Review: Blue Piano, Birmingham

As Julia Roberts's character Vivian says in Pretty Woman 'I would say I'm a fly by the seat of your pants gal, you know moment to moment'.

I admit it, I'm not the world's most organised soul. While others make lists of lists and neat piles of 'stuff', my desk weeps under the weight of chaos.

I am the queen of disorganisation. When New Year swings round I'll resolve to change my ways in the knowledge that it'll last as long as a new diet and fitness regime. I'll fail, I plan to.

Ironic really.

However, being a bit disorganised does have its benefits. On nights when you find the kitchen cupboards bare – through ill-planning – you end up feasting at places like Blue Piano.

And it was just the night for feasting; cold, blustery, nothing on the gogglebox.

So instead of trying to make something out of an old onion, a pack of cheese slices and a tin of spaghetti hoops we reserved a table at Blue Piano. From the off I was impressed when the person on the other end of the phone politely asked if we had any dietary requirements and said they were looking forward to seeing us.

A restaurant with rooms, Blue Piano occupies a stunning Victorian villa on Harborne Road, Edgbaston, spitting distance from Birmingham's golden mile – Broad Street.

It's one of the few places in the Midlands, along with sister restaurant Blue Ginger in Kings Heath, specialising in South East Asian cuisine.

But it's not just the usual suspects. While Thai, Chinese and even Vietnamese food is fairly easy to come by for city dwellers, authentic dishes from Cambodia, Singapore, Fiji and Malaysia can be harder to find. This is where Blue Piano steps in with chef/owner Siew Kuan Yap and her team serving up a range of dishes rarely found outside the capital.

Siew grew up in Singapore and as a kid she'd help her mum pluck chickens in the bath which her older brother would then sell as street food on his hawker stall.

She learnt to cook many of the dishes on the restaurant's menu from her family – including her sister's recipe for a savoury Singapore carrot cake.

At 16 she went to work at the world famous Raffles Hotel before moving to the Shangri-La where she tended to the needs of the rich and famous. Certainly beats plucking chickens in the tub.

After meeting hubby Peter she moved to the UK and opened Blue Ginger, followed by Blue Piano. Rooms at the latter, including a suite, were launched in the summer and the venue also hosts wine tasting events and an extensive cocktail menu. There's an express menu too which I can imagine appears to some of the white collar workers in nearby offices as well as residents at the landmark Marriot Hotel.

I'd been meaning to try one of the two for a while but for one reason or another I hadn't gotten round to it (bad planning? Quite possibly).

On arrival we were greeted by a friendly lone waitress who was – rather successfully – tending to diners as well as answering the phone. I've seen restaurants run far less competently with far more staff.

The dining room has the feel of faded colonial elegance, complete with whirring vintage ceiling fan, although I am not sure whether this is a design choice or incidental. Odd walls are papered in what can only be described as a Hawaiian-shirt-style print and it's a strange juxtaposition from the exterior of the elegant double-fronted property.

It reminded me of somewhere you'd stumble on abroad where you'd dive into to escape an oppressive heat and find someone mixing long, cool ice teas.

Sadly, we were not escaping anything like an oppressive heat – it was bitterly cold outside. We took our seats at a window table and nibbled on some mixed prawn crackers while pondering the menu. The generous stack of crackers were fresh and tasty – particularly the intensely flavoured Thai-style crisps. And the accompanying chilli sauce was better than the usual bottled stuff; thick, sweet, more like a jam and quickly lapped up. The waitress also instinctively replenished our supply, much to our delight.

In fact, other than failing to talk through the specials board, which she did with other diners, the service was pretty faultless.

The menu's full of surprises with starters including popiah – Fijian spring rolls filled with vegetable; mackerel mousse wrapped in banana leaves and the aforementioned Singapore carrot cake, all reasonably priced at around £5.

And there are even more delights on the main course menu with options including fish amok – the national dish of Cambodia; a duck, rambutan and jackfruit curry, and a rather appetising-sounding vegetarian dish of shitake mushroom, green beans, cauliflower and sweet potato. Tempting specials included a Vietnamese pho soup, and crab and prawn cakes.

What's nice to see is that Blue Piano doesn't compromise itself to Western interpretations of Asian food. There's no last minute addition of beef and black bean sauce, or sweet and sour chicken balls. There's a nod to Thai cuisine but rather than the bog standard to-be-expected chicken green curry, it's a version featuring mussels.

To start we opted for the Malaysian chicken satay and deep fried squid, which arrived promptly.

The poultry was nicely charred and the meat – thigh, I think – was juicy and flavoursome. Chunky peanut sauce added just enough chilli kick and crunch, while the accompanying leaves had been sensitively dressed with lime, garlic and fish sauce.

The squid, not just sliced rings but crowns of spiky tentacles, had been deep fried until really golden and was just slightly overdone. The crumb however, was delicious as was the garnish.

Some wedges of lime would have been been a welcome addition for that final zing, although it was perfectly acceptable without.

Main course dishes followed after a brief break. The other half chose the Malay beef rendang, while I opted for the Singaporean king prawns stir-fried with tomato and sambal chilli. Side dishes of steamed jasmine rice and green beans with garlic also arrived. The beef rendang was rich in flavour; the meat had been slowly stewed so it fell apart. It arrived with ung choi which we'd never heard of but in this instance turned out to be green beans. However, since our visit I've discovered ung choi is Vietnamese water spinach which was absent. I guess, in this case, ignorance was bliss.

The generous portion, garnished in shreds of coconut, was seemingly enjoyed although the other half said he felt it was a little lacklustre.

There were plenty of juicy prawns in my curry but, like the squid, they were slightly overcooked and a little tough.

The tomatoey chilli sauce was very good though, utterly delicious when soaked up by the sticky rice. There were some good chunks of tomato and aubergine there too and it proved a well balanced dish with notes of fish sauce, lime leaves and just the right amount of chilli heat.

Green beans still had a slight crunch while the jasmine rice didn't disappoint.

Both main course dishes lacked that final flourish of freshness; a squeeze of lime, a handful of shredded coriander at the last minute.

Fit to burst, we shared a fruit salad for pud although there are plenty of more substantial options on offer if your waistband allows – all homemade too.

Once again, the salad brought some nice surprises with the addition of lychee and other tropical fruits. There was more than enought for us to share.

The bill, including a large bottle of sparkling water came to just over £50, perfectly reasonable for the quality of food and level of service. I've spent almost as much on distinctly average Thai takeaways recently. Here, as well as far suerior food, there's no washing up.

Blue Piano has great potential. It's serving up authentic, rarely encountered dishes with expertise. However, a few mistakes prohibited me from awarding any more than three stars.

Would I go back? Maybe, but I probably wouldn't plan to do so. But then I am 'a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants gal', so who knows?