The Sunflower Lounge: Big Papas Beautiful South

Soulfood vendors Big Papa’s have been on the street food scene in Birmingham for the best part of six months. They recently partnered up with the Sunflower Lounge and have taken over their kitchen to produce some of the freshest and tastiest food in Birmingham. I was kindly invited over with a group of other food bloggers by Chef Anthony Duffy and Craig last week to try their brand new menu. I have been a various number of times in the past to watch bands play, but was always reluctant to try the food with the fear of it being typical ‘bar’ food. After it reopened in January after a reported £100,000 revamp, I was really intrigued to go along and see what it had in store for us…

The first thing I noticed about the menu is that it is very simplistic. There is nothing worse than going out for a meal where you spend at least ten minutes flicking through a million different dishes, so I really did appreciate the minimalism that comes with Big Papas. The setting is also very laid back.

The price of a main and two sides comes to just £10 – which I believe is an excellent value for money for such high quality food. After seeing various pictures from others who had recently tried Big Papa’s food, I headed straight for the Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Mac & Cheese and Cajun Sweet Potato Fries. And believe me when I say, the overall night, the food (and glass of wine) did not disappoint.

A lot of people moan about food when it doesn’t come served on a bog standard plate. But personally, I like my food a bit quirky when it comes to presentation. Considering the two chefs had to cook for ten people, it came in reasonable time and served piping hot. My chicken was tantalisingly, sweet and crunchy where it had been cooked in Buttermilk and the Mac & Cheese was covered in gooey bubbling cheese. I asked Chef Anthony at the end what he does to make the Mac & Cheese stand out, and revealed they use a touch of paprika over the top to get that ‘zing’. The sweet potato fries were the best I have tasted in a restaurant – hard on the outside, but so sweet and soft on the inside. The meal came with two tubs of sauces – BBQ and home-made spicy Mango and Chilli – and considering I’m not a typical lover of spicy food, I thought the sauce was absolutely delicious and is definitely something I’ll get my boyfriend to try out in future since he absolutely loves spicy, hot food.

For obvious reasons during my meal, I kept eyeing up another blogger’s Pulled Cola Brisket Bun. I was kindly given a bit to try and the succulence of the meat was so overwhelming that I was almost tempted to grab the bun from her plate and throw it at my face. I’ll most definitely be picking one of those up next time I’m at the Sunflower Lounge! Unfortunately I didn’t get to try any of the starters, but they all sounded rather tempting and I will most definitely be picking up the Blackened Shrimp.

Every single item on the menu is sourced in Birmingham from the local market and all produce is not kept for more than 3 days. Big Papas are on the rise and have most definitely proved themselves worthy for another visit. I would recommended it as a perfect place to visit when you’re hungry for some delicious carby food without the huge price tag. Food is served between 12 noon and 9pm every day, 7 days a week. Do you think you’ll be going any time soon?

Please note: Big Papas invited a group of bloggers to try their food complimentary with hope of honest reviews in return. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Sunflower Lounge, 76 Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham, B5 4EG.