The great thing about our children moving away from the family home is that we've had the opportunity to explore new places. So far we've loved Portsmouth, hated Southampton, adored Brighton, failed back in love with Cardiff where I studied and now get to rediscover Birmingham which was a fave stomping ground in my youth, close to where I grew up in the Black Country. Food is a big part of our adventures in new cities and Birmingham was no exception.
My daughter (sixth of our seven) has just started at University of Birmingham and during a summer recce trip we spotted Mr Yummy at 639 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, next door to Aldi.
You could be forgiven for overlooking this rather unprepossessing eatery but a glance through the window reveals a keen customer base and an authentic Asian menu. As winner of a Golden Chopsticks Award for my reviews of Asian restaurants I'm always keen to share details of good restaurants large and small and to encourage non-Asian foodies to be brave and head into places and try things they might be a bit intimidated by.
Although I'll confess I was a bit wary of Mr Yummy and the less than attractive exterior but ended up being very glad my DH and daughter bullied talked me into lunch there
We've previously loved Pompoko in Brighton which also looks a little dubious but offers fabulous Japanese food at great prices. It's our go-to venue whenever we visit now. I even bought a hoodie from them although my children will tell me off for promoting it as it's tiny and we kinda don't want people to know about it in case we fail to get a table due to increased popularity.
Anyway, we decided to give Mr Yummy a go based on how popular it seemed and we were not disappointed.
First we headed to the cashpoint as it's cash only.
Then we joined a queue at the counter to order after perusing a large and complex numbered menu on the wall. There's also a smaller menu in the window to give you an idea of what's available before you head inside.
Food order in we grabbed seats on the benches (be prepared to share the long tables in busier times) and waited, admiring dishes coming out and delicious aromas emitting from the kitchen.
I chose duck which is offfered with boiled rice with the option to upgrade to noodles or egg fried rice. I opted for noodles.
DH had mixed seafood with egg sauce with rice which was not the prettiest but very tasty and DD went for Teriyaki chicken. Each dish came with a small spring/egg roll and samosa served cold.
My duck was plentiful with a gorgeous crispy skin and a meaty sauce sitting on a bed of cabbage. (pictured above) The noodles were how I always hope noodles will taste when I order but rarely do.
The Teriyaki Chicken also had lovely crispy skin and sat atop crunchy beansprouts. DH's meal was very flavoursome and all three meals were huge! My daughter says she knows where to go when she can't be bothered to cook for 3-5 working days as it was very filling.
Partway through our meal a member of staff came to ask if we could eat pork and on our affirmative answer brought over complementary bowls of a hot pork broth which was very refreshing.
With drinks (branded canned soft drinks) the meal for three came in at under £10 a head!
Although we haven't investigated much more of the local area apart from the city centre Mr Yummy was good food at great value and we will definitely be back.
If you are nervous about ordering you can get British takeaway staples like sweet and sour chicken or chow mein dishes. More adventurous or experienced connoisseurs could opt for delicacies including peppery intestines, hot and spicy pork trotters or pork tripe with rice. There are dishes that appear to be vegetarian including hot and spicy cauliflower with rice, stir fried egg and tomato and stir fried vegetables but please check before ordering as they aren't listed as vegetarian on the menu.
Mr Yummy doesn't have a website and you can't book but you can get takeaway and delivery through a number of delivery services.
Disclaimer: I paid for our meals.I just wanted to share this little gem of an eatery for other lovers of good authentic Asian food.