1847

Conveniently situated by Snow Hill station in the historic Great Western Arcade, it's easily accessible from the city's business district and ideal for visitors and shoppers

Atmosphere

The restaurant has upstairs and downstairs seating areas and is decorated in a contemporary yet stylish manner, with a cosy bistro feel. Jazz fusion background music provides a relaxing ambience.

I took as a barometer of its popularity the fact it was full on the (week) night we dined there.

Food

Dining with my friend, who is also vegetarian, we both commented how delightful it was to have the full choice of a menu rather than just a couple of options, as is usually the norm.

Following the example of the Northern bistros, the aim is to make homemade, seasonal food onsite using local and British produce where possible.

Menus are rotated seasonally around the availability of ingredients.

To start with, my friend had Curried Swede, Masala Slaw, Roast Cauliflower, Cashew Nut Butter, Cinnamon Cornflakes. She commented that as well as the great presentation, she enjoyed the differing textures on the plate.

I chose Pablo Cabrito Shropshire Goat's Cheese Caramelised Heritage Carrot and Walnut. The carrot, having been caramelised down, was deliciously sweet against the smooth tartness of the cheese, with an added dimension of sharpness when dipped in the balsamic glaze.

My guest's Egg, panko-crumbed and soft-boiled, served with wild mushrooms, cider cream, crisp potato, roast shallots, fresh red chilli and maple smoke.

The dish arrived at the table with an added 'ta-dah!' moment. It was covered in a glass dome, which was lifted off to reveal theatrical billows of smoke. Visually appealing, crispy yet soft - a wonderful combination of ingredients.

Mimicking the quintessentially English meal of fish and chips, Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside twists the dish to favour a vegetarian palate.

Fish is replaced by halloumi cheese or smoked tofu - the choice is yours. Encased in batter and flavoured with local beer, it comes with chunky chips, caper and lemon zest tartar sauce, mushy peas and sumac-spiked tomatoes.

The caper and lemon zest tartar complemented the lemony sumac within the tomatoes and provided a piquant lift for the halloumi when coupled together.

Totally curious about another item from the menu, we were offered a sample portion of Apple of My Eye which consists of celeriac and Granny Smith hush puppies, chunky cut chips, pear chilli jelly, tequila chop salad, sour cream an jalapeno popcorn and chilli and pumpkin seed slaw.

Based on an old American recipe that uses up left-overs, this is a modernised version that's been given a gastro make-over.

Although my friend was enamoured of this taste of the US Deep South, I found it too spicy for my palate.

For dessert we decided to go for the sharing platter called Cocoa Chanel Comfort Eats Chocolate in Paris 1954. The very title conjures up a glamorous, indulgent, decadent picture - and it delivered.

The absolute chocolate-fest consisted of dark chocolate truffles, chocolate brownie, mint mascarpone, almost raw chunky chocolate chip ice cream and cocoa nibs.

The dish had the added bonus of being suitable for vegans. The dark truffle was and the vegan ice cream was tasty.

The brownie was quite plain, and although I was looking forward to trying the mint mock-mascarpone, it tasted a little synthetic so I would have preferred a different topping. Otherwise, a pure delight for chocolate lovers.

Drinks

As well as a range of soft drinks, there is a cocktail menu, including many champagne-based options.

We sampled a glass of prosecco each plus a couple of refreshing non-alcoholic cocktails: Apple Kiwi Honey and Passionfruit & Orange.

Overall

A fabulous addition to Birmingham's ever-evolving restaurant scene.

Without being especially pretentious, Bistro 1847 offers vegetarians and vegans the opportunity to enjoy a full gastro experience with some artistic flair.

Author: AnnaRose