Fiesta del Asado,
229 Hagley Road,
Edgbaston,
Birmingham,
B16 9RP.
Tel: 0121 455 9331
Again, I had the amazing opportunity to go to a restaurant - all thanks to the Ed James Group and Esh Capelo. This was a cold wintery night, therefore what could've been better than venturing inside this Argentinian restaurant?! It already has a brilliant backing by the owner of the Lasan Indian restaurant. Fiesta is primarily a steakhouse and offers delicious BBQ food cooked over a fire in an open plan kitchen.
First, the restaurant is very easy to find - situated right on the Hagley Road opposite the Green House. They have ample parking at the front and the back. On entering, the restaurant is dimly lit with many candles. As you walk in you are greeted in a very friendly manner and shown to your table. The place was already very busy and therefore had a good atmosphere. But, the tables are situated far enough away from each other so that you can still enjoy private conversation. I really liked the decoration - exposed brick work and an open plan kitchen where you can see the chefs cooking on a large 'Asado' (BBQ).
Our waitress and waiter: Eve & Jav were brilliant from start to finish - so friendly and helpful. They took our drinks order quickly and left us to browse the menu - which had many choices, all of which sounded as delicious as each other.
I hadn't had Argentinian food before and didn't quite know what to expect but I was certainly excited to find out.
Starters-
We knew we had to have starters as they all looked so good, it was actually very difficult to decide what to have!
I went for Chistorra Artysa £5.99 - a Spiral sausage made from lean pork flavoured with smoked paprika and garlic. This was served on a bed of dressed salad. Lovely presentation, I loved the big bowl it was served on and it was a good size for a starter as it wasn't too big but you certainly got enough, especially for a very reasonable price of £5.99. The taste, WOW. The sausage was cooked so well and had the perfect blend of succulence and a spicy kick from the paprika. It wasn't overly garlicky too, all the flavours complimented each other well without being too overpowering. Perfect starter and after this I couldn't wait for the main course!
Mains -
As we were both unsure about what steak to choose, we asked Eve what she recommend - she was so, so helpful. Asking us what type of meat we prefer and then giving her opinion on each steak and explaining why we would like it. I like quite fatty meat and therefore she said I should opt for the Chuck Eye steak... which is exactly what I did!
Aguja Sin Hueso £18.79 14oz chuck eye steak. Cut from the forequater, with great texture and great flavour. This certainly wasn't cheap for a main course, especially as you only get the steak - all sides are charged as extra. But the taste of the incredibly succulent and juicy steak quickly made you forget about the price! I had never tried a 'Chuck Eye' steak before but thanks to Eve I would 100% have it time and time again. It is very thick and this one was huge at 14 oz! It was served with a side salad and an Argentinian sauce called 'Chimichurri' which is a brightly colored sauce with herbs, garlic, and tangy vinegar.
It was cooked to perfection too - medium rare. Pink in the middle and so tender, the meat felt like it was melting in my mouth - this is unusual when eating steak at most restaurants too, but Fiesta Del Asado seem to have got it SO right.
We ordered three different sides all priced between £1.99-2.99, I felt these were fairly reasonable prices to accompany such a beautiful piece of meat.
Papas fritas con perejil y ajo - Fries with garlic and parsley
£1.99
Espinacas ala crema - Spinach cooked with garlic and cream
£2.49
Pure de batatas- Mashed sweet potato
£1.99
The sides were a very good size too and as the steaks are so big, you probably don't need as many sides as this to be honest but we wanted to try it all!
The fries were cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside but fluffy in the middle and the parsley and garlic added a very tasty touch to what would usually be normal fries.The spinach was delicious, not over-cooked at all and the creamy sauce went so well with it. The sweet potato mash was creamy, tasty and I have nothing but praise to say about each component of this meal so far. Fantastic, succulent, juicy and tender steak. Worth every penny.
You wouldn't think we would have room for dessert - but we managed to somehow squeeze them in!
Chocolate and Orange Pancakes £5.99 - fluffy pancakes filled with chocolate, orange and dulce de leche, served with orange slices and vanilla ice cream. I didn't think it was possible to be this giddy over a dessert, but this one managed it! This was probably one of the best desserts I have ever tasted - the pancakes were fluffy and thin. Filled with melted chocolate that had been flavoured with orange. Inside had a new flavour I had never tried before, dulce de leche - a South American confection prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a caramel-like substance. It was very sweet but my sweet tooth could handle it! The vanilla ice cream and orange slices helped to calm down the sweetness too. This dessert was delicious from start to finish, I cleared my plate - which is always a good sign!
Drinks -
The drinks were not particularly cheap but we only had a soft drink each and they provided us with a jug of tap water.
Pricing -
Starters £5-£8
Mains - £12-£25
Steaks - £15-£30
Desserts - £4-£7
Overall -
This is an amazing restaurant, service was attentive and efficient. Eve and Jav - thank you again for your brilliant service throughout the meal. Food was delicious, steak cooked to perfection - definitely the best steak I have ever had in Birmingham! The restaurant isn't cheap, but when you realise the quality and effort that has gone into each dish, the money becomes irrelevant.
I would go back tomorrow.
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