bababouttownx posted: " The independent establishment that has given me a bit of trouble throughout blogging in the past year or so is Tropea. No fault of Tropea, the blame is all on me for taking what feels like a lifetime to try them out. I often ask, "Where should I review n" BAB ABOUT TOWN
The independent establishment that has given me a bit of trouble throughout blogging in the past year or so is Tropea. No fault of Tropea, the blame is all on me for taking what feels like a lifetime to try them out. I often ask, "Where should I review next, folks?" "Bab, for goodness' sake, TROPEA IS THE ONLY ANSWER!" After the backlash from those who constantly insisted, I visit Tropea (now, I thank you all), I decided to kick off the new year by finally giving Tropea in Harborne a try. Recognised as the Best Local Restaurant in Central and East England by the Good Food Guide UK and featured in the Michelin Guide, and a fan-favourite of many!
On a Saturday lunchtime, they were able to accommodate us. To be honest, I couldn't believe my luck as I have been told it's quite tricky to get a table at Tropea. Greeted by a familiar face, Toby, an incredible Birmingham bartender with whom I've had the pleasure of working with, showed us to our seats. The restaurant is small, offering diners a modern and intimate dining experience. It's a lovely restaurant and has a great atmosphere even though it's only 1pm!
I requested water, adhering to my newfound "new year, new me" commitment. However, I realised I started this way too soon as we were seated right next to the bar, witnessing glorious cocktails being crafted. My god, they were tempting - the espresso martini was like a knife to my heart, but I stuck to my word, proceeding to stick with water and remain good. What a bloody prat I am.
Looking through the menu, we found a great selection of Italian dishes, an adventurous and daring menu not seen elsewhere. Meats, vegetarian options, plenty that I wanted to explore here and It was recommended for two people to share around 6-8 dishes, resembling a tapas-style dining experience. The menu changes according to availability of seasonal produce and Toby guided us with recommendations on dish pairings which was a great help.
To start, we ordered burrata with roasted sweet red peppers, rocket, toasted hazelnuts, basil oil, and Maldon salt, bombolone (Italian filled doughnuts) stuffed with gorgonzola, pickled walnuts, red onion jam, and focaccia with olives and house pickles. Where do I start? Let's begin with what blew me away - the Bombolone doughnuts were like a kick in the mouth of sensational flavours, a welcome to Tropea and a realisation of what I had been missing out on. Next, we tried the burrata, beautiful, especially when paired with the focaccia—it was rich and creamy, what a dream!
Next up, the pasta. We ordered pappardelle venison ragu with rosemary and 24-month Parmesan and Cappellacci stuffed with butternut squash and sage butter. The venison ragu was gorgeous, rich, and succulent—venison seasoned beautifully with rosemary was a dream to eat. But the cappellacci stuffed parcels stole the show—my favourite dish of the night. Filled with a beautiful blend of butternut squash, it's a dish that many should experience and one that took me by surprise to be honest as I often find vegetarian pasta options just, well boring really! but this was far from it.
Filling up nicely, I totally forgot that we had ordered some meat/fish dishes—gulp! I am about to burst here, and Josie was half asleep. As soon as the dishes arrived, I nearly shot up out of my seat but I was mesmerised by the shell-on baked wild red prawns in chili garlic oil, accompanied by plain focaccia for dipping, and grilled pork collar with stewed borlotti beans, pear, and mustard chutney, rosemary. Succulent prawns seasoned beautifully—usually when I order shell prawns, they're seasoned on the outside and not on the inside, so I was chuffed to taste some seasoned prawn with an easy-to-crack shell. The chili oil drizzle went wonderfully with the focaccia. The grilled pork was cooked perfectly, and I loved pairing it up with the borlotti beans, pear, and mustard chutney—what a mouthful!
We skipped dessert as it was approaching 3pm, right when they close for dinner. however, they were very accommodating even nearing 3pm and beyond. No rush, faultless customer service, and incredible food—the trifecta of Tropea. It's firmly in my top ten dining experiences, and one thing that stood out was the constant smiling of customers. Clearly, people really adore this place; it's not pretentious—it's a fantastic spot for everyone to gather, socialize over great food, and, of course, experience the magic of Tropea. A little bit on the pricey side however how can I complain when the quality is so outstanding? You pay for quality, and you get quality here, simple as that. I could sing its praises all day long—really, REALLY loved it. As many would say, better late than never. Now, it's my turn to offer a bit of advice: if you're contemplating a visit, don't wait like I did. But honestly, who am I kidding? You all bloody know about Tropea, so all that's left to say is good luck getting a table!
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