#midlands food blogger

.The Miller & Carter Steak Experience | Mailbox, Birmingham.

Last weekend I was invited along to Miller & Carter in the Mailbox to test out their Steak Experience and having never been before I didn’t realise I’d been missing out on such a gem of a restaurant. Miller & Carter have numerous restaurants across the country all boasting a fine selection of steaks and grills to satisfy any diner and a very impressive drinks menu to boot. We chose the Birmingham branch on the top level of the stylish Mailboxcomplexone beautifully warm and a sunny August Sunday and it turned out to be the perfect afternoon thanks to impeccable service, irresistible wine and incredible food.

We wandered into the restaurant a little earlier than our booked table after a lovely glass of Veuve in Bar Epernay below and were greeted by friendly obliging staff who showed us to a big table by the window straight away and allowed us to look through the giant Miller & Carter menus. There was so much choice we ordered some drinks while we were looking through from their impressive and reasonably priced wine list and well stocked bar – an iced cold Peroni for him, a large Chilean Sauvignon for me (£4.30). The starters looked too good to resist so we both dove straight in with Lemongrass & Chilli Tempura King Prawns (£6.95) and the Bourbon Glazed Belly Pork Bites (£5.95) which were just the right size and incredibly moreish, especially those crispy prawns with chilli jam.

Onto the main attraction….

We both ordered the 12oz Ribeye off the bone (£19.95), one medium and one medium rare and I was incredibly pleased to see that both of the steaks came exactly as ordered. On the menu Miller & Carter suggest how to have each steak cooked for maximum enjoyment but I went one below (because I’m such a foodie rebel) and it was melt in the mouth delicious, but I have to say I think they were spot on with their medium recommendation after tasting Joe’s. Each steak comes with an iceberg lettuce bowl and a choice of dressings which is a nice touch. I went for the Bacon & Honey Mustard dressing and even though I’m not an iceberg lettuce fan it was a welcome addition that i really enjoyed! Your steak also comes with a bowl of delicious chips, seriously delicious chips that were crispy, salty and fluffy in the middle – perfectly cut and so moreish – and a slab of onion loaf, oh the onion loaf! I will be dreaming about that onion loaf for weeks, it was a scrumptious potatoey oniony side that I never knew existed -  i will now be devastated if any steak I order in the future doesn’t come with it…do not miss out on the onion loaf! I ordered a Half Lobster Tail to go along with my steak (£5.75) and it was a delicious little addition to my plate – definitely worth adding onto your order – and a blue cheese butter that melted through my ribeye leaving me in cheesy, meaty, buttery heaven. Highly recommended.

For our mains we moved onto the red wine(an essential with a good steak in my eyes) and the Miller & Carter menu even helps you pick your wine based on the steak you’ve ordered – a lovely touch. Our waitress Becca however had an excellent knowledge of wine and helped us choose two similar wines to complement our mains with Joe opting for a slightly lighter Australian Shiraz (£8.25) and myself choosing a deep a fruity Spanish Rioja (£7.60) both of which paired perfectly with our steaks and they went down very, very well.

Pudding time, and as we were both about ready to burst we opted for a Tasting Plate to share (£8.95) consisting of a selection of White Chocolate & Pistachio Iced Parfait, a delectable Warm Chocolate Brownie,Sticky Toffee PuddingandVanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was to die for. We asked Becca for 15 minutes to finish off our wine before ordering two perfectly balanced Irish Coffees to finish off our meal on the balcony overlooking the canal and we were two very happy, very full little bunnies.

I can’t believe i’d never stepped foot in a Miller & Carter restaurant before but I’d go back in a heartbeat. It’s the perfect place that would suit any party - a date night, family meal or a night with friends and isn’t going to break the bank either. We had a wonderful afternoon and I can’t wait to visit again – I’m heading straight for the cocktail menu next time!

You can take a look at the whole menu and book a table for the mailbox on the Miller & Carter website here.

Have you been to Miller & Carter before? What’s your steak of choice? 

Tweet us @xameliax @Millerandcarter #millerandcarter 

xax

.June Flavrbox | What’s Inside.

It’s Flavrbox time again and the June Box* is quite exotic! For those who don’t know, Flavrbox are a food subscription box that deliver full sized gourmet treats from across the UK every month right to your door for you to taste. Here at xameliax HQ (aka my bedroom) we look forward to them every single month and June’s box has been no exception!

Date & Almond Wedge by De Juan - I thought this was cheese at first and i got really excited but it’s not, it’s a date and almond wedge which coincidentally does still go very well on your cheeseboard! It’s an interesting invention and i actually really enjoyed it with a bit of mature cheddar and crackers as an after dinner snack - it’s (as you would expect)very nutty and fruity which goes very well with a good brie! I would definitely consider looking out for something like this again for any winter dinner parties.

Pistachio Cocoa Turkish Delight also by Arabica - Love love love this stuff! It tastes like a super soft nougat and i nearly demolished the whole bag in one go! I adore pistachios and this is rolled in loads of them with a coconutty sweet chewy centre - and they’re vegan friendly too, the perfect after dinner treat with a coffee.

Wild Sumac by Arabica - This is an interesting fruity little spice that apparently goes great with lamb. It smells incredible but I haven’t actually had a chance to try it out just yet. Always love these kinds of jars as they make wonderful go-to cupboard staples when you want to jazz up a piece of meat for dinner. 

Ali Oli Garlic Mayonnaise by Dellicioso - I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get a jar of Ali Oli in my life! Joe and i lived off this stuff in Greece and were gutted when we couldn’t get it at home. It’s like a garlic mayonnaise with a more authentic taste than your standard Hellman’s squeezy jar. Fantastic for serving with cut dried meats or on a fresh summer salad and also very effective at keeping vampires at bay.

Fire Crackers by Captain Tiptoes - I’ve seriously saved the best product till last this month, these crackers are absolutely incredible. Similar to a snack found in my old Graze box deliveries but a giant bag of them i couldn’t put them down! They’re nobbly, crunchy, sweet and firey that are a match made in a heaven with a cold beer out in the garden. I love these and i will be ordering an entire shipment of them for the summer months. They also have a giant mustache on the packaging, sold. 

You can sign up for the next Flavrbox delivery on their website HERE for just £18 +p&p!

Did you receive June’s box? What was your favourite item?

Tweet us @xameliax @flavrbox and tell us your favourite foodie bits from this box! #juneflavrbox

xax 

.New Matcha Drinks On The Go | teapigs.

Those of you who have been around for a while will know that last year i discovered the wonderful world of matcha tea(seehereandhere). If you haven’t heard of it before it’s a miracle bright green tea powder that’s packed full of antioxidents(with one cup the equivilent of 15 cups of normal green tea), helps to speed up your metabolism and fight all the nasty things that can beat your body down and i swear by it. 

Unfortunately on it’s own i think it tastes disgusting (think along the lines of pondwater mixed with death) but stirred into orange juice it’s flavour is undetectable…even if it does turn your juice bright green! The only problem with this is that without a clever whizzy whisk gadget it can be quite difficult to mix and that bloody powder get’s EVERYWHERE! So the clever clogs at teapigs have come up with a simple solution for the matcha lover’s preparation problem and mixed it for us in handy on the go cartons! So far they’ve released three fruity flavours: Apple*, Elderflower* and Grapefruit*. 

I started off with the apple flavour but i’m sad to say that i really didn’t like it! I could still taste the matcha poking through at the end and it just wasn’t for me. Luckily though Elderflower and Grapefruit saved the day with a simply delicious, fresh taste and no matcha flavouring in sight - score! I like to grab one in the morning on the way to work or just before i work out to give me a bit of a boost. 

They’re a little on the pricey side at first glance with one carton coming in at £1.89 but a pack of matcha powder will set you back over £20 so it doesn’t work out too badly in the end. And compared to your daily caffeine boost from starbucks it’s practically pence…and only 32 kcals per 100ml too! All in all i’m a convert to the Elderflower and Grapefruit blends and i’d certainly buy them again - cheers to you teapigs and your adorable cartoon cup of tea!

Right now you can find them on the teapigs website here but they will soon be hitting your supermarket shelves so keep those eyes peeled!

Have you tried matcha tea before? Would you give these cartons a go?

Tweet us @xameliax @teapigs#matchadrinks

xax