It’s always intriguing to try a restaurant whose name doesn’t give you any indication as to what will be on offer. The Blue Piano, in Edgbaston, is a South East Asian restaurant situated on the busy Harborne Road. The owners are from Singapore, and wanted to bring the diverse Oriental cuisine of this island – taking in Thai, Cambodian and Malaysian influences – to Birmingham. When I got the invite to dine at the restaurant I quickly had a look at their website to see what would be on offer. Having never eaten this type of cuisine before, I wanted to be prepared.

Atmosphere

Situated in an old Victorian house, there are several rooms that make up this colonial-inspired restaurant. There is a bar that you can relax in either before you dine, or just for drinks. Opposite this there is a more relaxed lounge area with leather sofas and a large fire. These lead you through to the restaurant which has wicker chairs and chandeliers. We visited mid-week and there were only a few other diners, so it was difficult to get the full feel of what the atmosphere would be like when busy. But I suspect it would be something near the luxurious hustle and bustle of a Singaporean hotel such as Raffles. I loved the relaxed music that was playing, which certainly added to the colonial atmosphere they are trying to emulate.

food

I was really looking forward to the food, although still not sure what to quite expect. For starters, I was instantly drawn to the Singapore carrot cake, so along with this we also chose the clementi sharing platter. The carrot cake, which is one of the signature dishes, is made of savoury rice cakes combining carrots, mooli and spices. I must say I really enjoyed it. The texture of the savoury rice cakes and carrots was more like rubbery fish to me and my companion commented that they looked like potato wedges. All of the flavours combined well together. I could have easily had a larger portion as a main course. The Clementi sharing platter overall got the thumbs up, consisting of two chicken satay skewers, two cheeky prawns, and a five spice roll (pork wrapped in tofu skin). We both enjoyed the prawns and the roll, but my companion found the chicken skewers a little bit dry.

For the main course, I chose roast duck, rambutan and jackfruit red curry with stir-fried noodles. I do tend to prefer sweeter dishes rather than spicy, so this was a perfect choice for me. I thought the grouping of flavours worked well, especially the exotic fruits, and I feel the accompaniment of egg noodles rather than rice added to the intensity of flavour.

My companion chose prawn tamarind curry with nasi lemak rice. It was served on a large leaf and there was a lot on the plate. He remarked on the interesting contrast of textures: soft rice cooked in coconut milk and aromatic herbs, alongside crunchy roasted peanuts. The tamarind-flavoured prawns and anchovies. We thought that this was all the dish needed, and the prawn crackers, hardboiled egg and cucumber slices were unnecessary extras. However, this could be my English palate speaking.

We were convinced to have dessert. For me it had to be, fresh out of the oven, orange drizzle cake with orange curd. This was a really light flavoursome cake and the orange curd was a really lovely complement. My companion had the Japanese Moochi ice-cream choosing two flavours of green tea and sesame. We both looked at these inquisitively when they came out; they didn’t look like ‘normal’ ice cream and nor did they taste like it! The texture could only be described as slightly rubbery. They are made of rice skin, which gives them this unique gelatinous feel. We had mixed feelings on this; if you are expecting a refreshing dairy ice cream then it’s not the dessert for you.

drinks

There is a good selection of wines, draught beers, spirits and cocktails available. My companion enjoyed a couple of glasses of the house white wine, which he found fruity and exotic, in keeping with the menu.

pricing

Singapore Carrot Cake = £4.95

Clementi sharing platter = £10.95

Prawn Tamarind Curry with Nasi Lemak = £16.95

Roast Duck, Rambutan and Jackfruit Red Curry = £10.95

Stir-fried Noodles and Beansprouts = £3.95

overall

For my first foray into South East Asian food, I was impressed with Blue Piano. I loved the unusual flavour combinations and am keen to try more. It certainly has more pizzazz than other Oriental food in Birmingham, such as Chinese. It is a shame that the night we visited was quiet as I think this style of restaurant needs a vibrant atmosphere to show off. I liked the individual spaces for relaxing and private parties, as well as the outside garden.