Original Patty Men

I love Original Patty Men!

One of the best things about (finally) starting a food blog is meeting members of the existing foodie community. At the start of this week I was invited to review a Colmore Row restaurant and was joined by five absolutely lovely ladies, but much to my delight on Friday I got to meet another blogger – and we had burgers. Not just any burgers.. Original Patty Men burgers.

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Not only was my burger buddy the genius behind Full To The Brum (check her blog out, it’s mega) Laura is someone I’ve followed for a long time on Twitter. The story goes we struck up a friendship in a packed out BrewDog way back when and swapped info. I’m sure this is probably correct (I have a well documented habit of befriending women in toilets when I’m worse for wear) although I actually have a very hazy memory of the encounter – sorry LC, I blame the Kingpin lager.

Anyway, they say you shouldn’t meet your heros, but thankfully mine was an absolute treat IRL. And not only did I get to chat her ear off we also visited the stuff of Brum legend: OPM.

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I really, really love OPM. The Digbeth Dining Club veterans opened up their flagship restaurant in 2015 and OPM has become quite a draw for both locals and those visiting Brum that have heard whispers of its brilliance. With a side street entrance that was once so well hidden you used to frequently find confused groups looking hopelessly at Google Maps, or trying to follow the smell to their destination, it seems they’ve now pimped the front of the restaurant with lights and the white logo proudly beams for all to see.

The menu is small but perfectly formed and the lads running the show realise sticking to what you know clearly works; the queue is normally overflowing into the street on a Friday night or Saturday lunchtime. I’ve personally waited 45 minutes to be seated before and never begrudged it once I’ve got that food in my gob.

As well as the fixed menu burgers, there’s the occasional special treat that pops up, not to mention a host of sides. Craft ales are the preferred drink by most and OPM has a nice selection, although there are some nifty soft soft drinks which are worth a go if you’re not a beer fan.

Let’s talk meat. Every time I visit OPM I tell myself I’ll try another burger; I then ignore that the minute I sit down and order the Bacon Cheese (£7.50). Consisting of a juicy longhorn beef patty, maple bacon, American cheese, and all the fixings including red onion, lettuce, pickles, mustard and ketchup, it’s the sort of burger that makes you make sexy noises. Really. Today however I branched out and tried the Salt Beef Bae special (£8.50) that replaced bacon for salted pulled beef – I could’ve eaten two of them and one more for luck.

I also tell myself I’ll be ‘healthy’ and pass on the sides, but then I see someone else eating the ODB Fries (£3.50) – which come covered in a secret spice mix, coriander slaw, sriracha mayo, crispy fried onions and spring onion – and at this point I usually just shout, “oh just take my money!” and eat until I waddle rather than walk. As you can imagine today was absolutely no exception.

Being that I’m both a burger lover and a bride-to-be hoping to look semi-decent in a frock soon – and aware it’s my birthday soon which is basically an annual weekly eating event for me – I’m trying to be ‘good’ at the moment where possible. However, if anything was ever going to not only make me fall off the wagon but also be totally worth it, it was always going to be a filthy OPM.

Alongside the Flying Cow burgers (another Digbeth Dining Club hero) these are some of the best in Brum; the meat and the added extras are all delicious, and the burgers are super juicy. OPM also has some of the nicest waiting staff I’ve come across, always smiling and up for a chin wag.

All in all, great company and great food – literally don’t know how you could ask for more.

It’s quite hidden away under a railway tunnel, so newbies should keep their eyes peeled for the OPM sign outside. Happy weekend, everyone. Enjoy the bank holiday!

Original Patty Men, 9 Shaw’s Passage, Digbeth, B5 5JG. 

Disclosure: I paid for my meal in full. This post is not affiliated with any brand/company mentioned within. Allopinions and photos are my own