The Balcony At Selfridges

Last night we went to The Balcony in Selfridges, Birmingham.  To be honest I hadn’t known that it existed before.  It’s hidden away behind the handbag department on one of the upper floors (as the name suggests).  They’re recently had a refurb and it has a fresh, but characterful look and it seems much more visible now from the Bull Ring Shopping Centre below.  It’s location gives it some great views and there are opportunities for people watching.  Rest assured though, if you are scared of heights, there’s plenty of seating away from the edge.

On arrival we were served up some of the most popular cocktails from their range. I tried out the Wooden Blush made from Bombay Sapphire and raspberry liqueur with muddled strawberries,blackberries and pomegranate, topped up with Prosecco.  This one seemed designed for me with many of my favourite drinks mixed together and it was delicious.  I’d have happily drunk it all night.  My husband had the Selfridges Passion: a blend of passion fruit vodka and Passoa with fresh passion fruit,mint, apple juice and a hint of lime.  It was very nice, but we both preferred the Wooden Blush.  Later on I tried Passion Must, a non-alcoholic cocktail, made with fresh passion fruit with apple, pomegranate and lime.  This was light and refreshing and you don’t feel you are missing the alcohol when you are drinking it.

The Balcony aims to provide a stylish menu for Birmingham’s fashionistas, serving quirky food and drinks in a contemporary environment. We were served a wide range of dishes across the menu where the emphasis is on relaxed dining that sits well with the champagne bar.  There are boards to share with wonderful cheeses, tasty seafood and aromatic cooked meats paired up with good crusty bread.  We enjoyed trying this Searcys club sandwich ‘martini’ which does encapsulate the club sandwich in a martini glass.  We also loved the Classic Clam Chowder which had smokey, salty bits of bacon in it to enhance the seafood flavours of the dish.

We loved the Berry Eton Mess that we had for dessert.  As you can see from this picture, the chef has a playful touch with the meringue sticks that reminded me of those sweet cigarettes I used to love as a child.  There was plenty of fruit to create a real berry taste explosion.  The snickerbockerglory was also well received, but for me it was too much, too sweet and it finished me off for the evening: I could eat no more.  If you love rich chocolatey desserts with a peanut flavour, it would be hard to beat.

The Balcony can boast of being a 120-cover restaurant which also features the very stylish Moet & Chandon Rosé Champagne Bar. As well as Champagne, you can also drink cocktails here and there is a happy hour, every day from 5pm to 7pm. The Balcony also hopes to become renowned for its Champagne Afternoon Tea, which pairs Moet Rosé with the restaurant’s signature ‘Afternoon Picnic Tea’. The tea has been created by award-winning pastry chef John Grantham, and features quirky cakes and house-made scones.