Restaurant festival to showcase city's cuisines

The Birmingham Restaurant Festival returns to the city from 1-31 August

"We want to showcase our restaurants and what they bring so the wider public sees Birmingham as the food destination it really is."

Now in its fourth year, the Birmingham Restaurant Festival returns to the city from 1-31 August.

With 50 restaurants participating - a record number for the festival - each venue will be serving up exclusive menus for visitors to try.

The festival is organised by Living For The Weekend, which also runs the Birmingham Cocktail Weekend.

Speaking with "a very full belly", the founder and director of the group, Alex Nicholson-Evans, said: "The reaction from the last few years has been really fantastic. It's not just one or two venues, it's a whole food scene.

"I think Birmingham is a fantastic place to eat and visit and I hope it can showcase the breadth of cuisines and foods we have and show we're absolutely still up for business."

The restaurants taking part can be found in different spots across the city, from Harborne and Edgbaston to the Chinese Quarter and Brindley Place, as well as many venues across the city centre.

A variety of international cuisines will also be on offer: Chinese, Indian, Italian and French but also Argentinian, Vietnamese, Nepalese and Thai.

Two Michelin star restaurants are also taking part in the festival, Adam's and Simpsons.

'Incredible menus'

Each year, attendees also get the chance to vote for their favourite menu from those taking part.

"It's a lovely insight into how customers are feeling," Ms Nicholson-Evans said.

There are no tickets or wristbands for the festival and people can just book a table at the participating venue of their choice.

While Ms Nicholson-Evans said she knows the public's perception of Birmingham may have taken a hit with recent events such as the bin strike and the council's financial struggles, she hopes the festival showcases the vibrancy of Birmingham and its food scene.

"I understand the city's having a difficult time but it hasn't stopped chefs doing incredible concepts and menus," she said.

"To have 50 participating restaurants all serving up very different food absolutely shows Birmingham has an incredible food scene and deserves all the awards it has."