This isn’t a sponsored post. We paid for our food and drink in full and didn’t pre-book.
By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour
Lunch at Aluna, Birmingham
Walking through Mailbox, my BrumHour on Brum Radio show producer Reene and I were looking for somewhere for lunch. I’ve been to Aluna for a blogger dinner before and it’s sister venue Siamais in Brindleyplace but haven’t been back here in over a year. Aluna creates quirky cocktails and serves Thai Food.
Thursday 12.15pm
Whilst set up for the day Aluna is totally empty and it is several minutes before a member of staff appears. There’s a full food menu on a stand on the canalside, but I’m sure, like most venues here, they do a lunch menu.
We want to sit outside, after all the view up the canal towards Broad Street is lovely on a summer’s day, and just check this is okay with the man running the bar. He brings the lunch menu out to us.
On deciding to share our two starters and having a main each. I realise I need to return to the bar to order and I’m asked if either of us have any allergies. (We don’t). It’s at this point I’m invited to pay at the bar and do so by card.
The current lunch menu is two courses for £9.95 Monday to Friday 12pm-4pm and features a choice of four starters (two vegan) and four mains (one veggie).
The man at the bar brings out our drinks, Reene is having tap water and I’m having lemonade! (Exciting lives huh?), then he brings out our Edamame and Tofu Croquette and Peanut and Coconut Chicken Skewers. The two Croquettes tasted lovely but if I was just having that I’d be fairly sad as it was two smallish balls, where as the chicken skewers were pretty sizable. Flavour wise both were great, especially the peanut and chicken.
The man from the bar cleared out plates and it was another good few minutes before our mains appeared, luckily we weren’t in a rush and hadn’t said so. Always be sure to tell restaurant staff that you only have an hour for lunch if that’s all you have. No point wondering if you’ve got time.
A waiter bought over our mains, Thai Green Curry for Reene and “Red Green Curry” for me. I presume this meant Thai Red Curry but it says Red Green on the Menu? Both with Chicken. Getting the balance right between spice and flavour is tricky. I like spicy food and Reene likes food less spicy so her Green Curry was a little too spicy for her. My Red Curry was great especially following the peanut/coconut skewers.
Having already paid for food and drink at the point of ordering, we finished and left. This felt a little strange to me as a restaurant experience but this is also a bar.
Experience wise I’d have liked a bit more direction from the staff, independent venues need to be clear with their walkthrough experiences and without a lunch menu obviously available customers walking around mailbox will just go elsewhere when the £9.95 for two courses is pretty reasonable.
Would I go back? Yes. The food is lovely. I might even treat you!
I couldn’t see the lunch menu on the website but find out more about Aluna here: aluna.uk.com
