Bodega, Birmingham
Bodega is my favourite restaurant, writes Amy Burns. I'm confessing this to you now so that you know from the word go that this review is slightly biased.
Bodega is my favourite restaurant,
. I'm confessing this to you now so that you know from the word go that this review is slightly biased.
And it's not because I eat there all the time – I've actually only successfully been about six times in my life.
Nor because it's convenient (I have been turned away on four separate occasions because it's too busy) or even that the service is great (I was once kept waiting 50 minutes for a table) but there is something about this place that – to me at least – just oozes pure class.
It might well be the associated Sugarloaf cocktail bar downstairs where you can indulge in a scorched lemon and vanilla mojito while you await your table (and on that occasion when I waited 50 minutes, you can imagine there were a number of these consumed).
But then again, Bodega, located just off Birmingham's bustling New Street, offers so much more than just a great drinks menu.
Everything about the place smacks of simplicity, from the casually dressed staff to the slightly run down toilets and the haphazardly arranged tables with patio-style chairs.
Even the menu is low key – it even features a section called Street Food, a title that conjures up images of warm, unidentified stew that you eat with your hands (or is that just me?).
It would be easy to decipher from this that I'm a girl who's easily pleased. But I genuinely like to think not.
I'm just a woman of simple pleasures. And a vegetarian.
You see sticking me in fancy restaurants where they boast about serving stuffed birds, game-laden pies or braised animal chunks, and immediately the evening's off to a bad start. I'll scan straight down to the vegetarian option (no doubt containing some form of goat's cheese salad) and everyone – diner and fancy chef included – is left disappointed by my choice.
And yet that's exactly what it is – my choice. So I'm not a fan of specialist vegetarian restaurants because it usually means dragging along a pre ham-fed carnivore kicking and screaming.
But come somewhere like Bodega, all casual and laid back with its meat, fish, veggie and street food options and everyone's happy. And if they weren't, my fellow diners on my most recent visit did a good job of hiding it.
On this occasion – an uneventful Monday night – there were four of us girls dining – it should have been six but two of our party apparently have real jobs and had to work late so pulled out. Having already whetted our appetites with a pre-dinner pint over the road in The Sun On The Hill, we ordered a bottle of the house red wine – a Chilean merlot called Los Romeros (£12.50) – a raspberry caipirinha cocktail (£5) and a soft drink for the designated driver.
I've learned from my past mistakes in Bodega and now know better than to order a starter – on a previous occasion I insisted that a party of four share a plate of vegetarian nachos (yes occasionally I insist on communal), a plate of jalapos (hot jalapeno peppers and cream cheese covered in breadcrumbs) and some a la parilla (coriander marinated halloumi cheese with a mango salsa).
Incidentally, all of the above were delicious but huge doesn't begin to cover the portion sizes and the amount consumed in course one sort of spoiled our enjoyment of the rest of the meal.
So, despite the temptation to gorge on nachos and melted cheese, we went straight for the main course, ordering a mild chicken burrito – served with sweet potato fries (£8.20) – two portions of callabaza rellena – or butternut squash filled with haloumi and served with a side of plantain and sweetcorn salsa (£7.75) and a vegetable chilli, containing chocolate, served with rice and nachos and a generous dollop of sour cream (£7.75).
My flatmate and I also ordered a side of sweet potato fries (£2.95) to share as – again learning from my past mistakes – you ALWAYS regret it if you don't indulge in a few of these crispy, sweet treats.
All of our meals were devoured completely. The chilli was rich and flavoursome with a perfect kick and the burrito was stuffed to breaking point and served with a rainbow of tasty condiments.
The butternut squash (and I tried some so I know) tasted like a tropical holiday and the wide range of textures was a true delight.
As always, the sweet potato fries were perfect – hot, sweet and crispy on the outside but fluffy in the middle. Ideal winter food.
So laid back is the atmosphere at Bodega that when another friend called to ask if I fancied meeting up for a drink, he was able to simply turn up at the restaurant, pull up a chair at the end of our table and order a cocktail while we finished off our remaining wine and tried to put the world to rights.
Bodega may be inspired by the streets of South America but the atmosphere and chilled out vibe smacks of the family-run restaurants you stumble across throughout Europe and I genuinely can't imagine a more pleasant way to pass an evening.
If it's true what they say about simple minds being easily amused, then on this occasion I'm more than happy to hold my hands up and declare myself a simpleton.
ADDRESS
Bodega, 12 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham B2 5RS
Tel: 0121 448 4267
