They do a dish at the Blue Piano for which all other dishes should be judged. It’s a carrot cake in type, though in reality a steamed radish cake; an even less palatable name for the everyday unadventurous natives of our fine country. You can see why they stuck with carrot. The cubes of steamed radish and rice flour are pale throughout, spare the edges, which have been lightly browned in a pan with scrambled egg that coats and adds an unctuous layer. They are spongy in texture, with only a little bite from a fine julienne of spring onion and chilli that adds a warming heat. It could easily be the best breakfast you have ever had, though here it is a starter, beguiling and delicious in equal parts. It must make the top ten, no, top five dishes in Birmingham.
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It’s always intriguing to try a restaurant whose name doesn’t give you any indication as to what will be on offer. The Blue Piano, in Edgbaston, is a South East Asian restaurant situated on the busy Harborne Road. The owners are from Singapore, and wanted to bring the diverse Oriental cuisine of this island – taking in Thai, Cambodian and Malaysian influences – to Birmingham. When I got the invite to dine at the restaurant I quickly had a look at their website to see what would be on offer. Having never eaten this type of cuisine before, I wanted to be prepared.
Atmosphere
Situated in an old Victorian house, there are several rooms that make up this colonial-inspired restaurant. There is a bar that you can relax in either before you dine, or just for drinks. Opposite this there is a more relaxed lounge area with leather sofas and a large fire. These lead you through to the restaurant which has wicker chairs and chandeliers. We visited mid-week and there were only a few other diners, so it was difficult to get the full feel of what the atmosphere would be like when busy. But I suspect it would be something near the luxurious hustle and bustle of a Singaporean hotel such as Raffles. I loved the relaxed music that was playing, which certainly added to the colonial atmosphere they are trying to emulate.
food
I was really looking forward to the food, although still not sure what to quite expect. For starters, I was instantly drawn to the Singapore carrot cake, so along with this we also chose the clementi sharing platter. The carrot cake, which is one of the signature dishes, is made of savoury rice cakes combining carrots, mooli and spices. I must say I really enjoyed it. The texture of the savoury rice cakes and carrots was more like rubbery fish to me and my companion commented that they looked like potato wedges. All of the flavours combined well together. I could have easily had a larger portion as a main course. The Clementi sharing platter overall got the thumbs up, consisting of two chicken satay skewers, two cheeky prawns, and a five spice roll (pork wrapped in tofu skin). We both enjoyed the prawns and the roll, but my companion found the chicken skewers a little bit dry.
For the main course, I chose roast duck, rambutan and jackfruit red curry with stir-fried noodles. I do tend to prefer sweeter dishes rather than spicy, so this was a perfect choice for me. I thought the grouping of flavours worked well, especially the exotic fruits, and I feel the accompaniment of egg noodles rather than rice added to the intensity of flavour.
My companion chose prawn tamarind curry with nasi lemak rice. It was served on a large leaf and there was a lot on the plate. He remarked on the interesting contrast of textures: soft rice cooked in coconut milk and aromatic herbs, alongside crunchy roasted peanuts. The tamarind-flavoured prawns and anchovies. We thought that this was all the dish needed, and the prawn crackers, hardboiled egg and cucumber slices were unnecessary extras. However, this could be my English palate speaking.
We were convinced to have dessert. For me it had to be, fresh out of the oven, orange drizzle cake with orange curd. This was a really light flavoursome cake and the orange curd was a really lovely complement. My companion had the Japanese Moochi ice-cream choosing two flavours of green tea and sesame. We both looked at these inquisitively when they came out; they didn’t look like ‘normal’ ice cream and nor did they taste like it! The texture could only be described as slightly rubbery. They are made of rice skin, which gives them this unique gelatinous feel. We had mixed feelings on this; if you are expecting a refreshing dairy ice cream then it’s not the dessert for you.
drinks
There is a good selection of wines, draught beers, spirits and cocktails available. My companion enjoyed a couple of glasses of the house white wine, which he found fruity and exotic, in keeping with the menu.
pricing
Singapore Carrot Cake = £4.95
Clementi sharing platter = £10.95
Prawn Tamarind Curry with Nasi Lemak = £16.95
Roast Duck, Rambutan and Jackfruit Red Curry = £10.95
Stir-fried Noodles and Beansprouts = £3.95
overall
For my first foray into South East Asian food, I was impressed with Blue Piano. I loved the unusual flavour combinations and am keen to try more. It certainly has more pizzazz than other Oriental food in Birmingham, such as Chinese. It is a shame that the night we visited was quiet as I think this style of restaurant needs a vibrant atmosphere to show off. I liked the individual spaces for relaxing and private parties, as well as the outside garden.
We were staying in a hotel nearby and booked this on a whim. By coincidence there was live music on in the garden. We ate inside and the dining room was lovely. The food was great and reasonably priced. Good service too. Outside looked really nice and we'll be back in warmer weather to enjoy a meal in the garden.
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Wow, what a place! We initially booked as we were attending a wedding that was nearby and subsequently the couple moved the wedding to The Blue Piano 3 weeks before the big day!
The building itself is beautiful, I love the flooring downstairs. Our room was nice and clean and had all the basics needed.
The staff were really lovely and friendly from phone calls before we stayed right until the end.
Drinks prices seemed pretty standard to what you'd expect these days. I didn't try any of the cocktails so I can't comment on them but the Singapore Sling sounded good.
The food for the wedding breakfast was okay. I think there was possibly an issue with getting the food out as our table was one of the last to be served and I think that unfortunately affected some of the dishes. Still tasty but a little cold and the rice was very stodgy (was listed as Jasmine rice but it tasted like standard boiled rice). The chips were good though. I have worked weddings though so I know how it can be. The buffet food on the other hand was a different ball game. The pork spring rolls were phenomenal!! Best spring roll I've ever had. The other food was also really good but it took a lot of restraint to not load a plate of spring rolls and leave some for the other guests!
Only downsides to the room was the mattress wasn't comfy, it was very soft and also only one packet of biscuits in the room.
The pros definitely outweigh the cons and I'd stay again.
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Having visited the blue piano a good number of times over the past 4 years, the blue piano had come to me to be a place I loved to go on an extra special occasion, like birthdays and graduations, to justify the high price point for exceptionally delicious dishes and great service.
I was lucky enough to visit again today, and had been looking forwards to this event for the last few weeks. Upon arriving at the restaurant,this we were treated to a refreshed change of decor.
Despite the facade lift, the menu still holds onto its routes of a wide offering of east asian cuisine, including clear staples like beef rendang, Khmer chicken curry, sea bass and other dishes.
I ordered my usual - the Singapore carrot cake as a starter, along with one of their curry dishes for the main, and whilst the Singapore carrot cake is exactly as I recalled (and hit the craving id been living with since booking in the table) the curry seemed to be made with an alternative recipe to the one I was used to, with the sauce having an unusual thickness to it compared to before, and the chicken and veg had lost their previous 'melt in the mouth' texture, feeling more sandy for the root veg, and chewy in the mushrooms.
Alongside this, the service itself to our table was poorer than we've come to expect, with no follow up on the quality of the food with the table, or check ups on if we'd like to order more drinks. If I was new to the venue this wouldn't have been much of an issue, but the notable change in service style has made apparent the impact of the change of ownership. That, alongside the reduced number of tables in the venue itself from the redesign gives a different, more empty feel, with a far less enjoyable and busy atmosphere like we've experienced before. It feels as if the blue piano has lost some of its core demographics and hasn't quite worked out what is going to be it's unique offering beyond tastey food. We're it to be based in the very centre of Birmingham, I would expect despite these changes the restaurant would still do well, but given its slightly more up market and far out location, I'm not surprised that without a core sell, such as a boujee evening out with exemplary service like it had before, it's seemed to lost its heart.
Saying this, If you've never been, the food still is worth the trip alone. Whilst there has been a sharp rise in the numbers of Vietnamese and Indonesian restaurants through Birmingham city centre, the variety of offerings, and ability to cater to dietary requirements still is a good offering. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are able to steer it into a much more rounded experience for my next return.
Also worth noting, this review is solely around the restaurant, and not the hotel.
Great night of live music! Awesome place to chill and enjoy some sweet tunes from midnight city!
Good value hotel very handy for City centre. Owner very kindly gave me a lift into town after I was messed around by taxi company. Sadly stayed on a day when restaurant was closed, shame as the menu looks very good. Will be my go to place to stay now whenever I'm in town.
Came here for a works lunch. Was really cold in there so sat with thick coat on for my meal which was very good quality, shame so cold inside the building though as it was abit uncomfortable trying to eat in a big coat too.
Thank you for a fabulous New Years Eve, the band were great and the atmosphere was amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves 😊
One of the most beautiful places to eat and stay in Birmingham had are nhs Christmas dinner there last night staff food atmosphere wonderful thank you Suzanne xx
My friends booked a weekend stay and the private room for my hen party with afternoon tea. I cannot thank the staff enough for their hospitality. All of the food and drinks were amazing and they were so accommodating and flexible. The venue itself is gorgeous, has a lovely ambience and we loved the live music on the Friday night. I live locally so cannot wait to come back to enjoy the garden next time!
The food is exceptional and the staff were very pleasent and attentive.
I was very greatful to be able to retire to a comfy bed in my room upstairs after a lovely meal.
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