Meet the team behind Birmingham’s changing food scene

It is hard to imagine that just ten years ago, Birmingham boasted a few chain restaurants and bars and not much else.

It is getting harder by the day to ignore the food revolution happening in the city, with new and exciting talents popping up in each corner.

Just a few years ago, street food was relatively unheard of in these areas. Now, what would Birmingham be without it?

One of the teams behind this very revolution are now about to make street food even more accessible for those who have not yet been converted.

Taste and Liquor, a Birmingham-based events company, has been hosting street food celebrations on a regular basis in the last 18 months. However, the team behind the company, alongside 21 Milk Street, is now launching its first venue set to be a hub for all things food, drink and music.

The new venue sits in the thriving cultural quarter of Digbeth, which was recently named the third hippest place in the UK by Travel Supermarket.

Called No21 Digbeth, the new home will host weekly events with an ever-changing line up of food traders, drinks to enjoy and new and emerging artists.

Manga Singh, 40, from Edgbaston is the MD of Taste and Liquor and now co-owner of the new venue. After years of experience in restaurants and bars in Birmingham, including The Vaults Restaurant and Bar in the Jewellery Quarter, the entrepreneur decided to turn his attention to the street food industry.

He said: “I used to work in London around 20 years ago, and I saw the street food industry grow into something really exciting and it inspired me to bring it to Birmingham. After taking some years away from street food, I saw it picking up here a few years ago, and knew it was the right time to set up Taste and Liquor.

“The whole idea of Taste and Liquor is that it is a real mix of food, drink and music, so we are always keen to showcase new and emerging artists, just like we showcase new chefs, we want to give them a platform.

“I think the Birmingham food scene has changed a huge amount just in the past 10 years, it has really evolved and has inspired chefs to have a business before they even consider opening a restaurant, a few years ago you couldn’t do that. The street food scene has allowed these people to test their market, and we want to help them by giving them a permanent venue to work at.”

Taste and Liquor

Since the launch of Taste and Liquor, the team has gone on to host events across the city including its Spice Street Food Market, Bingo Rave’s, the American Street Food Festival, a National Burger Day Festival and an evening devoted to all things pizza.

The team is now hoping that local acts and chefs are inspired to join in the revolution and showcase their talents at the new venue.

Although Manga hopes to expand and have venues in other parts of the UK, he is keen to discover more in Birmingham for the time being.

He said: “It feels like the city has more options now and double the restaurants and bars because more people are getting involved in the street food scene.

“I think people want a variety now and are becoming more open to street food and willing to try new things. Birmingham is such a multicultural place, it means that we have an amazing amount of different tastes to try and we are eager to showcase the global talents we have in this city.”

No21 Digbeth, which launches on Friday January 27 from 5pm, will be hosting events every weekend. Each Friday will consist of The Digbeth After Work Club, which will begin at 5pm, where locals can enjoy bespoke cocktails, spirits and craft beer. Friday nights at the venue are also when new and emerging chefs can head along and experiment with their menu. The night is also the perfect opportunity for emerging singer-songwriters, bands and DJs to take to the stage.

Monthly themed events will be hosted on the last Saturday of each month. The team has many themed evenings lined up, including a Gin and Meat Feast, the Best of British Street Food evening, Brum’s Big Fat Pizza Festival and the Digbeth Mela.

 

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