Warwickshire &amp; West Midlands


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1831.jpg" alt="Orelle exterior view Birmingham night dark" class="wp-image-53898" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1831.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1831-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1831-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1831-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Head to Birmingham&#8217;s buzzy business district and you&#8217;ll find a heap of top notch bars and restaurants, headed up &#8211; quite literally &#8211; by <a href="https://orelle.co.uk">Orelle</a>, which sits on the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row. It&#8217;s a modern, French restaurant with some of the best 360-degree, panoramic views across the city. It&#8217;s nestled within equal throwing distance of Birmingham Art Gallery &amp; Museum and the beautiful St Philip&#8217;s Cathedral. Talk about location.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1832.jpg" alt="Orelle cafe blue, crushed velvet, Birmigham, luxury, hanging plants, Colmore Row" class="wp-image-53899" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1832.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1832-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1832-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1832-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Enter through the Tanqueray Terrace outside (new for summer and perfect for hot days) and head through the first floor through the café, with its gold bar, hanging green plants and velvet seating. You can stop here for breakfast, lunch or an expertly made cocktail, but the real experience is found when you jump in the lift straight up to the 24th floor. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1834.jpg" alt="Orelle restaurant 24th floor Colmore Row Birmingham" class="wp-image-53901" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1834.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1834-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1834-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1834-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Step out and the first thing that hits you are the magnificent, breathtaking views across Birmingham. Windows are floor to ceiling so you can see from Edgbaston to Perry Barr and everywhere in between. Arguably you might say is Brum the prettiest place to look over? But with these top of the world views, with little toy cars pootling around and twinkling lights brightening up the skyline as the night draws in, it&#8217;s truly magical. Especially as you spot some of the places you know &#8211; the Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston Reservoir, and as an Aston Villa fan Mr Muddy had a great time trying to spot his favourite footie ground. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1844.jpg" alt="Pink cocktail with foam being made by mixologist at Orelle in Birmingham" class="wp-image-53912" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1844.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1844-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1844-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1844-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>If you&#8217;re a bit of a drinks snob then you&#8217;ll be spoilt for choice here. Cocktails are made by pro mixologists with martini, signature and dessert options. If it&#8217;s just drinks you&#8217;re after then there&#8217;s live music in the bar every weekend and it would be a great place to meet friends or for a date. If you&#8217;re more about the vino (guilty!) then there&#8217;s a sommelier to guide you through the labyrinth that is the wine list, and he helped us land on a delicious, dry Calafuria, Salento from Lecce in Italy. Thank you sir, it was an absolute treat. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1836.jpg" alt="Crab Orelle Birmingham white plate white tablecloth" class="wp-image-53903" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1836.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1836-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1836-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1836-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The menu is small and perfectly formed, with dishes named after the stand-out ingredient. We had warm sourdough with salted butter as we chose our starters &#8211; Crabe<strong>&nbsp;</strong>for Mr Muddy and Paté en Croûte for myself. His was a deliciously light plate of dressed Brixham crab mixed with avocado and pink lady apple topped with thinly sliced sourdough and sunflower seeds. Mine was a slightly heartier affair but no less tasty. A chunky pork terrine in an airy pastry, kind of like a super fancy pork pie, mixed with black pudding, rhubarb and pickled veg that really lifted the whole dish. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1837.jpg" alt="Riz, risotto, mushroom, orelle Birmingham " class="wp-image-53904" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1837.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1837-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1837-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1837-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>For mains I went with the Riz &#8211; which I can only explain as the fanciest, most decadent risotto I have ever had the joy of eating. Aged arborio rice with roasted Cep and Maitake and topped with shaved mushroom. I was so full but I didn&#8217;t want it to end. I&#8217;ll be back just for this dish. My other half went for the Filet, dry aged for 36 days and served with miso glazed carrots, shallots and peppercorn sauce with a potato purée. The steak literally melted in your mouth and was cooked to perfection. The peppercorn sauce was milder than some I&#8217;ve tried, but really let the main event do the talking, as it should.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1838.jpg" alt="Cheeseboard with wine at Orelle in Birmingham" class="wp-image-53905" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1838.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1838-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1838-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1838-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>I&#8217;m not really a &#8216;pudding&#8217; person but I can&#8217;t turn down a cheeseboard, and this one was a good&#8217;un with big chunks of cheddar, brie and stilton served with oat crackers and two preserves. Obviously I couldn&#8217;t say no to the smoothest 10 Year Graham&#8217;s Tawny Port, which was served from the biggest bottle I&#8217;ve ever seen. If you go for the cheese too, you need the port to go with it &#8211; trust me. Mr Muddy chose the Tiramisu, and I&#8217;d love to tell you how delicious it was but he&#8217;d scoffed the lot before I got round to trying a bit. So I&#8217;m guessing it was pretty good because he usually lets me have a bite first, good egg that he is. His accompanying dessert wine of Recioto della Valpolicella I can tell you was an absolute dream though. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DOG FRIENDLY</h2>



<p>Sorry, it&#8217;s a no to Fido in here unless she&#8217;s a service dog.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ACCESSIBLE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1842.jpg" alt="Orelle bar Birmingham" class="wp-image-53909" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1842.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1842-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1842-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1842-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Fully accessible with lifts up to the restaurant on the 24th floor and the toilets which are on the 23rd floor. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OUT &amp; ABOUT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840.jpg" alt="Symphony Hall Birmingham" class="wp-image-53907" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>You&#8217;re in the centre of Brum and spoilt for choice. If you fancy more drinks then there&#8217;s <a href="https://thealchemist.uk.com/venues/birmingham-colmore-row/">The Alchemist</a>, <a href="https://the-lostandfound.co.uk/restaurant/birmingham">The Lost &amp; Found</a>&nbsp;or head to Digbeth for award-winning cocktails at <a href="https://www.passingfanciesbar.co.uk">Passing Fancies</a>, where the menu changes weekly with what fruits are on offer at Brum market.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/">The Hippodrome</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/">Alexandra</a>&nbsp;theatres are within walking distance too if you’re heading to see a show or there&#8217;s plenty of classical performances on at <a href="https://bmusic.co.uk/whats-on">The Symphony Hall</a>. For indie cinema check out <a href="https://www.electricbirmingham.com">The Electric</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841.jpg" alt="Ikon gallery Birmingham" class="wp-image-53908" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>For arty types visit <a href="https://www.ikon-gallery.org/">Ikon</a>, a contemporary gallery inside a former Victorian school. Or for shopping stroll up Gas Street along the towpath to the&nbsp;<a href="https://mailboxlife.com/">Mailbox</a> which has a bit more of an air of Peaky Blinders about it. For all the high street you need check out <a href="https://www.bullring.co.uk">The Bullring and Grand Central</a>, including a huge Selfridges.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1839.jpg" alt="Tanquery terrace Orelle Birmingham" class="wp-image-53906" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1839.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1839-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1839-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1839-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Orelle is a place to impress &#8211; birthdays, anniversaries or just for that extra special meal when you deserve a treat (always then IMO).</p>



<p><strong>Not for:  </strong>It&#8217;s definitely somewhere you want to leave the kids with granny and grandad. Kids are allowed in the cafe downstairs til 10pm, but hey, you deserve a night off so book a babysitter. </p>



<p><strong>The damage: </strong>Steep, but oh so worth it. You&#8217;re paying for top quality and it shows. Starters are around £18 and mains come in at between £22 going up to £48 for a steak. Desserts are around the £12 mark. </p>



<p><strong><a href="https://orelle.co.uk">Orelle</a>, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 3AG. Tel: 0121 716 8186</strong></p>


Review: Orelle, Birmingham

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