Lifestyle: Restaurant Review – Centenary Bar & Brasserie, Birmingham

I WAS eagerly anticipating my first meal at the Centenary Bar & Brasserie at the Birmingham Rep and I wasn’t to be disappointed.

Despite it being a sunny day and the Library of Birmingham next door doing a roaring trade – do libraries trade? – the restaurant was pretty empty.

Which is a shame because it is a light and airy space and on the lunchtime we visited the large windows gave us an excellent view of the schoolboy dancers performing outside the ICC.

And, more importantly, the food is good.

The Birmingham lunchtime market is a difficult one to crack, though, with professional types preferring to stay around Colmore Row and leisurely lunchers being spoilt for choice with the Mailbox and Spiceal Street at the Bullring just two of the alternatives on offer. 

I would imagine the Centenary will do most of its business catering for the pre-theatre crowd in the early evenings but it’s well worth a visit at lunchtime as the two course express lunch is excellent value at £13.

Run by Searcys, the restaurant group behind London eateries such as St Pancras Grand and Searcys Club at The Gherkin, Centenary keeps things simple during the day and probably rightly so given the indifference of Second City diners.

Choosing from the express menu I selected Thai pork patties with a sweet chilli dip to start while my partner plumped for the smoked mackerel pate with horseradish cream and sourdough toast.

She enjoyed the mackerel although I thought it lacked a depth of flavour and was possibly under-seasoned but my pork patties were a different kettle of..er..pork altogether. Plump and flavourful and complemented by a good quality dip, they disappeared rather rapidly.

For my main course I chose pan seared chicken breast with capsicum puree and basil mash  – a dish I couldn’t fault. It was perfectly in balance and moreishness on a plate as far as I was concerned. Highly recommended if you should visit

My companion carried on with her fish theme and chose the hot smoked salmon with Asian ‘slaw and lime and chilli salsa. She enjoyed it but suggested it could have had a little more of a chilli kick.

We washed it down with a bottle of 2012 Chilean Concha y Toro Sauvignon Blanc (£17.50) which was a light and perfect accompaniment to the chicken and salmon.

The service was good and the staff friendly. The whole place has a nice relaxed feel to it.

I enjoyed my meal here and will definitely return. A nice leisurely lunch here during a summer weekend sojourn into ‘town’ is a very appealing prospect indeed.