No podcast for this post, just a look at a brand new feature available on Instagram that could really help food & drink businesses. In an effort to support smaller businesses during covid- 19, Instagram has made food delivery easier by adding a Food Order sticker for Insta Stories.
How To Use Food Order Sticker
If your restaurant or takeaway is on Deliveroo or Uber Eats. the food order sticker makes it even easier for customers to order from you, by letting them order with one simple click on your Insta Story.
To access these new stickers, just click on the sticker tray found by clicking the box with a smiley face icon at the top of the Insta Stories page. Then select the Food Order Sticker.
Once you have clicked on the sticker you will need to select your partner, either Deliveroo or Uber Eats.
Now your Food Order sticker is all ready to use, and Instagram will remember your details so you will not have to do this every time. Although you can change the link at any time by clicking on the link icon on the sticker.
Making The Most Of The Food Order Sticker
A few simple ways you can use the sticker to be most effective
Best Sellers– Use good quality images of some of your best selling dishes to create a story. Use the sticker on each image.
Native Instagram Stickers- Instagram algorithms favour their native stickers eg- Poll, Quiz Question. Why not make a collage of two favourite dishes and use a poll to let your followers choose their favourite, with the food order sticker on there too so they can order it
Highlight New Dishes– Give returning customers something new. Use images of the new dishes to create a story
Customer Reviews- people want what other people have recommended. Turn your online customer reviews into an Instagram story and encourage your followers to order now.
Sharing is caring- Encourage customers to post stories about their takeaway from you, and repost with encouragement to order for themselves with the sticker.
Add An Order Food Action Button To Your Profile
Usually, food businesses are only allowed one website link in their profile. Instagram now allows you to add a new Order Food action button. This will help customers find your deliveroo or Uber Eats page.
Go to your profile on Instagram & click edit profile
Click on action buttons
Click on order food and enter your Deliveroo or Uber Eats link
To listen to this episode of our Birmingham based food podcast Breaking Bread all about What to expect from Dishoom Birmingham. Press play on the player above, alternatively you can listen on your favourite podcast app, just select from the list on thisLINK
Who Are Dishoom?
Indian restaurant group Dishoom is coming to Birmingham, but who are Dishoom? Dishoom offers a unique Indian dining experience based on the Irani cafes found in Bombay. With five restaurants in London, one in Manchester, one in Edinburgh Dishoom Birmingham will be the eighth to open.
With India being portrayed in Britain by many outdated cliches Co-founders Kavi & Shamil created Dishoom out of a desire for a more authentic reflection of India & her food.
Dishoom Kensington
What Is An Irani Cafe?
Towards the end of the 19th Century start of the 20th Century, Iranis fleeing famine and persecution arrived in Bombay, opening small cafes serving Irani chai & traditional baked snacks.
Dining out in Bombay at the start of the 20th Century was complicated and quite segregated. This was not the case in the Irani cafes, as migrants, they did not care for exclusivity, serving all religions and classes. Irani cafes were for everybody.
The all-inclusive aspect of the original Irani cafes is very much alive at Dishoom. Celebrities and bankers drink vintage champagne and cocktails alongside students drinking bottomless chai and eating buns. All religions are welcome and celebrated at Dishoom, with special events held for Eid, Christmas, Diwali, and Holi.
Dishoom Charity Work
Just as the original Irani cafes were safe spaces for people of all walks of life to sit & break bread, Dishoom also wants to be a space for all. An example of this is their knot of protection event. Inspired by Tagore who in 1905 sought to inspire love & respect between Hindu & Muslim in Bengal, by encouraging them to tie a piece of thread around each other’s wrists in what was a ritual between sister & brother. The message was clear, You can not divide us!
So last year for Raksha Bandhan Dishoom encouraged their customers to tie a rakhi on someone of a different faith, nationality or culture, and donated £7485 to the incredible seeds of peace charity. A charity that takes teenagers from conflict areas such as Palestine & Israel and educates them in an attempt to encourage peace.
Dishoom Dining Room
Ramadan 2015 Dishoom co-owner Shamil & the groups’ executive chef Naved Nasir decided for their Zakat, they would support two wonderful charities. Magic Breakfast UK and The Akshaya Patra Foundation in India. Dishoom decided to partner with these charities permanently, and regularly hold fundraising events.
The UK based charity Magic Breakfast aims to put an end to hunger being a barrier to education in schools by providing healthy breakfasts to vulnerable children. Indian Akshaya Patra Foundation provides daily school meals to ensure ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’.
Bacon Naan
What To Expect From Dishoom Birmingham?
The Story
Each of the Dishoom restaurants is based on a fictional story. Dishoom King Cross being near the train station tells the story of a young Irani who comes to Bombay with nothing, who starts selling Chai & baked goods from a stall before expanding into one of the coal sheds & dominating the godown. Kensington Dishoom takes influence from a 1940s Bombay obsessed with Art Deco. Which is the setting for the Bombay Roxy, a cafe by day, jazz club at night based in an old cinema building & owned by the charismatic Cyrus Irani.
For Dishoom Birmingham- The City Of A Thousand Trades they took inspiration from the story of Roda Irani. Roda Irani was the daughter of a market trader who embraced her father’s belief in free trade and began selling hearty plates of Akuri, Keema Pau, Omelets and their specialty of crunchy Brun Maska alongside the traditional things sold by her father. When her father passed she took over the shop and under her reigns, it thrived. Now with a daughter of her own who never lived under the British Raj & upset that her father never lived to see Indian independence, Roda decides it’s time to educate her daughter on India’s past, on their past and tells her all about how they won their freedom through a thousand trades.
Keema per eedu/Bhel/Pau Bhaji
The Food
Dishoom Birmingham will open all day for breakfast, lunch & dinner and if the other restaurants are anything to go by, it will be popular at all times. The breakfast menu is one of the most original menus in the city with dishes like the Akuri (Irani scrambled eggs), keema per eedu (spiced minced chicken, fried egg & potato) and banana & date porridge. However, it is the incredible breakfast naans that have become notorious, four rashers of thick-cut quality bacon, tomato & chili jam, and cream cheese stuffed into a fluffy freshly made naan bread.
Dishoom’s main menu served from 12pm daily, is a dream team selection of all of the best street food staples & Irani cafe favorites traditionally found in Bombay. There’s small plates like Pau Bhaji (mashed vegetables with a homemade hot buttered bun) Vada Pau (spicy potato patties in a bun, like a chip butty) and prawn Koliwada (crispy prawns). There’s also a selection of grilled meats, curries, biriyanis and even a dish created especially for Dishoom Birmingham The Mutton Chaap Korma.
Mutton Chaap Korma
To Drink
Dishoom is fully licensed and offers a large selection of beers wines & spirits including the Dishoom IPA beer, but is very well known for its cocktail menu. As well as a special dish, Dishoom has come up with a special cocktail, exclusive to Birmingham. The Bombay Mule is a tall refreshing drink made from Bombay’s favourite whiskey, Johnnie Walker Black Label, chai spices, topped up with ginger beer.
Bombay Mule
Other Info
Address- Dishoom Birmingham, Paradise, One Chamberlain Square, B3 3HQ
Opening Times Are 8-Midnight
Lots of vegetarian & vegan options
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the opening of Dishoom Birmingham has been postponed
Transparency – This 5 of the best non-alcoholic beers post contains affiliate links. If you click any of the links & purchase from our affiliated partner we are paid a small affiliate fee. This helps us bring great content like this. We picked Beer Hawk to affiliate with because we use them often, they provide a great service and have a fantastic selection of beer.
The best non-alcoholic beer is a question that is becoming extremely hard to answer. Sales of non-alcoholic beer are expected to double in the next five years, and luckily the variety of 0% beers available has come a long way since Becks blue.
Ditch The Hangover, Not The Night Out
Socialising during sober October, dry January, pregnancy or the latest health kick has never been easier with the wave of outstanding non-alcoholic beers that are being made by some of the best breweries in the world.
UK based craft brewery Big Drop is dedicated to making great tasting beer that just so happens to be non-alcoholic. Their pale ale is a perfect example of this ethos and is so good I actually had to check the label to make sure it was really non-alcoholic. Buy Big Drop Pale Ale Here
One of the legends of the UK craft beer movement, Peak District based Thornbridge brewery has won hundreds of awards for their modern beers. Big Easy maintains the brewery’s high standards, what it lacks in alcohol it makes up for in flavour. Buy Thornbridge Big Easy Here
“Rewarding those who aren’t drinking with the beer they deserve” is the giant headline on their website. I believe that is exactly what they have achieved. A glance at the review section of any website will tell you that Lucky Saint is the best non-alcoholic lager by miles. Crisp and refreshing, perfect for hot summer days and BBQs. Lucky Saint is a perfect complement to food too, especially spicy Indian or cheesy pizza. Buy Lucky Saint Lager Here
This cracking brewery strikes again. I’d tried loads of alcohol-free lagers, a few alcohol-free Pale Ales but never an alcohol-free brown ale. This award-winning ale blew my mind, deep malty flavour that goes perfectly with good hearty comfort food such as a hotpot or stew. Was awarded worlds best low strength dark beer at the 2019 world beer awards. Buy Big Drop Brown Ale Here
Brewdog’s nanny state stood alone as the best alcohol-free ale, Punk A.F has taken it to the next level. Punk A.F is big on flavour and on attitude. It is one of the most interesting non-alcoholic drinks available. Buy Punk A.F Here
Want to try some of the beers recommended above, plus a few more? Our friends over at Beer Hawk offer an alcohol-free mixed case which includes 15 different beers for just £25. Try them all and tell us which is your favourite
If you enjoyed this why not give our podcast where we sat down with the organisers of craft beer festival Beer Central a listen you can find it here
Breaking Bread Podcast The Food Blog People Listen To
My list of restaurants I need to try has been invaded by pizza restaurants. Poli, Kings Heath has gone straight to the top of that list. Brought to you by the folks behind the fantastic Grace + James, Poli Is located nearly next door on York Road. A road with an ever-growing number of exciting independents.
Burrata
As I walk down a road packed full of people enjoying the early evening sunshine outside The Juke, Grace+James, and Poli. I am not for the last time this evening, glad I took advice from Birminghams self-proclaimed best blogger and booked a table
The Start
His advice about which starter to get was just as valuable. The pizza menu is good however it is the small plates that are the main source of my excitement. We order the burrata cheese with heritage tomatoes, bone marrow with homemade sourdough and the lamb fat roast potatoes.
Bone Marrow
Roast Potatoes + Bone Marrow
The Burrata cheese is creamy and works perfectly with the sweet heritage tomatoes. The bone marrow is luxurious on top of the homemade sourdough which is deep in flavour. However, it is the roast potatoes that steal the show. Fluffy potatoes inside a Crunchy lamb fat infused crust which is heavy on the mint, superb.
Lucky Saint No Alcohol
To Drink
Ice Cold Lager, is there anything better to drink with a pizza on a red hot day? Massive brownie points to Poli for considering us non-drinkers and putting one of the most impressive zero alcohol beers, Lucky Saint on their menu.
Bianca Pizza
The Main Event
The focus of this cosy restaurant is the open kitchen with its dramatic wood-fired pizza oven. It is the violent heat provided by the fire oven that cooks and blisters the sourdough pizza base leaving light puffed up scorched delicious crusts.
Margherita Pizza
You can judge a restaurant by how well they do the basics, so I order the Margherita. The typical Neopolitan pizza is soupy in the middle oozing with sweet ripe tomato sauce, gooey mozzarella and basil. It is very good and the quality of the ingredients shine through. My friend has the Bianca, an interesting pizza topped with black pepper cream, and three types of cheese, scamorza, mozzarella and pecorino. It is incredibly good and I am so glad I accepted his invitation to swap slice for a slice.
Dessert?
Every story should have a happy ending, and Poli’s story is no exception. Happy Endings. not the best thing to enter into Google but a fantastic little company that creates fun ice cream sandwiches. I have the strawberry one with jam, marshmallow, chocolate, and shortbread. A great end to an excellent dinner.
I Love A Happy Ending
If you enjoyed this post why not take a look at some of our others
Birmingham food tour very kindly invited me on this food tour of the Jewellery Quarter. Food, interesting local knowledge and a great time were all provided by Birmingham Food Tour and completely free. Opinions as always are completely my own.
Birmingham Food Tour
To be honest, the first time i heard about a food tour in Birmingham. Being from this great city and as someone who eats out, FREQUENTLY. I thought why would i do that? What possibly could i be shown that I’ve not seen before.
The truth is that the Birmingham restaurant scene is changing so much, that i have found it nearly impossible to make a dent in my list of places i need to visit. Especially when it comes to the Jewellery Quarter.
Saints Kitchen
Saint Kitchen
So the meeting place for our adventure is Saint kitchen at the bottom of St Paul’s Square. I enter to a warm welcome from our host Rhiannon and the rest of the food fanatics, who are all busy getting to know each other.
Joining the group on my own i was immediately made to feel welcome by the couples sitting close by, and the conversation soon got flowing about my favourite subject, food. Right on cue we are presented with a quick introduction to Saint and their food by Rhiannon to our meals a sort of tomato and bean stew with a slice of grilled halloumi and topped with a perfect poach egg. Served with a slice of sourdough toast, which threatens to steal the show, and is from the amazing Peel & Stone Bakery.
It was superb, so good it made me feel guilty i had wrongly dismissed Saint Kitchen as being part of the same chain as desco lounge and Sorrento Lounge. I now know that this modern independent is brilliant and will be back to sample some more from their brunch menu.
Otto Pizza
Otto Pizza
A quick stroll across the square, stopping to listen to Rhiannon’s interesting and informative local knowledge. I had no idea how much history was behind this area. We come to our next stop, Otto Wood Fired Pizza AKA- Birmingham’s best pizza, in my opinion. Although i’m yet to try the new pizza places vying for that throne.
One of my concerns of going on a food tour was portion size. Convinced they would just be small plates or tasters, Saint kitchen dispelled my ignorance and Otto Pizza beat me over the head with it. So much food! Even a greedy sod like me was starting to feel the burn, and then out come more pizza.
Generous quality ingredients top a fantastic crisp base, which has risen and blistered from the heat of the fire. So deep in conversation, and having fun i forget to take any notes of pizza names or toppings and just about remember to take a photo.
Rock & Roll Brewhouse
Rock & Roll Brewhouse
Our third stop was a little trickier to find, it’s easily missed but you’ll be sorry if you do miss it. From the outside it looks a bit run down and industrial but down the concrete ramp and into the windowless tap room, you are transported in to one of the city’s hidden gems.
The music is blasting but not with anything current, this place takes great pride in their uniquely brilliant taste in music. Even posting their playlist on their Facebook page for all to see.
The interior is unique too, like no other i have seen. It did feel like going back in time to an old social club which had me feeling nostalgic. The tap room was packed with a great atmosphere. When i used to drink, this is the kind of place i loved, and could have spent the whole day, sampling their different beers. A must see for anyone who has never been
Pig & Tail
Pig & Tail
A quick pit stop for a tour of the fascinating Ruskin building and it’s serene roof top kitchen garden allotment, and we arrive at our next destination. The Pig & Tail on Albion St. A kind of modern English fusion Tapas restaurant from the same folk who brought us The Pickled Piglet.
Cod Chunks
A beautifully modern pub, with a great selection of small plates and sharing boards. We are treated to a summer tasting board and a few small plates, but as with Otto i’m so consumed enjoying the company of my new friends i forget to take any notes, and my mental notes don’t expand past delicious. Not helpful for the Pig & Tail but very telling of how much fun this tour is.
Vanguard Mead Bar
By the time we get to our last stop, we are well fed and quite relived that the last of our adventures is of the liquid variety. Mead tasting at Vanguard, situated above 1000 trades. This charming bar is not only notorious for it’s selection of and dedication to mead, but for it’s quality cocktails too.
Mead Tasting
We taste three different meads, introduced by owner Chris who is determined to rid mead of it’s medieval, old man stereo type and is succeeding too. The last of the meads being a sparkling low percentage mead, which would go incredibly well over ice in a chilled glass on a warm summers day, if we ever get one.
Rhiannon passes around some treats from our friends over at the chocolate quarter, and we begin to say goodbyes. Today really did prove one of my favourite quotes true “There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t met” I can’t recommend this tour enough, and i definitely will be back on it soon
The
Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath is a place with many happy memories for me,
not many of them food related though. The main reason for this, is that there
just wasn’t much to get excited about food wise in Kings Heath back then.
Sausage, beans and chips from the greasy spoon at the back of inshops was the
highlight of a long day being dragged around Woolworths, Safeway and other
shops that are now long gone.
Now Kings Heath is a completely different place and there are so many seriously good places to eat, it would be tough to choose the best place to eat in Kings Heath.
One of the best places to eat in Kings Heath
It was 2014 when I first sat up and took notice of the first hint that Kings Heath would go on to be the little foodie paradise it is today. My sister phoned me to say, “have you seen that French bakery in Kings Heath & Moseley?” When I told her, I hadn’t she pointed me in the direction of an ITV Series called ‘Britain’s Best Bakery’ where a little bakery called Maison Mayci had made it all the way to the final, and I really needed to try it.
So, I did, and Maison Mayci has been a favourite of mine ever since. Great coffee, fresh pastries, several different kinds of freshly baked bread and some of the best little tartlets I’ve seen, what’s not to love? Maison Mayci’s ‘Tarte au Citron’ is sooo good I find it near impossible to walk past the charming little shop without being tempted in.
Kings Heath wasn’t the first place that came to mind when considering somewhere to get a decent hearty brunch, but with the modern and stylish Bloom, that has changed. We finally got around to trying Bloom on a cold Saturday in December, and the hot aromatic coffee and warming comfort food soon took our mind off the weather outside.
Duck Hash
The menu has a great little selection of dishes which changes regularly, ranging from the traditional fry up to the less conventional eggnog porridge. So much so that choosing what to eat became a very difficult decision, and after all the studying I eventually ordered two dishes. Crispy but succulent duck, on a bed of creamy smooth sweet potato mash topped with crispy onions and a fried egg with a yolk just waiting to erupt and perfectly finished off with a dense fragrant broth that I enjoy so much I nearly take the pattern off the plate trying to scrape up every drop of it.
Eggnog Porridge
I could quite easily have settled our tab and left a very happy fatty, but there was no way I could pass up the chance of trying eggnog porridge. Probably more a dessert than brunch, its impossible not to smile when presented with this creamy porridge with a hazelnut puree, prunes and mini gingerbread men that instantly drew jealous glances from the other diners.
Pour Over Coffee
Bloom is well
known for its excellent coffee and after a few flat whites I can vouch for that.
Carl who was with me opted for a coffee I’d not seen before, ‘pour over coffee’
a drink that took coffee to a whole new scientific level. It made for a lighter
more delicate drink but just as delicious.
Good Food X Good Coffee is the proud headline on their website, this is way too modest. Bloom is one of the first places that comes to mind when thinking of the best places to eat in Kings Heath.
Another one of the best places to eat in kings heath
There are other places on my list to visit in Kings Heath that I haven’t got to yet. Byzantium serves Mediterranean style tapas and comes very highly recommended by some of my foodie friends. Also recommended is bar & bistro Fletchers. With home cooked food and a great selection of drinks and cocktails in a relaxed environment, Fletchers is somewhere I will be trying very soon. Fletchers is the sister venue to one of Kings Heaths favourite places Kitchen Garden Café. Kitchen Garden is a cracking little cafe serving great home cooked food, and regularly hosting pop up events and live music. They also have an amazing deli so you can take their excellent food away with you.
Fresh on the Kings Heath foodie scene, and instant favourite of mine. is the incredible The Early Bird Bakery. Created by pastry chef Tim and two business partners, The Early Bird serves delicious cakes, pastries and savouries baked in house daily, using the finest ingredients sourced locally where possible.
Another great place to get coffee in an area where we are now spoilt for choice, for great coffee. I enjoyed a cracking flat white. I strongly recommend the apple and custard brioche muffin and the lemon and lime meringue with the perfectly balanced citrus, that covers a short and delicate pastry base topped with a cloud like meringue.
Another little favourite of mine is The Rainbow Cantonese restaurant at the bottom of Kings Heath. No airs and graces just tasty Chinese food in a relaxed, friendly restaurant, just a good little neighbourhood place worth a visit if you’re in the area.
The food scene isn’t the only thing that’s changing in Kings Heath, with a couple of new openings adding to the legendary Hare & Hounds. There’s never been a better time to go drinking in Kings Heath.
One of those recent openings being The Juke, a cosy little bar on York Road offering a fantastic selection of real ales, lots of them from the expanding number of Birmingham breweries. They also have a classic style juke box, and often host food pop ups like the great folks from Indian grill Zindiya and Ramen hero’s Koba-Ko.
Another
recent addition to the independent bars in Kings Heath is Hop & Scotch
situated just off the high street, serving great real ale and craft beers from
local and national breweries. With a bottle shop promised for early this year.
If you’re
not keen on beer, and wine is more your thing, then Grace + James is for you. The
bar has an ever-changing wine list that focuses on natural and organic wine and
a small deli menu of olives, cheese and breads to accompany the wine.
Grace+James is another fantastic addition to Kings Heath.
There’s far more food and drink related things to do and explore in Kings Heath, more than I can list here. We have done a podcast episode to accompany this, about everything we like about Kings Heath which you can listen to by clicking the play button at the top. Hopefully we’ve done enough to entice you all to visit Kings Heath and its amazing places to eat and drink, and maybe you will be more successful then I, in deciding the best place to eat in Kings Heath.
I’m not sure where this steamed Bao revolution in the UK has come from, it feels like since discovering ‘Dim Sum Su’ and her amazing bao at Digbeth Dining Club a year or so ago, bao are now popping up everywhere. My Instagram feed is full of them, which If you love them as much as I do is no bad thing.
Lately most
of the pictures clogging up my timeline and making me drool are from the recently
opened ‘Tiger Bites Pig’ on Stephenson street. Now I may not know where this new-found
bao popularity has come from, but there are two things I do know. I know that
the name of the restaurant originates from Taiwan where in some parts, the
popular steamed buns were known as hó˙-kā-ti (Tiger Bites Pig) This was because
of the mouth like shape of the bun and its filling which was usually pork
belly.
The other thing I knew, was that I just had to try this new addition to the independent food scene in Brum. So, one Thursday lunch time that’s what I did, and I was not disappointed. The petit restaurants interior is minimalistic but that really doesn’t matter, as it is the amazing food that does all the talking.
The menu has
five different bao and some rice bowls and an excellent selection of interesting
drinks of both the soft and alcohol variety. In the interest of been able to
write a decent review and being a greedy so & so, I ordered four bao, and a
bottle of the very refreshing peach and green tea firefly natural drink.
The smell of the food being prepared in the open plan kitchen invades the restaurant making my belly growl and making me salivate in anticipation of what’s to come.
Braised short rib with chili, black vinegar, shitake mushrooms and cured egg yolk inside a cloud like steamed bun which was light, delicate and everything a good bao should be is the pick of the four. Although the other three were so good, it was near impossible to choose a favourite.
Tender and succulent slow cooked red pork belly with the most amazing texture is accompanied by slightly sweet pickled mustard greens topped with peanuts which provide a delicious crunch.
Perfectly cooked juicy slices of double cooked duck with water spinach and some fantastically fragrant XO sauce which took the bao to a whole new level, the same way that the heavenly crispy sesame chicken skin that topped the white chicken, spring onion and ginger dressed in Sichuan chili oil bao did. That crispy chicken skin will haunt my hungriest memories for ever, it was incredible.
Tiger Bites Pig is a fantastic addition to the ever-growing list of amazing new openings in the city centre, and even though I’m counting down till my next visit here, I am quite glad I don’t work in the city centre as I would be here every day leaving my wallet light and my waistline bao like, it really is that good.
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