The idea of Two Cats Roaming Kitchen was conceived just over a year ago by Nick Astley and his Latvian partner Diana Fjodorova. It’s a Pop Up Roaming Kitchen, bringing a modern take on North Eastern European Cuisine to Birmingham and trying to make fine dining accessible to all. This event was taking place at the newly opened 6/8 Kafe at Millennium Point, and with a long table set for the 20 diners, it made a lovely but unusual location to eat! The Kafe’s long wooden counter made for a perfect place to watch Nick plating the food.
We started with a couple of canapés; Parmesan and Cep Cookie and a Linseed Crisp with Eel, Bacon & Pickled Celeriac.
Our other courses were:
- Tartare ‘Olivier’ – raw beef, smoked duck, chicken liver paté, coal oil, swede and shell on quails egg
- Soft Shell Crab with sourdough & vodka batter, kale, mooli, sea salad, juniper and squid ink sauce
- Pork Belly with onion broth, wild garlic oil and crackling
- Sorrel
- Hazelnut ice cream, apple and granola , sweet and sour dill oil
- Sponge, elderflower meringue, blueberries, curds, elderflower gel, chervil, viola
- ‘Fake Potato’
The dishes throughout were really accomplished with fantastic attention to detail. The tartare was a standout for me – beautiful flavours and the talking point of the shell on quails egg really got people thinking.
The wild garlic oil with the pork dish was something I wish I had on hand in my kitchen all the time!
A palate cleanser of a hand tied bunch of frozen sorrel dusted with icing sugar was ingenious and delicious, and the dessert of hazelnut ice cream, granola and apple was one of those that you wish would never end – such a beautiful combination of flavours executed just perfectly.
The ‘fake potato’ to end the meal was a lovely quirky twist – actually a choux pastry filled with cream and rolled in a coffee sauce and Oreo biscuit crumbs. A fantastic end to the meal.
There was a couple of times where I wanted slightly bolder and more punchy flavours, such as the pickled celeriac and swede elements and the onion broth with the pork – they were a touch on the subtle side.
A really lovely meal using interesting ingredients, pushing the boundaries and little and done with passion and great execution. At £35/head and BYOB its also pretty good value.
Look out for the next outing from Two Cats, word on the street is they’re getting a permanent home in the JQ! Follow them on Facebook so you don’t miss out!
Disclosure: We paid in full for our meals
