I visited two of my favourite restaurants in the Black Country - this is why they're amazing
After finding that the West Midlands was being either ignored or poorly featured in articles about top restaurants and pubs, our resident food and drink expert James Vukmirovic has looked at his favourite places to eat.
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It started with an article in a magazine about the best gastropubs in the United Kingdom, where cities like London and Manchester were widely praised, but one part of the country was conspicuous by its absence.
The absence of pubs like the Old Joint Stock in Birmingham and the Crown in Tettenhall was disappointing to me as I think this region is a real melting pot of great places to eat, so that struck me as something of a snub.
The lack of West Midlands eateries on "best of" or "top 10" lists has been something I've noticed a lot in recent times and got me thinking about what I think are the best places to eat at, having been lucky enough to eat at some very nice and very notable restaurants.
As a member of the National World Food and Drink group, we will talk about ideas for features around places to eat, best restaurants, the greatest cocktail bars and other stories like that, and this topic of our favourite best places to eat became a topic of conversation.
From that, we decided to look at our own favourite places that we think are the best in our areas (in my case, the Black Country and Staffordshire) and pick out the best two that we think would rank on any list.
For myself, I decided to stay local and picked out two places that are very diverse in what they do, but work to produce high quality food in a welcoming atmosphere, which are the Bilash in Wolverhampton and Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory in Tipton.
Both places provide what I would want from a restaurant in that you feel comfortable and welcome when you walk it, you have a great selection of meal options to pick from and you feel that care and attention is being made with producing the meal, plus that warming feeling of being full at the end.
The Bilash has, since 1980, endeavoured to provide quality Bangladeshi/Indian cuisine, something it has done very well, judging by a past Michelin rating, the AA Rosette award for culinary excellence and the top 10 ranking for restaurants in the Midlands from the Sunday Times, all of which are acknowledged on the restaurant's website.
Set opposite Wolverhampton Civic Centre and sitting in the shadows of St Peter's Church on Cheapside, the restaurant smells amazing from the outside, which is always a good start with any restaurant.
Stepping inside, you feel the warmth of the room and of the staff as they welcome you, with the room full of patterned decor and a number of statuettes and decorative items around.
There are also two separate seating areas, situated both sides of the stairs, with tables and comfy seating along one side and wrap-around leather padded seating opposite the bar and kitchen.
It's a restaurant that prides itself on fresh ingredients, with no pre-prepared sauces or out of the can meals, and the waiting staff will help you to tailor meals to your own needs, whether that's through no garlic or tomatoes or with more or less spice.
The A La Carte menu is a treat as well, giving you the best of the different courses on offer and you can feel your mouth watering just by reading the list, helped by the tangy chutney and minty sauces provided with the poppadoms and onion salad.
The Khan family have created a menu with rich flavours, full of quality ingredients and cooked to provide a full taste sensation.
