Bun & Bowl, Birmingham: Valentines Day menu

Last night I headed to Bun & Bowl in the Cube to have a look (and taste!) their Valentines Day menu. I’ve never been to Bun & Bowl before, it’s a burger and shrimp restaurant and is rather fancier than the usual places I frequent as a student. There was a handful of other bloggers who I am getting to know rather well since living in Birmingham who also attended, so it was a nice social event too – complete with cocktails! This is a bit of a picture heavy post, but I hope you’ll stay with it until the end and I warn you, you could feel rather hungry by the end of it…

We started off with cocktails (which aren’t included in the menu, but why the hell not!) I had a Charleston which was Amaretto, Havana, Mint leaves, Strawberry Pulp, Vanilla monin and lemon juice. It was really lovely and basically everything you want in a cocktail – it looked pretty and tasted incredible, with a generous splashing of alcohol! It was served in a martini glass with flavoured sugar around the top, complete with a strawberry! Everyone had different cocktails and I wish I’d asked what they were but I’ve included a photo of them because they all looked so gorgeous! They serve non-alcoholic cocktails too, so if you’re driving home then you don’t have to miss out.

The appetiser was a ‘cappuccino’ of mushroom soup with a canapé of toast with avocado wrapped salmon topped with caviar. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of the mushroom soup but it was nice and hot with a lovely smooth texture. The canapé was lovely! I love smoked salmon and you can’t go wrong with avocado. The bread was crispy and seasoned to perfection. The appetiser also comes with a glass of red champagne, which was rather exciting. It is Moet champagne served with Strawberry Coulis which you stir in to create a beautiful sweet champagne. I love the idea of this and it looked amazing, complete with a strawberry on the top!

The starter was one oyster served on a bed of ice and topped with lemon juice and croutons. I’ve never tried oysters before and I’m not sure if they’re something I will try again! There is no other way to eat them other than scoop it up in one with your fork or tip it into your mouth like a shot. I went for the scooping option… They tasted extremely fresh and I could taste the lemon juice but unfortunately I just couldn’t get past the texture. It made me shudder a little! I like seafood but I wasn’t sure if I could deal with it being cold. If you don’t like oysters, the staff can serve an alternative for you.

The main course was a slider burger and a portion of fries which doesn’t look too much, but I actually felt suitably satisfied afterwards. The burger was made with rib-eye steak and was incredibly succulent and juicy. It was cooked medium-rare, which is how I like mine done anyway but if you prefer well-done, just ask for it to be cooked a little longer! Also inside the brioche bun were very sweet caramelised onions, foie gras (force fed goose liver) and lettuce and tomato. It was served with a white sauce made with black truffle and a BBQ sauce. The fries were incredibly tasty, but I always find skinny fries go cold very quickly and as they were (so prettily) presented in a mesh basket, by the time I got to the bottom they were quite cold. If you don’t eat beef, they will serve a chicken burger and if you are vegetarian they will serve a chickpea burger packed with grilled vegetables. My friend Emily had the veggie burger and enjoyed it just as much.

For dessert, we had a meringue topped with fruit and sorbet. This was so delicious and I really wanted a bit more of this! The meringue was lovely and light and the cocoa powder added a nice contrast of flavours. There was a fruit sorbet and also a mint sorbet, which was surprisingly tasty. It gave an added fresh zing to the plate and went nicely with the fruit. To wash the meal down, we all finished with a cocktail shot of Raspberry Vodka (mixed with other things but I can’t remember what they were!) It tasted like Lush The Comforter smells, which is the only way I feel I can describe it to you guys!

The Valentines Day menu is available on February 14th and will cost £30 per person for the starter, main and dessert plus a glass of champagne each. I think that is pretty reasonable, especially as it’s such a special date night! There are different options available which look amazing too! The staff were very friendly and very attentive to any dietary requirements. The restaurant itself was pretty quiet for a Sunday evening but it still had a nice relaxing atmosphere, filled with chatty bloggers! There was a violinist by our table who will also be there for Valentines, playing a different piece depending on what course you’re eating.

Overall, it was a lovely experience and I will definitely want to head back to Bun & Bowl again. If you’re being taken there for Valentines, you’re very lucky and if you haven’t sorted anything out yet there are still tables available, so give them a call! Have you been to Bun & Bowl yet?

The Cube, Commercial St. Birmingham, B1 1RS / www.bunandbowl.com / @BunandBowl

* This meal was complimentary for review. This does not affect my opinion!