#HBIB REVIEW: MyLahore

Salam folks, this is a review I have been looking forward to typing up as it was a restaurant which I very excited about opening having heard great things from friends who have visited branches up North.

Birmingham in recent years is having an invasion from the food entrepreneurs from the North West with Akbars which opened several years ago and then with the arrival of EastZEast on Broad Street and now MyLahores the “northern fairies” are definitely finding their feet in middle England.

MyLahores is not a fine dining experience nor is it a cheap and cheerful meal. It delivers some solid food in a chilled out environment which is suitable for both family and friends. It does not take itself too seriously and from the Decor in the Birmingham branch, it shows. There are some cool signs and comfortable seating as can be seen all over.

Before writing this review I have been to MyLahores twice in recent weeks once with my family during a very busy Sunday evening and with my work colleagues on a more chilled but still busy Thursday evening so I believe I have seen how they operate and to be honest I am impressed.

Food: On both occasions I enjoyed the food that I ordered. For starters over my two visits I enjoyed quite a range (Yes I am a fatty) which included Sheesh Kebab, Samosa Chaat (which is one of the best I have had and is only beaten by Al Faisals) as well as the Chicken Tortilla Strips which were sold out on my first visit so I was very keen to try them on my second visit and they did not disappoint. All the starters came in decent time and were cooked pretty well. I was most impressed with the Samosa Chaat which is a very simple dish but so easy to mess up! The starters will not blow you away however you will not have many complaints and the range of starters will have diners pondering what to order for quite a while.

       

For mains on both occasions I went for a Fish course with a Fish Burger and a Masala Fish with Naan on the second visit. Both were very well cooked with a good sized portion which left me pretty full on both occasions. The fish was cooked well and I would probably order the Fish Burger again, the Masala fish was good but lacked a good quality fish to make me try it again.

With my family there was a range of other mains on the table which included a Meat Karahi which impressed me, as my Dad thought it was good and to get him to say that was probably MyLahores biggest accomplishment of the night. My sisters enjoyed their Chicken Burgers, there was also some flame grilled chops which were cooked well however we felt if they had a bit more flavour would have been perfect, the grill seem to take all the masala off it.

When I visited the restaurant with my work colleagues there was a mixed reaction to the mains as I think they were a bit more adventurous in what they ordered. There were two mixed grills on the table which were decent, well cooked very good sized portion and had a good mix of items which included some fish, chicken and meat in various forms but once again lacked a bit of flavour. The Chicken Fillet steak was cooked well and of good size however the person who ordered that said it was a bit on the dry side and had to be covered in sauce but then it tasted fine. Overall the food was decent but nothing to shout home about.

Desserts were pretty good and there was a wide variety. There was a good range of ice creams and the Chocolate cake I had tasted delicious so I would recommend people to leave some space and try and grab a dessert. Next time I will have a go at one of the sundaes which I saw at another table which looked very appetising.

I think the key thing about MyLahore is that it does not do one thing amazingly well from initial impressions. However it does a good range of items and there is plenty to try on the menu which will keep the customers coming back for more.

Atmosphere: The building is quite compact in the way it is laid out however you do not feel as if you are overcrowded which is good. They have gone with a very diner type theme which helps create a very relaxed atmosphere which means you can happily go for a meal with friends or family. It is located in a part of Birmingham which is desperately needing some regeneration however the business has proved with a strong brand the people will come. Parking is a slight issue on site however plenty of side streets to park in the evening without the risk of being clamped.

Service: I went on a very busy Sunday evening which meant a 30 min wait for a table which was to be expected to be honest, from what I saw there was a wait for tables even as we walked out at half 10. Servers were very polite and attentive and there was never someone too far away if you needed anything.

What particularly impressed me was how we got served and were dealt with even when 2 large parties came in which included Haroon Khan (Amir Khans younger brother) and Mr Pet, “Lord” Aleem. Despite the stir they caused around our table as they were seated next to us, our table was still served in a timeley manner and the manager came over and asked us how the food was and if we were happy with the food  for which we gave some positive feedback.

Overall: To put it simply I will be back there, good food, really good service in a comfortable environment at a very reasonable price (the meal with friends came to approx £15 a head which is very reasonable considering there was alot of meat ordered as well as drinks and desserts). That is why I have to give it a 8/10 the food will not blow you away but I thoroughly enjoyed both my visits and am already planning my next one.

Address: 191-194 Bradford Street, Birmingham B12 0JD

*The pictures will get better! I think I was just way too hungry to focus on taking pictures haha