Live 24-Seven -Wining & Dining
Isaacs Indian Restaurant contemporary Indian dining in elegant surroundings
Isaacs have found their home in the centre of Birmingham's financial district. The elegant surroundings of this former bank have been adapted to offer a cool, contemporary dining space that shouts quality and elegance the moment you walk through the door.
From the stunning, huge crystal chandeliers dominating the ornate ceilings, the elegant lounge and bar serving unique cocktails, fine wines and champagne to the spacious dining areas split over different levels, each offering a spacious, elegant dining experience complete with crisp white linen and polished crystal, you immediately know you are about to experience a fine dining experience.
The staff are as impeccably turned out as the restaurant and seem to have just the right blend of formality whilst remaining both friendly and informative adding to the contemporary twist of the food.
Isaacs Contemporary
Indian Dining 7 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham. B2 5ST
Tel. 0121 212 1020
www.isaacsrestaurant.co.uk
Now I first have to admit to not being a great fan of Indian food, although I am happy to be converted, just as the friends we dined with have been. Whilst perusing the menu we enjoyed some great cocktails and everyone suggested dishes that would suit my more traditional pallet. I must say that there were a number of dishes that sounded very appealing, nothing like the usual menu in the Indian restaurants my husband frequents.
As everyone knows I love seafood, the suggestion of Shahi Jhinga (spicy dry king prawns) seemed like a great choice. These plump King Prawns, stir-fried with garlic, peppers and aromatic spices proved slightly spicy and extremely tasty with just a hint of sesame and honey, so good in fact that we broke our usual rule and two of us both chose the same dish. The tiny Lamb Chops chosen by my husband, Dean, also proved a huge hit, succulent baby lamb chops cooked to perfection with a blend of unique herbs and spices. The final choice to complete our starters was Tandoori Fish – gently spiced salmon, exquisitely chargrilled and served with roasted peppers and vegetables, very tasty and so tender it literally fell apart under the fork.
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Being more adventurous, the men decided to opt for a Thali for main course. Described as a royal feast of tantalising curries and tandoori specials, they felt it was something that needed to be sampled, sharing only one Thali they also order some side dishes, including Saffron and Peas Pulao Rice, Shabji Bhuna – mixed vegetables cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes in a spicy sauce and Bombay Aloo – potatoes baked with cumin seeds, turmeric and coriander. These proved to be the ideal accompaniments, in fact they had so much flavour they could easily be eaten as a main course, but went down equally as well with the small lamb and chicken curries, sheek kebab, tandoori fish and chicken, all served in small individual dishes, enjoyed by everyone, I am sure will be ordered again.
For my main course I chose Lime and Ginger Sea Bass from Isaacs’ signature dishes. It looked as good as it tasted, the pan-fried sea bass fillet had been perfectly cooked and served on a bed of sautéed spinach and red peppers with new cumin potatoes, all drizzled with a rather tasty cherry tomato and fish broth. Thoroughly recommended, even if like me you are not the most adventurous of diners. My friend opted for Murgh Makhani, ordered slightly spicy, comprising tender chicken served in a mild creamy sauce, cooked to Isaacs’ own secret recipe. We were not allowed to know the ingredients, but everyone said it was very tasty.
Feeling rather full, we just chose various flavours of the Movenpick ice cream. If you have not tried Movenpick we can recommend it, both the vanilla and the strawberry proving far to good to resist. Dean decided he would try the fudge brownie, light and full of flavour, a huge hit, four forks and only one slice! Never mind, there is always the next visit!
Review by Sharon Napper
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