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Sian Victoria © - Cucumber & Watermelon gin, Cafe Rouge, Mailbox, Birmingham

Alfresco Dining Places in Birmingham

On a beautiful sunny day in Birmingham, I was kindly invited by Cafe Rouge to check out their new summer menu, with a group of local bloggers and media. I had been looking forward to sampling the Spring-Summer inspired menu, as last year I loved their Autumn-Winter menu so I knew I would be in for a treat - see my autumn menu review.

Again, Cafe Rouge did not disappoint and served up three delicious courses along with plenty of wine, gin, mocktails, and canapes. The Executive Chef Bruno Balle was there to give a brief overview of the menu and what had inspired him to create it, there was also a wine expert and a man who knew a thing or two about cheeses and cured hams, which was interesting.

Cafe Rouge Dining experience offer

A Three-Course Meal with Sparkling Wine for Two can be experienced at Cafe Rouge for just £39 when bought through Buyagift. So, it makes a lovely luxury night out without the expense.

Sian Victoria © - Cocktails, Cafe Rouge, Mailbox, Birmingham

Throughout the evening we tried a selection of drinks, my most memorable had to be the glass of gin with 'cucumber & watermelon' and the 'rouge blush' mocktail with lingering flavors of rhubarb and raspberry.

This tasted amazing, so fruity and refreshing it was like summer in your mouth. I also highly recommend the 'pink lemonade' mocktail as this was a popular request at our table.

Starters

Sian Victoria © - Garlic mushrooms on sourdough bread, Cafe Rouge, Mailbox, Birmingham

For starters, I picked a mouthwatering dish of 'Champignons À L'ail' which consists of chestnut mushrooms in a cèpe & garlic sauce on chargrilled sourdough bread. This was truly delicious. I loved every bite and made sure I scraped up every little bit of sauce on the plate by dipping it into the bread. The mushrooms and sourdough bread were gorgeous so I could have easily eaten so much more, I'll definitely be back to Cafe Rouge to eat this again.

Mains

Sian Victoria © - Salmon & potatoes, Cafe Rouge, Mailbox, Birmingham

For my main I enjoyed the 'Saumon' - a baked sustainably sourced salmon fillet with buttered spinach, new potatoes, croutons, lemon and beurre noisette. The salmon and new potatoes were cooked to perfection and I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy croutons which were a lovely surprise when I took my first mouthful. The only part I wasn't quite struck on was the tiny chunks of tangy lemon, as you could imagine they were very sour, so I did put them to one side. Besides the lemon, I really enjoyed this main and would have loved more of the croutons!

Desserts

My plus one and I were expecting to choose just one dessert, however, my eyes soon lit up when a selection of desserts landed in front of me. If you've been reading my blog for some time you would know I am dessert obsessed, so these five mini treats were demolished in a matter of minutes. It's hard to pick a favourite as I would happily eat all these again full size.

The 'Creme Brulee' was deliciously creamy with a crisp layer, the bits of chocolate malted pecan crumbs were scrumptious and I especially loved the smooth creamy lemon dessert with a crunchy almond flake and fresh strawberry.

The chocolate mousse was heavenly although sadly I did struggle to get to the bottom as I could have done with a smaller spoon and finally the cheesecake with a thin layer of biscuit and strawberry sauce was beautiful.

To conclude

Overall we really enjoyed our food & drinks at Cafe Rouge, from the delicious courses, fruity and refreshing summer-inspired mocktail's, the lovely setting overlooking the canal at the Mailbox and of course the incredible selection of desserts.

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