And it’s an arrival that has caused some excitement in the area.
On entering The Beech House it’s hard to believe this modern meeting place in the heart of Solihull only opened its doors a couple of weeks ago.
It was mid afternoon when we visited and there was already a hum of activity from inside where many were enjoying food and drink. There were even a few brave souls on the front terrace – enjoying our British Summer…ahem!
Our table was booked for early evening but we decided to make an afternoon of it; giving us chance to sample the cocktail menu…don’t judge me!
I started light, with a glass of Prosecco and hubby had an espresso martini after challenging them via Twitter to impress him with his all time favourite.
They were certainly up for the challenge, and it was good. I then moved onto this pink little number – if you follow me on Instagram you know I cannot resist a Cosmo! Which was lovely, and more than a little boozy!
The bar area was pretty full of people checking out what The Beech House has to offer. They have an extensive nibbles, light bites and sandwiches selection to eat in the bar and having eaten lunch here earlier in the week I can confirm that they certainly are tasty. I highly recommend the smashed sweet potato.
The restaurant has a related atmosphere and pleasant lighting – you will see that some of my photographs certainly have a ‘soft glow’ to them.
The menu has everything you would expect; including pasta dishes, burgers and home comforts. But it also offers Antipasto Misto and Greek Mezze sharing platters, thirteen different types of Forno Vivo Wood Fired Pizza…
…and a selection of dishes cooked on an Oakman Inns speciality – the Josper oven. It’s a charcoal fired grill which allows food to be smoked, slow cooked and roasted resulting in deliciously tasty and tender meats and vegetables.
Speaking of food…I ordered the chicken liver parfait from the specials menu to start. Which was divine – chunky, fresh and so tasty. It came with a red onion chutney and toasted brioche.
Hubby had the saltimbocca scotch egg with prosciutto, Lincolnshire sausagemeat and hollandaise.
The egg was so soft inside when he cut into it – just perfect.
For our mains, we both ordered from the specials menu. I had the smoked salmon, cod and spring onion risotto.
This was deliciously tasty, with just the right amount of spring onions and without being too fishy.
I have to admit, it was so filling I did not finish it all.
Hubby had the fish pie, which is something he would not usually choose. But boy were we glad he did – this baby was a.ma.zing!
I don’t know whether it was the cheddar mash potato lid, the creamy sauce or the fish itself but there was a little something something in there that my tastebuds went crazy for! Hubby described it as “fantasmagorical” – mind you by this point he had consumed a cocktail, a pint of Guinness and was now on the rosé!
I asked three different members of staff but they did not reveal what secrets the pie held – I’m sure the chef would have told me had I asked, but then he’d probably have to kill me…
After a much needed breather we moved onto desserts. I had the blueberry cantucci biscuit meringue mess which was a mix of vanilla, lemon, meringue, mascarpone, smashed Italian biscuits, blueberries, toasted hazelnuts and lemon jelly.
It was an impressive medley of textures and flavours rather than a mush that eton mess type desserts sometimes are.
Hubby had the yoghurt and vanilla cheesecake with raspberry sorbet. Which was a pretty substantial slice when delivered and I’m afraid to say I had to help him finish it.
The desserts menu is a lovely one – a final mix of both traditional and seasonal puddings. They are clearly all worthy of a taste as I asked five members of staff what their favourites were and they all gave different answers!
We finished our meal with two of the nicest coffees – and they were hot. Not lukewarm like some, but hot.
Our meal at The Beech House was absolutely lovely and this was enhanced by the atmosphere and the staff. They were professional, thoughtful and attentive without being over fussy. They brought extra cutlery (in case I needed a spoon for my risotto) and offered to take our photograph.
Judging by how busy it was when we left, I believe The Beech House has made its arrival known. And as they say, if you’re going to arrive…arrive in style!
727 Warwick Road
Solihull
B91 3DA
On this occasion we dined as guests of The Beech House. However we had previously eaten lunch there ourselves and as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own and all photographs were taken by us unless otherwise stated.
…or choose to sit in this beautiful space to eat your meal.
…food to be eaten picnic style (with your fingers!)
The Shimmer Within Her 