Rabbit

A cup of rooibos tea welcomes you into Rabbit’s diminutive premises, where 12 diners watch food being prepared in front of them by a single chef, Ash Valenzuela-Heeger from South Africa. Tastes of home are on display, like peri peri prawn and biltong, but the menu also features Korean and Japanese flavour profiles, and it’s all made with sustainably sourced local produce. Ash, along with her British wife Erin, have created something unique on the emerging Stirchley high street.

“Ash describes everything as she pops it down, so you get an idea of the relationship with the farmers, where the ideas for the dish came from. It’s an intimate experience,” says Erin.

The format is à la carte small plates, spanning steamed meretrix clams with panang curry cream to Hobnob biscuits with Cashel Blue cheese and local honeycomb for dessert – with a tea or South African wine pairing.

The concept grew out of pop-ups, and despite their recent addition to the Michelin guide, the pair want to keep the operation small to preserve the extraordinary atmosphere diners enjoy. Ash says, “It’s very different to anything else in the city. I love having the accountability of cooking right in front of you. When guests leave, they’re on first-name terms with us.”

The Stirchley set: impeccable eats in an unexpected locale

“Unassuming” is probably the most diplomatic description of Stirchley, the Birmingham suburb whose rise over the last decade to become one of the UK’s fastest-growing dining hubs has been nothing short of amazing. The sleek Rabbit may lead the pack but here are three more incredible places to eat on this foodie favourite high street.