it had a nice ginger edge to it. I enjoyed it, but as with many cocktails there's too much ice used to make the glass look full, so it didn't go very far. On to dessert. I like to leave a bit of space for ice-cream as it's great as a stomach settler I find after a big meal. I had a scoop each of Hazelnut, Raspberry and Vanilla. Very nice indeed and perfect end to a pleasant meal. Well priced at £4.95. In total, my meal came to £33 or so with tip. Would I go again ... the answer is yes, probably. Would I order again for Deliveroo home delivery ... hmmm, I don't know. I felt a bit cheated to be honest. I think I ordered the same dishes in the restaurant as I'd had delivered, but there was just so much more. This isn't a cheap place to order from either. I feel I over-paid by a considerable degree, despite Deliveroo offering fast and friendly service.
So when someone says Spanish cuisine you immediately think 'Tapas!' and 'Paella'! Right?! Well as someone who has never really experienced these things you can rest assured that this will be an un-informed review and not to focus too much on my opinion of the food as it's not something I feel I know enough about. With that out of the way, I arrived here for the first Yelp Elite event of 2016 and also a little bit later where everyone had been seated. I knew where the place was from walking past in the daytime before but there isn't any signs for people walking up and down Bennets Hill and compared to other businesses in the area (like Cosy Club and Buffalo and Rye) its a little unremarkable. Inside looks like it was decorated with the intention of being sleek and modern with the purple walls, glossy white kitchen cabinets - and then someone remembered it was a Spanish restaurant so they stuck hand fans to the ceiling lights and put shells on the tables, and then someone else really likes plants so they've stuck some potted plants to the wall, and then some shelves in the back might've been on sale... You get the point, maybe I'm being a bit critical but compared to other places in Birmingham the decor just doesn't work. But decor isn't everything after all, the most important things are the food and service. With it being a yelp event I never really interacted with any staff but they all seemed really polite, well dressed and clean. Several different tapas were shared amongst the table, all of them tasted fine to me, the paella that came a considerable amount of time later came in 3 varieties - seafood, chicken and rabbit and vegetarian. They tasted very similar and a little oily, the least of which was actually the vegetarian so I think that was my favourite. I left before dessert was served but its not something I usually order anyway. I had a look at the menu to see what else was on offer should I return on my own, there were a lot of other (authentic?) options that I would want to try in the future which were competitively priced for the area. I never really like to base a final review from a yelp event, there was a lot of us and it can be a lot for people to cope with a party of 30ish people. It has not awakened a hidden love for Spanish food in me, but it's somewhere I would bare in mind when the moment takes me.
So finding this place is like a needle in a haystack.... I walked past this place twice without knowing it is there. There is no clear signage in eye level. There is a huge sign at the top of the building which is hard to see in the dark and there signage near the ground on windows so made it difficult to find. When I walked inside it looked the part. But for me personally it didn't feel very Spanish/Mediterranean! You can tell that this place is independently owned as the decor isn't really up to scratch with the rest of the restaurants and bars in the area. How ever they have a very nice bar area. They also make some great gin and tonics on which they had a 241 deal. Having attending a yelp event here to sample the food, its a shame to say it wasn't the best. I spoke to some other yelpers who have been here before. They said the food is pretty good here. So I suppose they cater better for smaller groups. We came in a large 20+ people group and my review is based on catering for large groups which I don't think the staff did well. We had tapas starters of calamari, patato bravas with spicy sauce. Creamy mushrooms and cheese and were all delicious. The second course came after about an 30/40minute wait. Everyone was hungry at this point and myself and clearly others were left disappointed with a tasteless paella in seafood and meat versions. The vegetable paella was the only one that tasted well. A lot of food was left on peoples plates which only meant one thing. I wasn't hugely happy with the service it was slow but can only put this down to being such a large group of people we may of been too much for them to handle. But then in hindsight the restaurant wasn't full of regular diners either. After another 30/40minutes we got desserts. By this time a lot of people had left. Again poor slow service and the churros were tasteless it tasted of nothing and the chocolate sauce too runny.. Bit of an anti climax... All in all the sample food was nothing special. I've had better paella in supermarket ready meals. I would return again to sample the menu rather tasting a few bits.. So watch this space!
So, the first I knew of this place was leaving bodega with a friend one lunchtime and a waiting waving platters of crochets in my face!;) the restaurant is quite big for the city centre, yet you really wouldn't notice it at all despite the large windows and glass doors! Nevertheless I visited property this week. It was an early lunch so we were on our own initially yet, the place didn't feel empty or soulless. The decor was subtle and stylish. You could use it for a business lunch or special occasion easily. There was a reasonable selection of tapas at around £6. I really couldn't decide, so I went for the ravioli, which was great, though slightly too much sauce. My friend had the tapas meatballs and Aubergine crisps, which I sampled and were quite filling! The waiter also brought us samples of corn crisps and bread and was really helpful when we asked about the menu. To top it off, we got 15% off out bill for visiting in the first fortnight!:)
In my mad mission to catch up with everything new in Birmingham, I came across this place in "new businesses on Yelp". Whilst I had been aware that something new was coming to Bennett's Hill - I had no idea what that would be. Tapas is getting really big in the City at the moment. I love Tapas (both as a food and a concept). Small plates shared around a table of friends - it's a great way to try lots of things without being so stuffed you can't move at the end of a meal. I was super excited to learn that Amantia was a new Spanish restaurant with a focus on Tapas! I booked a table for lunch for 4 of us on the Saturday and perused the menu. There are lots of different types of Tapas starting from £5 and going all the way up to £10 for a meat board. Although it's not the cheapest, the prices seemed fair for a restaurant offering something different, good quality and in it's location in the centre of town. We hungrily walked down on Saturday excited to try something new! The restaurant itself looks great! Deep purple walls, smart furnishings and little touches of Spanish flair - it's so good to see this space being used and looking different. We were greeted straight away by the friendly staff and our table had been laid out prior to our arrival. Whilst we were waiting for our lunch companions, we decided to order a bottle of wine. We went for a bottle of white (which wasn't too badly priced at around £16) and had another look at the menu. When everyone was settled, we were ready to order! Although the menu recommends three tapas dishes per person, we went for two each and chose a selection of dates with cheese and bacon, pastry parcels with chorizo and black pudding and a whole range of different options off the menu. Everything ended up being amazing. The dates were a particular surprise (and a table favourite), as well as the aubergine chips and the black pudding parcels. Although we were pretty full by the end, me and Dan ordered a cheese board (with a glass of sherry) and Stuart ordered a almond cake. We were mightily impressed with the "cheese to cracker" ratio (more cheese than crackers) and the Sherry really complimented the cheese choices. All together our bill came to around £110 with tip (which wasn't bad for 9 dishes of tapas, a bottle of wine, two lagers, a glass of red wine, a sharing platter of cheese with sherry and a cake). The service, decor and food were all sublime and I was definitely impressed with this new offering. read more
10 years ago
I have only been here as part of a Yelp Elite event, but from what I can gather the place is really lovely, and the food (for the most part) was fantastic. I sampled as many tapas as I could and there wasn't a single thing I didn't like... manchego with almonds... fried calamari... various croquettes (my favorite was actually the mushroom) and chorizo. There were three paellas and they were all pretty good; I found the seafood one to be too salty for my taste. The chicken and chorizo one was really good but definitely had strong seasoning which others might not enjoy. I think I will be back for more tapas, in any case! Churros and chocolate for dessert... so delicious. The decor is very simple and elegant, although a bit too bare for me personally, I personally think the place could use a bit more 'flavor' in it's interior design to match the food. But it didn't really detract from the experience. All of the staff we encountered were very friendly and attentive, even with an incredibly large group. read more
I've been looking for a great independent tapas spot in the city centre and ah ha! Found! The food here is lovely: try the dates, the goats cheese/chorizo parcels and the squid and you'll be very happy indeed! Add in the black pudding parcels and the meatballs and you'll be super happy. This is a family run place which I absolutely love and the service is friendly and attentive. A great place for a weekday catch up with friends - which is how I tried it, but I think it'd make a nice weekend date location too. Quiet enough to chat, tasty sharing plates and sangria to boot. read more
I've walked past Amantia soo many times since it opened last year and I've heard some great things about it. This was my first visit and we were in a big Yelp group. The sangria was great and having a big group was pretty cool. We shared starters between groups of four or five. Patas Bravas, Chorizo, Bread, Cheese, Calamari were all shared. The cocktails were two for one so Julie and I had a Gin Cocktail. The lady who was making the cocktail was also responsible for the Paella so I felt a little guilty about keeping the others waiting.. well a little.. We were presented with three different paellas. Rice rabbit and chicken were on my plate. It was pretty nice. I had a second plate! Spanish food is all about taking your time and enjoying the company and this style very nicely fit our group. The venue itself is quite a big square space and it feels quite British rather than a Spanish venue. Oh and we finshed with Churros and they were great!! I tried this experience for free as part of the Yelp Event. The venue were very kind to host 25 people so thank you to them. read more
Little contemporary delights. Amantia is a restaurant brave enough to do tapas without any potatas bravas in sight and instead serve up a selection of modern, beautifully presented and interesting tapas dishes (the tuna was a real standout for me) that really inject something new into what's becoming a tired selection. The setting reflects the menu, no terracotta to be found here, just a clean and airy space albeit, in my opinion, slightly too harshly lit. The staff are incredibly welcoming and helpful, this is a family run affair, and the service was quick and efficient. They also have a good selection of gins, each served with the correct botanicals and in the Spanish style (in a big wine glass with lots of ice). The prices are very reasonable for the city centre and there is enough on the menu to demand several return trips! read more
10 years ago
I attended Amantia for a Yelp meet up, my first official one! I had passed the smart looking place before and had read about an exciting new Family owned Spanish restaurant opening. This kind of thing is right up my street so this prospect excited me. Amantia is a welcome addition to the burgeoning food scene in the area. Set in a beautiful old building, the facade is unsuspecting....perhaps they could do more to make the place stand out. The big sign is quite simple and classy but the the stick on window signs advertising the beer is not so. More of a feature needed to draw the crowds in needed in my opinion. The decor is smart and contemporary, not stereotypically Spanish which I quite liked actually. The space is large so I do think more needs to be done to make the space more intimate and less brand like and vacuous. The bar area is clean and sleek with high gloss white which shined with perfection and the drinks offers were great. Sangria on entrance was a treat and was very tasty. The tapas was varied, interesting and delicious! The calamari was particularly pleasing, it stood out to the normal squid rings served up. This was delicate and elongated strands of delight, lightly fried with a subtle garlic alioli. The second course, paella was OK although a little oily. However in fairness, paella wouldn't be my choice to order and it was authentic and looked freshly prepared and cooked. Churros for dessert which were fine, if they are your bag! Marta, the owner was lovely, works really hard and was very attentive! She really welcomes you in and is keen to take care of her customers. I would return for tapas for sure and would love to enjoy a few drinks at the beautiful bar! Be back soon... read more
With a number of new businesses opening in Brum whilst I was on holiday I felt duty-bound to check them out. We ventured to Amantia last Saturday with some friends and whilst it was a busy day in the city centre the restaurant was pleasantly chaos free. The spacious interior is well laid out with plenty of room between tables so you don't feel crammed in. The service from start to finish was fantastic, Claudia offered friendly banter and a couple of recommendations and we eventually settled on a bunch of tapas dishes to share over a bottle of wine and a couple of beers. All the dishes were excellent, but the stand out items were most definitely the aubergine chips, the black pudding parcels and the dates wrapped in bacon. From start to finish the tapas was incredible, and fairly well priced given the quality and care evident in the food. After a brief respite Vicky and I decided to finish the meal with a cheese board to share which was accompanied by a glass of sherry. I'm not a huge sherry drinker (more of a port man myself) but the slightly tart sweetness of the sherry complemented the cheeses perfectly. And whilst on the subject of cheese the guys at Amantia have got their cheese/cracker ratio spot on! A fantastic addition to Birmingham's culinary repertoire. read more
There's not a huge amount of Spanish or tapas places in Birmingham so I was really excited to check out Amantia. I was lucky to go along to the opening night. The tapas available that night was lovely but they weren't sure about which would be going on the menu so it didn't seem right to review it then. Drinks wise we had fantasic giant gin and tonics with Gin Mare gin garnished with lavender. This went very well with our food. We also tried the sangria which tasted of decent red wine but with the lovely sweet fruit taste too. We had tapas to share for our meal rather than mains. Everything sounded delicious so that was a good start. In the end we went for: *Octopus (amazing) *Seared tuna (melt in the mouth) *king prawns (good, excellent garlicky sauce) *Dates wrapped in bacon (you have to try them) *Aubergine fries drizzlerd in honey (yum) *Filo parcels with chorizo and goats cheese. All amazing. They were brought out in threes which is a good idea but we probably could have done with the fries the whole way through. Service was lovely throughout. It is quite a large restaurant so felt spacious although it was quite busy. We will definitely be back to try mains and more brilliant gins! read more
Simon H. said he wanted to check out a new place each week so as Amantia had practically just opened, I suggested we check out the tapas. Adam S. joined us and we ventured down on a weekday to taste the menu! I'd been given a few recommendations from Vicky O and Dan G so I was looking forward to it. On entering the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by the staff and our coats taken and hung up. I really like the décor, its modern and feels spacious. However, it can seem a little dark as there appears to be some sort of 'blackout' on the windows, which means you can't really see into the place either from the outside. We got our free sangria (thanks Dan G!) and settled in. I opted for three tapas dishes, which they recommend as the standard portion for one person. I had the 'Hojaldres de Morcilla' - these were little puff pastry parcels with black pudding, cheese, onions and marmalade. I loved them! I only got two but could have eaten more. My next dish was the 'Delicias de Sobrasada' - again these were filo pastry parcels filled with chorizo and cheese. I was expecting something slightly different from these and there didn't appear to be a lot of filling, which I would have preferred. My final dish was the 'Datiles con bacon' - and as you can probably guess, its dates wrapped in pancetta! These were amazing and again, I wish there were more! The food came out as and when it was made so between three of us, there were more than 9 dishes but the service was good and when one plate was finished it was quickly taken away. However, even though we were tasting each other's choices, we were not sharing, which meant that at times, I was sitting there with nothing while the boys had 2 plates each, but we were warned! There is a cocktail menu full of gin but as I had sangria (which was very tasty) I can't comment. The bathrooms are situated downstairs and I thought the décor was well-thought out. It's a great use of space but I couldn't help but feel that some of the dishes were slightly overpriced for what I got. Either way, I enjoyed my evening and would go again. read more
11 years ago
This is a lovely, friendly restaurant very well located on Bennetts Hill.I arrived a little hot and bothered after a meeting and then a long walk into the city centre. I'd stupidly put on my coat on account of the grey skies but it was actually a bit muggy. Anyway, I needed some lunch and fast and I needed a sit down. It was around 3.30ish so pretty much the dead zone, with maybe 2-3 other tables occupied. I was greeted by the friendly Claudia and selected a comfy seat by the window for myself - no fuss at all. The whole vibe and decor shouted up market, but her informal politeness made me feel at home. Now, food wise, I've had two Deliveroo deliveries from this place. So I was interested to see how their sit in offering compared. The delivery food was solid enough, but a little spartan to say the least. Based on that I ordered what I thought would be similar amounts of food. The problem was portion size was much larger when it arrived and so I couldn't actually eat it all. The reason they don't get 5***** is because of the difference with the delivery and sit down value. First arrival from the al la carte menu was a serving of Bravas. For delivery, I'd call it a Ok starter. In the restaurant (same pricing mind you!) there was easily enough for two. Despite ordering everything together it didn't arrive together, as I expected. The Chicken with Stilton dish only came after I'd eaten the Bravas (I was starved!) and it came also with the vegetables. Had I seen it all together I could have eaten less Bravas and more veg or salad. As is, there was more wasted than I'd have preferred ... and actually, had I know the portion size would be so different, I would have ordered less. The Chicken also came with a reasonably substantial side salad, which I didn't have when the same meal was home delivered. It was served on a bread board, which I always find irritating! I didn't fancy wine so ordered a very nice Mocktail; can't remember the name, maybe a boro boro or something, but it had a nice ginger edge to it. I enjoyed it, but as with many cocktails there's too much ice used to make the glass look full, so it didn't go very far. On to dessert. I like to leave a bit of space for ice-cream as it's great as a stomach settler I find after a big meal. I had a scoop each of Hazelnut, Raspberry and Vanilla. Very nice indeed and perfect end to a pleasant meal. Well priced at £4.95. In total, my meal came to £33 or so with tip. Would I go again ... the answer is yes, probably. Would I order again for Deliveroo home delivery ... hmmm, I don't know. I felt a bit cheated to be honest. I think I ordered the same dishes in the restaurant as I'd had delivered, but there was just so much more. This isn't a cheap place to order from either. I feel I over-paid by a considerable degree, despite Deliveroo offering fast and friendly service. read more
11 years ago
So when someone says Spanish cuisine you immediately think 'Tapas!' and 'Paella'! Right?! Well as someone who has never really experienced these things you can rest assured that this will be an un-informed review and not to focus too much on my opinion of the food as it's not something I feel I know enough about. With that out of the way, I arrived here for the first Yelp Elite event of 2016 and also a little bit later where everyone had been seated. I knew where the place was from walking past in the daytime before but there isn't any signs for people walking up and down Bennets Hill and compared to other businesses in the area (like Cosy Club and Buffalo and Rye) its a little unremarkable. Inside looks like it was decorated with the intention of being sleek and modern with the purple walls, glossy white kitchen cabinets - and then someone remembered it was a Spanish restaurant so they stuck hand fans to the ceiling lights and put shells on the tables, and then someone else really likes plants so they've stuck some potted plants to the wall, and then some shelves in the back might've been on sale... You get the point, maybe I'm being a bit critical but compared to other places in Birmingham the decor just doesn't work. But decor isn't everything after all, the most important things are the food and service. With it being a yelp event I never really interacted with any staff but they all seemed really polite, well dressed and clean. Several different tapas were shared amongst the table, all of them tasted fine to me, the paella that came a considerable amount of time later came in 3 varieties - seafood, chicken and rabbit and vegetarian. They tasted very similar and a little oily, the least of which was actually the vegetarian so I think that was my favourite. I left before dessert was served but its not something I usually order anyway. I had a look at the menu to see what else was on offer should I return on my own, there were a lot of other (authentic?) options that I would want to try in the future which were competitively priced for the area. I never really like to base a final review from a yelp event, there was a lot of us and it can be a lot for people to cope with a party of 30ish people. It has not awakened a hidden love for Spanish food in me, but it's somewhere I would bare in mind when the moment takes me. read more
So finding this place is like a needle in a haystack.... I walked past this place twice without knowing it is there. There is no clear signage in eye level. There is a huge sign at the top of the building which is hard to see in the dark and there signage near the ground on windows so made it difficult to find. When I walked inside it looked the part. But for me personally it didn't feel very Spanish/Mediterranean! You can tell that this place is independently owned as the decor isn't really up to scratch with the rest of the restaurants and bars in the area. How ever they have a very nice bar area. They also make some great gin and tonics on which they had a 241 deal. Having attending a yelp event here to sample the food, its a shame to say it wasn't the best. I spoke to some other yelpers who have been here before. They said the food is pretty good here. So I suppose they cater better for smaller groups. We came in a large 20+ people group and my review is based on catering for large groups which I don't think the staff did well. We had tapas starters of calamari, patato bravas with spicy sauce. Creamy mushrooms and cheese and were all delicious. The second course came after about an 30/40minute wait. Everyone was hungry at this point and myself and clearly others were left disappointed with a tasteless paella in seafood and meat versions. The vegetable paella was the only one that tasted well. A lot of food was left on peoples plates which only meant one thing. I wasn't hugely happy with the service it was slow but can only put this down to being such a large group of people we may of been too much for them to handle. But then in hindsight the restaurant wasn't full of regular diners either. After another 30/40minutes we got desserts. By this time a lot of people had left. Again poor slow service and the churros were tasteless it tasted of nothing and the chocolate sauce too runny.. Bit of an anti climax... All in all the sample food was nothing special. I've had better paella in supermarket ready meals. I would return again to sample the menu rather tasting a few bits.. So watch this space! read more
11 years ago
11 years ago
10 years ago
Thes decor of this place is ultra modern. The staff were really friendly and as for the food! It was amazing really full of flavours and was really filling. read more
11 years ago
So, the first I knew of this place was leaving bodega with a friend one lunchtime and a waiting waving platters of crochets in my face!;) the restaurant is quite big for the city centre, yet you really wouldn't notice it at all despite the large windows and glass doors! Nevertheless I visited property this week. It was an early lunch so we were on our own initially yet, the place didn't feel empty or soulless. The decor was subtle and stylish. You could use it for a business lunch or special occasion easily. There was a reasonable selection of tapas at around £6. I really couldn't decide, so I went for the ravioli, which was great, though slightly too much sauce. My friend had the tapas meatballs and Aubergine crisps, which I sampled and were quite filling! The waiter also brought us samples of corn crisps and bread and was really helpful when we asked about the menu. To top it off, we got 15% off out bill for visiting in the first fortnight!:) read more
11 years ago
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