I wasn’t expecting to head to a retirement village for my latest restaurant review. But oh, what a surprise it was when we walked in through the front door. Three Church Road opened last year in the beautiful Georgian building of Audley St George’s Place in Edgbaston and prides itself on beautifully presented menus and high quality service. Although the restaurant sits within the retirement village, non-residents are more than welcome to visit for dinner, afternoon tea or special events. Straight away I’d say this is somewhere I’d love to visit again in future. I was gutted that I couldn’t make the first launch last year, but thankfully their wonderful team got in touch again and Josh and I had the opportunity to sample their new menu for feedback.
It was a Thursday night and we arrived at the restaurant at around 7PM. We were the only diners in the main restaurant area at the time, but we spotted a few people eating in the bar area in the other room. Delicate jazz music was playing and both the aesthetic and atmosphere was relaxed, it was as though we had walked into someone’s stately home. The small, modern restaurant smells of ‘new’ and the fresh carpets are bouncy with tables beautifully laid. The decor is simplistic and we couldn’t stop staring around at how gorgeous the radiators are as we want the same ones in our house… that makes me feel really really old!
Three Church Road Starters
Before the meal, I had a quick look online at the food options. The Three Church Road dinner menu has a select few dishes, with gluten free and veggie options too. Although simplistic, it made choosing rather easy. As we don’t suffer from any food allergies or intolerances, it only took us a few short minutes to decide on what we wanted to eat. I opted for the gluten free Smoked salmon terrine, pickled fennel, lemon mayonnaise, charred blood orange (£9.00) and Josh went for the Pan fried scallop, smoked haddock beignet, peas and pancetta (£11.00). Once ordered, another couple came into the restaurant which was lovely. Our waiter Timothy was really attentive throughout the night and answered any questions we had about the food. I thoroughly enjoyed my starter which had stunning presentation as you can see.
Three Church Road Mains
For the mains, there were four options, ranging from Cod to Goat’s Cheese, Duck to Venison. I’m a huge lover of duck dishes and it paired well with my beloved glass of Malbec. I wanted to try the Confit duck leg, butternut puree, chicory, curd duck breast, red wine jus (£16.00). Josh opted for Hay roasted venison loin, white onion puree, confit artichokes, garlic snails (£20.00). I was pleased to see that all of the mains were gluten free options. My duck was spot on, the skin was crispy, the meat was tender and the whole meal was delightful. I feel mine could have done with a tad more red wine jus, but aside from that I had no complaints.
I’m not a squeamish eater. I mean, I’ve eaten fermented shark and all sorts before, so seeing snails on a plate doesn’t bother me at all. My mom on the other hand won’t even eat fish with a head on, weird that! Josh’s portion looked considerably smaller than mine, but his meat looked just as delicious and tender. I’m not sure if I’d pay £20 for this dish considering portion sizes, but Josh said it was great and he practically inhaled his food.
Three Church Road Desserts
After a short 15 minute break, we let our mains slide down and had a bit of a hard time selecting from the dessert options. There was a restaurant menu to choose from, but also a bar selection too which consisted of sticky toffee pudding, ice cream, cheeses etc. The restaurant menu had more a luxury feel, with options such as Pear & Fig Tatin or Dark Chocolate Marquise. Naturally, as I was drinking wine and had an indulgent night, I chose the chocolate dish, with Kumquat Marmalade, Whiskey and Orange Jelly (£6). I’m not a huge fan of whiskey so I was little hesitant, but when it arrived, it was the richest, slice of heaven I’d had all week. Josh chose the Creme Caramel, Brandy Prunes & Toasted Pistachios (£5). I don’t think he enjoyed it as much as I liked mine, but you can’t win them all…
Shortly after our desserts, my food baby began to grow quite rapidly. Thankfully there was just enough time left of the night to order a coffee to wash the whole meal down. Overall I think the food is great, the service is timely and the food is luxurious. I’d love to see more pasta related dishes on the menu to accompany any wine lovers tastebuds, but as the menu changes constantly, this may have already been done. After our meal, we had a quick mooch around the area and took a quick peek into the library, bar and pink room. Words cannot describe how luxurious the place feels, any resident living here is certainly living the dream!
Please note: I was invited to Three Church Road for a complimentary meal with a +1. For all of my other restaurant reviews, please visit my Emma Victoria Stokes restaurant review category.
Address: 3 Church Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3SH