Chinatown - Birmingham's Oriental Heart

Birmingham has recently been blessed with a front of heavy rain, which has made doing anything pleasant somewhat challenging. But our West Midland's metropolis is used to this glorious weather so we just get on with things, but this Saturday just gone showed me a great afternoon in Birmingham's Chinatown. The weather wasn't actually that bad, well it wasn't perfect but who needs perfection? Who needs Beijing when there's Chinatown Birmingham!? I still want to see Hong Kong and China! Let's keep that one crystal clear!

Taking a well earned break from our final year degree studies myself and my friend Kelly made our way to Birmingham's Chinatown, a dynamic corner of Birmingham's Southside city center district. Captured to the left is Cathay Street, the gateway to a wide range of Oriental delights including restaurants, hairdressers and cake shops. Move over London, Birmingham has a Chinatown to be proud of! I absolutely love this part of town because it's an infusion of Chinese and Cantonese culture and customs that funnily enough perfectly compliment Birmingham's compact and diverse cityscape. This part of Southside is within a minutes walk to the Bullring that connects with New Street Station. 

For a cash-strapped student its easy to find something to do in Birmingham when the weekend makes an appearance, not to mention the rain had disappeared for a short while that afternoon so that was great! Me and Kelly usually have a Chinese cake and a cold Bubble Tea in this part of town. We always choose Caffe Chino, a cute bakery and cafe that serves the best Hong Kong Black-forest cake in Birmingham! The atmosphere at Caffe Chino makes me feel closer to my days spent within the streets of New York City's Chinatown, there's nothing better than a cold HK style Bubble Tea to set the scene perfectly. Our time at Caffe Chino gave me and Kelly the chance to catch-up because the last few weeks of University have been crazy busy! Back in February of this year I published a blog highlighting the delights of Caffe Chino, I had never seen something so endearing before in Birmingham! Also, I need to try the restaurant that sits close to Caffe Chino for the barbecued duck looks so good!

Forget Tesco, Birmingham's Chinese population choose to shop at one of the many Oriental supermarkets that sell everything from the Far East. Me and Kelly went to Day In Supermarket, I love it here because everything just looks so colourful and there's a rich aroma that always greets me each time I walk through the entrance. Kelly usually shops at this Oriental supermarket because certain foods can't be bought in the conventional supermarkets, I was shown what frozen tofu looks like and the different varieties of soy milk, which by the way soy milk is really tasty! Just looking at the fresh Pak Choi is great because to me its not what I'm used to so its always great see something new! 

I had previously bought some Po-nee Tea, recommended by Kelly as its one her Grandad's favorite teas to drink. I found out that this tea has a strong and earthy flavor but I made the mistake of making the tea to strong so the overall taste resembled what compost would of tasted like. Not like I've ever tried compost! Day In Supermarket is also located on Cathay Street, a stones through from the vibrant Arcadian complex that really puts this international area into perspective. I must admit that the amount of tourists looking around Day In Supermarket on Saturday afternoon was crazy, I've been welcomed into the Birmingham family so I'm not a tourist by any means! The staff behind main tills have a certain way with the customers, its almost like a race to process each payment something like a supermarket sweep! Kelly informed that in supermarkets in Hong Kong usually get quite hectic like how it was at Day In Supermarket. 

Fresh from our Oriental food shopping experience we took a few steps from the Day In Supermarket to Ladywell Walk, an alley way that had some very delicious smells where I was greeted by Peach Garden Restaurant and Take Away. This back to basic Cantonese cafe kitchen oozed the charm of a Asian street market in Birmingham's city center. I peered through the open to door to see a packed dining area made up of mainly Oriental customers, now that's the sign of a top quality restaurant! I would have loved to have thrown caution to the wind by ordering lunch here but I've not go a lot money at the moment, maybe a pre-birthday treat next week will be in order?

Kelly Ordered roast pork with boiled rice, I knew I should of just ordered something! If you look closely into the window of Peach Garden you will be able to see the hanging meats that looked more than delicious, I personally think that the duck looked the best! Keeping within the foodie subject I have previously eaten at two Cantonese restaurants in Birmingham's Chinatown, firstly at Chung Ying where I tried chicken's feet for the very first time, it was a taste experience that I enjoyed very much. More recently Kelly introduced me to the concept of Dim Sum, the China Court Cantonese Restaurant served us a colourful and tasty platter of Dim Sum dishes that didn't cost the earth, I need some more Dim Sum back in my life! I know a trip to Hong Kong is in order to experience another interpretation of Dim Sum. I really need to get back to Birmingham's Chinatown soon to enjoy some wholesome Cantonese food from Peach Garden. 

I've not been completely honest about my visit to Day In Supermarket for I was reunited with one of my favorite Chinese tea! Captured to the right are the boxes of loose leaf Fujian Oolong tea that I purchased from Day In Supermarket. I first bought Oolong tea when I was at college in Wolverhampton back in 2008-2010, I saw the bright red boxes and decided to start my own Oolong tea hype! Apparently, the natural properties that are in Oolong tea make it a good choice for weight loss, but when I drink this tea I notice that my face looks fresher and clear of imperfections. I would recommend anyone to drink Oolong tea on a regular basis, but be warned the taste of this tea can be quite bitter. I choose to have a refreshing hot cup of Oolong tea after each evening meal because that's the secret. Maybe this tea could be a stocking filler for Christmas to help detox after our gluttonous ways? So, a visit to Birmingham's Chinatown is the true answer to perfect skin! Why would I lie!? 

Birmingham is blessed with many different cultural gems so I honestly say that Chinatown town is a testament to this city's rich tapestry of cultures and residents. I plan to remain faithful to Birmingham's Chinatown to enjoy a sweet treat, buy some Oriental groceries or eat a succulent and flavoursome meal that doesn't cost a whole lot of money! Do yourselves a favour by leaving Soho's Chinatown and give Birmingham's Southside a chance! I always take a chance on Birmingham's Chinatown and never regret it!

Joseph Harrison