Inshallah everyone is enjoying the wonderful sunshine, Spring has definitely come early and where there is good weather there is always an apetite for good food!

Just a quick update to let readers know we should have a mini Tinseltown Star City review up in the next week or so and we will also be bringing you an exclusive money off voucher for Lahore Karahi the Halal Chinese restaurant.

Also to let readers know Fargo’s Food Factory the new American Diner is now open on the Ladypool Road in Birmingham. The diner is located at the old Punjab Paradise location at the top end of Ladypool Road towards the junction with Church Road and joins Khan’s Fish Bar, Adil’s, Ulfat’s and the Lahore Buffet to create a nice little food quarter past the Brighton Road junction.

Before we do there is still the very big matter of our fundraising campaign. A big thank you to the readers who have donated to the appeal may Allah reward you and accept our duas on your behalf for your generousity. We are still short of our fundraising target by £95.

For everyone who donates £10 or more to our Feed the Poor Campaign they will receive a free limited edition laminated poster from award winning Muslim Artist Mohammed Ali, any donations over £20 will receive a free signed copy of the poster. Posters will be available to pick up from the Hubb Arts Centre in Birmingham or postage can be arranged subject to postage and packaging costs.

Inshallah we can hit our target and even exceed it with your help, its not to late to donate and there is no donation too small, every little helps. I know its not the easiest of climates to donate in but there is always someone who needs our help and blessings more. Inshallah with a little help from everyone we can help those who need it most. Please don’t wait for someone else to donate after some donations in the first few days of our appeal the donations have stopped even though our website hits haven’t!

To donate just click on the just giving link in the top left hand corner or read our previous post. You can donate online, by text or send us an email with your offline donation pledge.

Salaams and duas

Salaams and welcome to the Halal Blogsophere!

Today we don’t have a food review for you but we do have an urgent request for help. We pray that you will not only read this message but also action it through your generousity. PLEASE DO MAKE A DONATION.

I have been thinking for a while about how we can utilise the popularity of the Halal Food Review to support a greater good. I set up the Halal Food Review back in 2010 simply to share my passion for food and creative writing but inshallah going forward we can also make a difference and support those less fortunate than ourselves. Inshallah our readers who have benefited from the site can now return a small favour by helping us to help our brothers and sisters who don’t have access to basic necessities such as clean water or food.

For our first appeal we have chosen ISRA UK – FEED THE POOR a charity based in Birmingham which has done some excellent work in supporting those less fortunate than  ourselves. It’s a charity whose work I am both familiar with and proud of. Inshallah your donations will help support both their Water Aid and Iftaari Food Parcel Programmes.

We’re asking members of our community to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. It could be a couple of pounds, it could be the equivalent of a tip you left at a restaurant or it could even be the equivalent of the price you paid for your last meal out. Whatever amount you can donate please DO DONATE no matter how small inshallah it will make a big difference.

So if you’ve enjoyed reading the Halal Food Review then please do help us to ensure those less fortunate than ourselves don’t go without basic access to clean water and food during Ramadan. What we take for granted others can only dream of.

If everyone one of our readers donated just £1 we would raise thousands each month, I pray that your generosity will help us meet and exceed our modest first target of £250. If the appeal goes well inshallah we will try to help raise funds for other charities in the future.

To donate just click on the following link http://www.justgiving.com/halalfoodreview

To donate via mobile phone text NPWX82 £3 to 70070 You can change the amount from £3 to a lower or higher amount.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails.

Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate.

So please dig deep and donate now by clicking on the link below

We have already had restaurants express their interest in supporting our fundraising efforts in the future and we have some exciting plans in development for the future so watch this space.

Our duas and prayers are with all of you and we pray you can help us in raising our targets to help those less fortunate than ourselves. If you are not in a position to donate then please keep us in your duas and share the link to a campaign with friends and family using the sharing buttons below.

I had arranged to go out to eat with one of my outlaws we decided to go for the safe bet that is Shere Khan. It also occurred to me that no one had done a review of this old haunt in Birmingham. So with my Halal Food Review hat on I made my way there.

Shere Khan is located in the Star City Complex offering a unique Pakistani Cuisine experience. I use the term unique as being an Indian I notice that a lot of Bangladeshi and Pakistani cuisine is often advertised as Indian cuisine when it really isn’t.

Walking into Shere Khan you experience a sophisticated modern feel to the place which draws on Moroccan / North African influences. The use of soft and dimmed lighting adds further to the experience and ambiance. The kitchen is visible to diners depending on where you are sitting which can always add to the theatre of the eating out experience.

If you arrive early you get to sit in the entrance waiting area whilst waiting for a table. We were warmly welcomed and the service was impeccable throughout the evening. After every course we were asked if everything was ok and to our satisfaction without it becoming overbearing. The drinks were served promptly and we had no delays in requesting or settling the bill for the evening.

Shere Khan offers a range of starters from mix grills through to kebabs, tikka, paneer and other vegetarian options. We opted for the Shere Khan Combo which included four sheesh kebabs, two lamb chops, three pieces of chicken tikka and a portion of salad.

The starter combo was of a very good standard. The sheesh kebabs were succulent with an array of spices; the lamb chops were exceptional cooked with a range of tandoori spices without overpowering the natural flavour of the lamb. The chicken tikka was also of a good standard but as I took my last bite on the tikka there was an abrupt break to the ambiance and suddenly a Happy Birthday song broke out on full blast!

Now I am a regular at Shere Khan and depending on what time you go on occasions you will have to endure the happy birthday song sometimes up to 5 times in a single evening! Now I’m not a party pooper but a remixed version of Happy Birthday can get annoying after the third or fourth time! There must be a way of it being toned down so it doesn’t impact on everyone in the restaurant but as I said as a regular at Shere Khan it is part and parcel of the offer and experience so be prepared!

With a successful starter lining our stomachs we eagerly awaited our mains. We had ordered both the Prawn Bhuna and Chicken Jalfrazi selected from an extensive menu of curries, grilled chicken and some additional Chef Specials and salad options. These were accompanied by three naans and one roti.

On arrival of our food my outlaw remonstrated that both portions were on the small side! I assured him that it was a barakah (blessed) portion J However; on reflection the portions were served in small serving dishes. I normally eat my wheatabix minis out of a bigger bowl!

The dishes themselves however were full of flavour with a little heat added to the equation. They were well prepared and delivered on taste as per our expectations. With the prawn dish we got an adequate number of prawns and there was actually chicken in the chicken jalfrezi! (Unbelievable, I know). I have been to too many places where you only get three or four prawns and a few pieces of chicken in your dishes, Shere Khan delivers better than that ensuring you get exactly what you asked for.

Onto our desserts or shall I say puddings! Shere Khan offers a wide range from Sticky Toffee Pudding through to Chocolate Melt in the Middle and Movenpick Ice Cream. In previous visits I have tried both the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Chocolate melt in the middle, both were delicious!

We opted for the Ice Cream. Now the Chocolate and Vanilla Movenpick is like the Bentley of Ice Cream it is refined and sophisticated with both power and substance. So as you can imagine, I was quite looking forward to my portion! The ice cream was just as described and hit the spot however they presented it with a serving of cream! I would much rather have a bigger scoop and portion of the ice cream I ordered than a complimentary portion of cream! It’s a bit like buying a Bentley and then decorating it with a magic tree and a tissue box dispenser. (you know, gold and red- the type our dads and uncles have all had!)

Ok that’s the end of my ice cream induced rant! A word of advice to restaurants don’t serve premium Movenpick with cream, it doesn’t look any prettier, it doesn’t add to the taste and you’ll save yourself a bit of money in the process!

Our bill for the evening came to £36.00, which was on the higher side for two people however we did have a mixed grill starter, a prawn course, two desserts and four drinks. If you’re looking to save a few pounds on the bill then cut back on the drinks and stick to water!

The highlights were definitely both the mixed combo starter and the prawn bhuna. The ice cream was what I expected. I had enjoyed my authentic Pakistani meal, although I am still debating the authenticity of the Pakistani roots of the humble Sticky Toffee Pudding!

If you’re looking for a good night out you can’t go wrong with Shere Khan it delivers a good overall experience. For me, the food is akin to the Ronseal of Birmingham- it does exactly what it says on the tin!

Quality of Food – 7
Quality of Décor- 7
Quality of Service- 8
Value for Money- 6

Overall- 7

We are fundraising for the Feed the Poor Charity to support investment in clean water and the distribution of food parcels during Ramadan please make a donation no matter how small.

To donate via mobile phone text NPWX82 £3 to 70070

You can change the amount from £3 to a lower or higher amount.

Rachel is an active blogger who runs the Dinky Thinks blog which is her wonderful contribution to the blogosphere you can follow the blog by clicking the link above. We’ve got a special edited version of her review of Rasoi in Bradford but for the full fat feature including photos and additional thoughts please do visit her site and add it to your bookmarks. We’re hoping Rachel will be a regular contributor to the Halal Food Review so keep an eye on the site as we broaden our coverage to Bradford and Yorkshire!

You can also follow Dinky Thinks over on Twitter @DinkyThinks. Over to you Dinky!

A new kid has opened up on our block. Rasoi is located right on the traffic lights at Great Horton inBradford and occupies a former pub site. There is no parking but you can probably find a spot on the main road. Rasoi offers a Halal menu and a takeaway service. Eating on this Tuesday evening was me, my fiancée and my father…. All of whom are interested in curry…. Very interested in curry!

The décor is very red and very new and they did have a state of the art sound system, under floor heating and televisions installed. We opted for a drink from the non alcoholic menu (a strawberry lassi, Shirley Temple and glass of water) and have some free poppadoms to munch on whilst we check out the menu. The menu is quite small; which I don’t think is a bad thing to be honest; a lot of places in Bradford have so many items you just get lost trying to find anything you fancy.

The owners were fantastically friendly and courteous and the tables and restaurant were as clean as can be. The food did not come in any sort of hurry, despite how quiet it was, but we were not in a hurry so it was fine!

So to the food…. The menu has a range of English, Pakistani and Indian dishes with vegetarian options and meat too. To start with, we wanted the Dhal Bhaley (fried lentil dumplings) but they didn’t have any. We went instead for a Samosa Chat (meat samosa with chick pea salad) and a Papri Chat (fried crispy dumplings with chickpea salad). Both were delicious and fresh tasting… quite spicy and very tasty indeed.

For main course we choose the Tarka Daal (lentils infused with spices), Achari Ghost (lamb with spicy pickle) and a Lamb Special Balti – accompanied by roti. All was tasty and pretty blummin spicy too.

Rasoi have a special offer on at the moment for a free desert when ordering a main course. Deserts range from Kulfi and Rassmalai through to Jam Roly Poly and Chocolate Fudge Cake.

The meal cost £33 which we thought was great value for the portion sizes and we got leftovers to take home.  I would recommend Rasoi for the food, but it could do with a bit more of a buzz and a few more people…. Which will hopefully come with time – after all they had been open only 5 weeks! 

Read the full review at http://dinkythinks.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/restaurant-review-rasoi-great-horton/ along with more from Dinky.

Quality of Food – 7
Quality of Décor – 7
Quality of Service – 8
Value for Money – 7

Overall Score = 7

If you’re a resident of New York City then you will instantly know the reference to the 53rd and 6th Halal Cart. Simply put it is the most famous street food vendor address in the whole of NYC and best of all its halal! No trip to New York City is complete without a trip to the Halal Cart.

If you thought that was good you wouldn’t believe the politics but those let us spoil the viewing for you. The original Halal Cart is only open in the evenings from 8pm to 5am, so if you’re ever in town try out the legend of the white sauce.  We’ve tasted the $6 special platter and can confirm it truly is the real deal!  Trip Advisor has gone so far as to say this is the number 1 place to eat in New York!

So whats all the fuss, well check out the YouTube videos and find out for yourself. Until the next time happy eating.

Today the Halal Food Team ventured back into the Balti Triangle of Birmingham but this time we were not in search of baltis, currys or kebabs. We were here to try Birmingham’s newest Italian Restaurant La Favorita.  Now the last time we had an Italian restaurant open in the Balti Triangle it mysteriously disappeared like ships sailing into the Bermuda Triangle only to resurface from the dead as Desi Express!

Pasta Di Piazza La Favorita Restaurant to give it it’s full name is located on Alfred Street just off the Ladypool Road in a purpose-built double storey building with a generous glass frontage that initially seems slightly out-of-place in a side street in Sparkbrook. Having said that I am all for investment in local communities and with the opening of Mughal E Azam in Sparkhill, Haveli in Small Heath, Yaqub’s Steakhouse down the road on Stoney Lane and now La Favorita its great to see real investment in contemporary halal restaurants in the heart of Birmingham’s Muslim communities. I’m a firm believer that for areas like Sparkbrook and Small Heath to thrive in the current challenging economic times it is paramount for local businesses and individuals to support inward investment at a time when the local authority only has eyes for the city centre. Thats enough social commentary for now let’s get back to reviewing food!

As you walk into La Favorita you walk into one of the most delightful interiors of any halal establishment in Birmingham. It doesn’t have the grandeur of Mughal E Azam but the interior is contemporary, fresh and welcoming.  Walking in on a cold January afternoon you instantly feel the warmth of the restaurant. The restaurant spans two floors and the covers are generously spaced out ensuring diners can have an intimate dining experience without having to overhear every conversation of diners in the near vicinity.  As you enter the restaurant the drinks and desserts counter is located to your left and you have an open view into the kitchen at the back of the restaurant.

We were warmly greeted by the staff and accompanied to our tables and were promptly offered our menus. What is unique about La Favorita is that not only is it an Italian restaurant it also offers a full Balti menu which I did find rather strange but the restaurant has ensured both menus are unique and distinct so that you don’t get caught in the middle of an identity crisis. For the purpose of our review we were strictly here to sample the Italian menu.

So what about the food I hear you cry!

For starters we ordered the Funghi Con Aglio which translates to Mushrooms with Garlic, Tomato, Cream and topped with Cheese, the Garlic Bread with a tomato dressing and we decided to share a pizza between the three of us choosing the Rustica thin crust pizza which came with the following toppings of Tomato, Cheese, Spicy Beef, Onion and Chicken.

 
The starters were impressive with the Funghi Con Aglio the undoubted highlight.  Each mouthful delivered a rich experience, the button mushrooms were perfectly cooked with the flavouring of the garlic providing the perfect taste sensation which was complimented beautifully by the rich sauce and cheese. The garlic bread was freshly cooked blended with the rich flavours of the tomato dressing and the rustic pizza was served on a thin crust and was light on the palette. The evidence of how much we enjoyed our starters can be seen by the rather telling picture below and the big smile on the waitress’ face when she cleared away our plates!

 
The starters had definitely delivered!  The customer service at La Favorita is excellent, the service was prompt and the waiting staff were polite and professional. With the rarity of halal traditional Italian dining in the city the menu will be very new to a lot of diners and if there is one area we felt service could be improved is for the staff to be more forward in terms of offering recommendations from the menu as we did struggle initially to decide what to order.

For our mains we selected  the Pollo Pomodoro (Chicken Breast served with mixed Peppers, Chillies and Garlic cooked in a Tomato sauce with fresh Oregano) served with a side of Sauteed Potatoes, the Canneloni (Rolls of Pasta filled with Mince Beef and Vegetable Béchamel, Tomato Sauce and Cheese) and finally the Risotto Rotara (Rice with strips of Chicken, Seasonal Vegetables, Garlic, Onions with a hint of Tomato) For at least two of us this was taking us into a completely new dining experience and we couldn’t wait to try the mains after the delightful starters!

 
The mains were beautifully presented with the star award going to the Pollo Pomodoro which came in a beautiful sauce which was complimented by the rich colours of the peppers and vegetables. The risotto was accompanied by a decorative beetroot sauce. It was at this point we encountered the only glitch of our dining experience where instead of the Cannaloni we were served with Crespolini(Rolled Pancake filled with Ricotta Cheese, Spinach, Garlic, Chillies, Cheese, Bechamel and Tomato Sauce) The waiting staff could not be more apologetic and assured us that the Cannaloni would arrive within a few minutes. Not ones to miss an opportunity we offered to consume the Crespolini too and were delighted to hear that we would not be charged for the extra dish. Small touches like this make a big difference and also allowed us to try something we probably wouldn’t have considered on the menu and full credit both to my fellow diner for making the suggestion and to La Favorita staff for offering us a generous freebie.

 
Each of the mains was once again a feast for our taste buds, we mixed and matched our mains and there was no weak point that we could identify. The risotto was served al dente just as we had requested, the chicken in the Pollo Pomedora was cooked to perfection and the sauce it was served in was rich in flavour and texture! The cannoloni delivered too with delicious mouthfuls of pasta and beef bathed in a rich sauce and cheese topping.

La Favorita certainly delivered. Our dining experience was incredibly positive and we also encountered even more of a rarity which is gushing praise from three of the most demanding tasting palettes on the Halal Food Review team! Towards the end of our meal the chef also introduced himself to us and shared his thoughts on the menu as well as getting our feedback on the food.  The human touch of a dining experience can never be underestimated and we found the team at La Favorita to be warm and generous and this was topped off by a complimentary selection from the patisserie counter.

If we had to look for faults or suggestions for improvement we would welcome a serving of bread, dips and oils at the start of the meal for the full Italian dining experience. At no point did we look at the Balti menu and it will be interesting to see how diners take to the dual cuisine offer at La Favorita, the Italian option is more than enough to make the Halal Food Review team come back for more. The only other complaint is one we have to blame ourselves for, having eaten so much we didn’t leave any room to fully sample the dessert menu but we will definitely be back to tackle the sweet side of the menu!

In summary La Favorita delivered a wonderfully rich Italian dining experience, the food was faultless and the service was of a really high standard. The total bill for our meal came to just over £40 which would have been higher if we had ordered more drinks but only one of our dining party had a soft drink whilst two of us stuck to water. The portion sizes are generous both for the starters and the mains and the prices represent very good value for a totally unique halal Italian dining experience that is not available anywhere else in the city.

We would definitely recommend La Favorita to all our Halal Food Readers, and would welcome reader thoughts particularly on service during a busier evening dining period as we ate after Friday prayers when the restaurant was quiet. La Favorita should definitely be at the top of your places to dine list and we’d encourage our readers to experience the true breadth of the Italian menu on offer.

La Favorita has certainly knocked Mughal E Azam off the top of our favourite places to eat in Birmingham chart and we can’t offer any better compliment than that!

Quality of Food 9
Quality of Service 9
Quality of Space 10
Value for Money 9

We are fundraising for the Feed the Poor Charity to support investment in clean water and the distribution of food parcels during Ramadan please make a donation no matter how small.

To donate via mobile phone text NPWX82 £3 to 70070

You can change the amount from £3 to a lower or higher amount.

For more Stateside content from the team at Sameer’s Eats visit their website at http://sameerseats.com/

As our readers know we are currently running a 25% off your total bill promotional offer and we’re grateful to the management at Yaqub’s for extending this generous offer to Halal Food Readers. Inshallah we will be bringing you other restaurant offers in the future, if you are a restaurant owner reading this then please do get in touch. If you want to be kept in touch of any offers like our page at Facebook or follow us at Twitter @halalfoodreview

In order to keep our reviews completely impartial I have not written the review for Yaqub’s, so that our readers get a completely neutral perspective and we maintain the integrity of the site so please welcome back Altaf H Kazi who has kindly agreed to review Yaqub’s Steakhouse. For regular readers with a long memory Altaf’s name might ring a bell he also penned our La Fibule review. So without further to do over to Altaf for our review of Yaqub’s!

Yaqub’s Steakhouse Review

After months of anticipation Yaqub’s finally opened its doors to the public. I was well excited; I’d been missing my lamb steak and picante gravy. This, I thought, would be my fix! I convinced a group of mates to join me. We had heard rumours that it was a little expensive so the guys warned me, that it better be worth it. I booked the table on Wednesday and got a late Friday booking, which was good. We booked our table before the Halal Food Review discount code went live so we paid the full price for our meals.

Getting to Yaqub’s is easy it is located opposite Lahore Chinese on the Highgate Road near the junction with Stratford Road. There is ample free parking opposite the restaurant which makes it easily accessible by car. From the outside Yaqub’s looks the business and looks like an upmarket establishment even though this seems a little odd for Highgate Road! But does it look like a Steak House? Unfortunately it doesn’t it looks good just not a steakhouse. It reminds me a little of Ismail’s with it being finished to a high spec but not having a steakhousy feel if that makes sense.

As you enter you are greeted by a ‘door opener’ standing between the two entrance doors which seemed a little odd but nevertheless he greeted us with a smile and did his job; making sure we got in safely. Doors are dangerous things, potential hazards even so it’s nice to see Yaqub’s safeguarding its customers from risk! It wasn’t particularly busy when we arrived but we did get there at 9.45pm.

So what about the food? 

Between our group of five we ordered different starters, I opted for the fish tikka whilst others in the group ordered the lamb chops, potato skins, prawns and fried beef starters.

My fish tikka was very nice; the batter was crispy with the right amount of spice, whilst the cod was perfectly cooked and moist.

Unfortunately my mates on the other hand were not as happy and understandably so; the lamb chops cost £4.50- for that price you’d expect to get 3/4 pieces but we received 2 chops for £4.50, that’s £2.25 a chop!  That was not the end of it we received 5 prawns for £5. The potato skins tasted fine but didn’t look impressive and I’d expect more when it comes to presentation particularly for a fine dining experience. I hope the management can take note.

On to our main courses. Yaqub’s offers a range of Steaks, Burgers and Fajitas. Their steak menu is extensive and they offer a range of different cuts of beef, t-bone, sirloin, rib eye or rump as well as lamb and chicken options. There is even a picture of a cow on the menu showing you were the different cuts are from. Along with offering the choice of your steak being prepared in 5 different ways you knew the team at Yaqub’s had done their research! With all this information I was about to go Heston on them and ask them if their meat was fresh or not. Steaks are better the more mature the meat gets- they are best at around six weeks from slaughter. 

The prices at Yaqub’s are definitely at the premium end of the dining experience and thus expectations are also raised high. I don’t think we mind paying good money as long as we get good quality food, attentive customer service and experience a good ambiance.

My mates ordered the t-bone steaks and burgers. I stuck to my guns and ordered a lamb steak (medium to well done) with picante gravy in the hope of getting my fix. The burgers looked exceptional- towering high and made from pure meat. They went down a storm. The burgers were succulent and juicy they had the right amount of cheese and where served in a ciabatta bap. They were as good as those served at Chicago Gourmet Burger with the bonus of more meat! We had the doubles and they were definitely the highlight of the evening!

The t-bone steaks didn’t hit the same note on the other hand and were just average in comparison. They didn’t jump out or taste exceptional and the gravy again was at best average. Now for the science part!

The t-bone steaks were not cooked to perfection. I could see the cooks using thermometers and for those who know about preparing and cooking steak should know that the medium to well is served best at 54- 57 Celsius. In my opinion it looked as if they had got the temperature right but forgotten to take into account the fact that residual heat keeps cooking the steak and that after resting the steak for at least 5 minutes they need to run the steak out to you. I think when you offer so many ways of cooking steak you need to get it right, especially at the premium side of things and this is something I hope improves with time as the potential is there. 

I got my lamb steak and was expecting a fillet of lamb (about the size of a burger patty) but what I got was four small pieces of lamb. I was gutted and all my mates were laughing at me! My dreams of getting my lamb fix were dashed! On enquiring with the waiter I was told that this was spring lamb and it came like this. I told him that they should tell customers this in order to manage expectations. He apologised and suggested that I could order something else. Having seen the burgers I ordered one of those instead.

The customer service at Yaqub’s is as good as anywhere in Birmingham but in my opinion the standard in Birmingham is below par compared to other cities I have eaten in. The service was ok, the waiter came and took our order, he then re-read the order to us and asked us how are food was once it had been served. So he did his job. In many other places that would have sufficed but when it comes to the premium side of the dining market I want the waiter and service to be exceptional at a level that goes above and beyond what I would expect at other restaurants. Again I think there is room for Yaqub’s to improve this part of their offer.

A note to Muslim customers Yaqub’s has no lota in the washrooms for making wudu so take your own bottles or wudu mates with you but I’m hoping the restaurant will rectify this!

Overall our night out to Yaqub’s wasn’t the success I hoped it would be but it wasn’t a failure either. The guys didn’t ‘cuss’ me for taking them there which shows that it had some good points like the quality of the fish tikka starter and the excellent burgers. The other starters were just ok particularly related to the price we paid. The restaurant needs to focus on delivering value for money for what is a premium dining experience and this includes improving the presentation of the food that is served so that it reflects that premium experience. My share of the total bill came to £18 including the starter and main dish and at that price the food, service and presentation has to be consistently good.

The biggest disappointment of the evening was the steaks; I was expecting something exceptional, something to befit Yaqub’s as the new premium choice, unfortunately our experience was average at best but I would hope things improve as we’re still at the early stages where all restaurants have teething problems.

I am planning on returning in a month or so after the restaurant has had some time to bed down. In a month’s time I would hope they have perfected the steaks and gravy as well as raising the level of customer service to reflect the premium dining experience.

I hope they do as they have the potential to become one of Birmingham’s finest dining places.

Scores

Quality of Food: 6
Quality of Decor, Facilities: 7
Quality of Service: 6
Value for Money: 3 (full price paid, no discount codes used)

We are fundraising for the Feed the Poor Charity to support investment in clean water and the distribution of food parcels during Ramadan please make a donation no matter how small.

To donate via mobile phone text NPWX82 £3 to 70070

You can change the amount from £3 to a lower or higher amount.

As we promised our readers earlier in the year we are planning on bringing some new content and special offers to make your halal dining experience even more enjoyable.

We’re pleased to announce our first reader offer which is 25% of your bill at Yaqub’s Steakhouse in Birmingham.  To take advantage of this special offer all you need to do is pre book a table by ringing the restaurant on 0121 773 9111 and quoting Halal Food Review its that simple.

The offer runs until the 29th January 2012 so make sure you pre book your table before you visit the restaurant to save yourself 25%.  A word of caution for readers though and that is Yaqub’s are nearly fully booked for the next week so you might have a bit of a wait before you can get a table.

If you would like to share photos please use our social network channels on Facebook and Twitter so that you can connect with our wider Halal Food Review community. Its a wonderful way of finding out about new places to eat, places to avoid as well as being part of a wider conversation that we can’t always replicate via the website. We will be sharing reader photos via the website on a regular basis too. So now its even easier to be an active part of the Halal Food Review community. You don’t have to write reviews just send us your photos!

To share your photos via Facebook visit http://www.facebook.com/halalfoodreview
To share your photos via Twitter either follow us @halalfoodreview or tag us using #halalfoodreview

One final note, we’ve added sharing buttons to all our posts so please do share the Halal Food Review website with family, friends and colleagues. The wider our reach the more diverse we can make our content. If you haven’t joined us on Facebook or Twitter it only takes a moment.

Until the next time, happy eating!