F1® Arcade recently launched their new spring menu at both F1 Arcade Birmingham and F1 Arcade London. I was invited to review the new dishes and some of the old classics, as bars and restaurants in London go it's very impressive and having popped into Birmingham when it first opened it is an equally show-stopping venue.
First thing first, I ordered a selection of dishes to report back to you. We went for a mix of Yas & Rachel’s choice (fellow foodies) as well as Head Chef Mo’s choice – on the menu highlighted as Chef’s Choice. It was a Tuesday evening, The Octane Bar was busy, and I did not get a chance to show my React Wall skills, however, I highly recommend popping in for a bite to eat and drink as you are guaranteed great vibes from the buzz of the racing and the bar. As mentioned, it was a Tuesday evening, so I was not on the cocktails, I’ll save that review for a Saturday evening if they will have me back (please Bruno!).
The first dish that came out was the King Prawn Croquettes and honestly the mango (and coconut) sauce that came out was like a gift sent from someone really special. I’m a big croquette fan, so I also opted for Chef’s choice with the Truffle Mac ‘n’ cheese croquettes – please do not visit the F1 Arcade Bar without trying these. They are sublime. Rach stopped short of licking the plate.
Disclaimer: I am NOT good with spice, think lemon and herb in Nandos. So when Yas ordered the Chicken Shawarma flatbread I was hesitant about trying this – probably would have opted for Chef’s Choice rather than Yas’ Choice next time, but not one to turn down food, I removed those chillies and tucked in.
Here’s a discussion for you, how do you eat your tacos? I went for a knife and fork which raised eyebrows but here we are, I didn’t end up spilling it down my white top. I was not wasting a single bite of the chipotle king prawn taco OR the Yellowfin Tuna Taco – they are DELISH. I would say that my choice would be the King Prawn Taco, but I really do back Mo’s choice of the Tuna Taco – Taco Tuesday could catch on… Also worth noting that they come in twos, so groups of three – I guess rock paper scissors for who is missing out on these?
In the name of giving you a full review of the menu we ordered both the Truffle & Parmesan fries and the Koffman BBQ fries, again the sauce that accompanied these BBQ fries was superb. Depending on your group size, I would say order both. I am more a skinny fry kind of girl rather than chunky chip – I guess they both have a place in the world but these are the perfect balance between them both. Restaurants of London take note, these chips will satisfy both the chunky chip, skin on fries lovers as well as the skinny fries, crispy lovers.
THE important part.. Puddings.
I was going straight in for the Strawberry & Champagne Mousse. BUT, Yas and Rach were not on board with this selection and went for the Sticky Toffee Pudding (again Chef’s Choice). I loved the Mousse, in fact I would go back just for this pudding. It was light, it was fluffy and it was delicious. According to Yas & Rach, they thought the champagne taste was overpowering, however I thought it complimented the strawberry flavour perfectly and polished off the whole thing. Accompanying this mousse was meringue and they were divine. Perfectly made. Honestly the highlight of my night.
For a complete review (obviously) I did try the sticky toffee pudding, it was everything you could hope for and more. I have a sweet tooth, I like to think of myself as a pudding connoisseur and I think many restaurants get Sticky Toffee Puddings wrong – you know the type, too sweet, too stodgy. F1 Arcade however, does not get this wrong! This was delicious. Now I can only really name drop Mo – but they are a team of MASTERMINDS in the kitchen.
Confession – I am terrible at racing, like I don’t really understand how I can be that bad but hey look I can’t be a full-time racer and full-time pudding reviewer so I will choose the latter. But I will (and do) find myself in F1 Arcade very frequently trying out their food and drinks offerings –that steak tartare doesn’t eat itself.
I encourage you to pop in there for the racing experience obviously, but more importantly for the food. It’s a great mix of small plates with a massive variety all delivered to an exceptional standard which always takes me by surprise. The new spring menu is fantastic and is in both F1 Arcade Birmingham and F1 Arcade London. So, if you are looking for a restaurant in Birmingham do pop in!
You aren’t going to miss The Octane Bar in London when you arrive because it's 40ft, and 35ft bar in Birmingham is also incredibly impressive. Let’s hope they ask me to review their cocktails so I can give you some more intel on that.
