Last week, we had a unique and lovely meal at Fiesta Del Asado, Birmingham’s first Argentinian restaurant. The white historic building is located on the busy main road of Edgbaston and they have their own car parking at the front and back. When we arrived inside the restaurant, the place is deceptively large with a nice comfortable atmosphere. It is very well designed high end restaurant with plenty of beautiful ornaments around.
We visited on a quiet Sunday afternoon just after they opened. We were quickly led to our table near to the lovely warm windows seats and they took our coats to hang up in their cloakroom. Soon the waitress offered us water while we looked through the menu. They also offered Aceitunes (gordal olives, £2.99) and complimentary fresh bread with accompanying balsamic vinegar and olive oil mix for dipping the bread in! The large green olives are stuffed with green chillies which give a spicy kick that really helped kick start our appetite.
Argentinian food is famous for the barbecued meats, so there are limited choices of vegetarian food on their menu. The layout of menu is not very easy to read with Spanish titles but luckily it explained what ingredients are used for the meal and the staff were also very helpful. For starters, Mr C and I went for rabas fritas (crisp baby squid strips, £5.79) and higados de pollo con uvas y almendras en salsa de jerez (pan-fried chicken livers, £6.79). For the main meal, I am not a beef eater so I opted for went for lubina a la parrilla (sea bass, £16.99) while Mr C was more adventurous and went for the asdo de tire (beef rib, £18.79). We also added papas fritas con perejil y ajo (fries with parsley and garlic, £1.99).
The children’s menu comes with four choices of pork sausage, steak, chicken wings or spaghetti. Both of my children had not tried any Argentinian food before, so we opted for a safer option of the butifarra con batata pure (lean pork sausage with sweet potato mash and malbec gravy, £3.49) for them.
The food served up quickly with excellent presentation. We requested that the children’s meals come together with our starters. I am a seafood lover and calamari is always one of my favourite choices. I was very surprised and delighted with how tasty their rabas fritas (crisp baby squid strips) are. The squid was perfectly cut and cooked with a crispy coating. They were not oily nor chewy. The aioli sauce was creamy and garlicky and very delicious.
Mr C had the Pan-fried chicken livers. The livers were very cooked and had a lovely texture, complemented very well with the rich, flavoursome sauce.
Both of my children enjoyed their sausage and mash and surprisingly the malbec gravy which comes in a jug. The sausages were well cooked and the right portion for little appetites. The sweet potato mash is more like a purée which is easy to eat. We also ordered some fries to share and it went down a storm! I was very surprised that they love the chopped garlic and parsley in it! They were some of the most delicious fries we have ever had. It is worth ordering!
The sea bass is cooked on the grill with crisp garlic and thyme potato and accompanied by fresh dressed peppers, onions and tomatoes. The fish was crispy on the outside and moist inside. That is also one of my best fish experiences. I never normally eat fish skin as can be dry and scaly. But my meal was so beautifully cooked that I ate everything! Even my children loved it! Highly recommended if you are not a beef eater!
Mr C had the 16oz 4 bone cross cut beef rib which cooked medium rare on the bone for a fuller flavour. We were so shocked when we all saw the enormous beef ribs served on a plate! It could of fed the whole family! The waiter explain the best way to eat this is eat the meat closest to the bone first which is more tender, before eating the outer sides which is slightly chewier. I was amazed Mr C managed to finish the whole dish and he was really happy with the way it was cooked and it certainly delivered on the fuller flavour promise.
We all enjoyed our lovely starters and mains that we didn’t have any room for desserts! Mr C didn’t even eat his dinner at home as he was still full from his enormous succulent beef ribs! The manager did offered both children ice cream which Mr K took up. He finished the creamy toffee ice cream in no time!
Our family meal cost us just under £75. This is a high end restaurant which comes with a very reasonably priced meal. I would highly recommend them for their quality of food and the excellent staff service.
If you would like to try Argentinian food in Birmingham, then Fiesta Del Asado is the one for you! They are located at 229 Hagley Road, Birmingham, West Midlands B16 9RP.
Disclosure: We received a deduction off our bill to do this honest review.