it’s been about 6 months or so since we visited the Pickled Piglet, nestled away on Gas Street in Birmingham. Since we last went they’ve had a refurbishment and it’s super lovely. The upstairs restaurant is bigger, with the bar taken out and moved downstairs, which is now more of a bar & coffee area. It’s more streamlimed, a lovely blue and gray color scheme with some quirky features dotted about. It has a light modern and airy feel about it and it’s much improved from before.
We went for a late brunch/light lunch one Saturday and although quiet when we arrived, it soon got busier. The service was very friendly, as it has always been and we felt right at home.
At that time on a Saturday they offer their brunch menu, where you can pick from small plates, deli boards or some larger plates or there’s also their seasonal set price menu – 2 small plates and a light main for £10. We thought the latter sounded exceptional value. The small plates are almost like tapas so you could purely order a lot of these if you wanted and have a Deli feast.
I started with a Pimms Royale – made with prosecco which was very refreshing and totally moreish!
For our small plates from the seasonal menu we chose
- Foccacia
- Ham Hock & Pickles
- Salami & Potato Croquettes
- Pork & Port Paté
These little dishes were right up my street. You could easily see and taste the freshness, and see the care that had gone into them. The flavours were all spot on. My only quibble was that the paté was a little soft, almost liquid like infact, but it still tasted great.
Next up I chose Pea Potato & Mint Frittata, Baby Leaf Salad & Aoili. This was a perfect summery dish for me – the frittata was really well cooked and the mint through it was a beautiful flavor. The garlicky aioli really brought the whole dish together. Lee chose the Cider Glazed Ham, Crushed Potatoes & Fried Egg. This was a hearty brunch dish but a perfect size and all cooked really well.
We decided on some dessert as well, some cheese for Lee and a Passion Fruit, Coconut and Meringue concoction for me. They really hit the nail on the head for me with the dessert – layers of slightly sharp passionfruit cream, with creamy coconut and wafer thin puff pastry and topped with sweet chewy meringue and passionfruit coulis.
We really enjoyed our revisit to the Pickled Piglet; the experience was relaxing & the food was unpretentious and tasty. A lovely independent in Birmingham.
www.pickledpiglet.co.uk
Disclosure: We paid in full for our meal
