I first visited Boston Tea Party in Edgbaston back in July, on a not-very-warm-at-all summer’s day. I was impressed by the high ceilings and changing aesthetics as you moved from room to room; the food wasn’t bad either.
Fast forward 7 months and I found myself back at Boston Tea Party in Edgbaston (on the whispers of some new dishes) for a fizzy brunch with friends.
The venue is still an attractive setting for a lazy lunch, with a host of rooms varying in size available to dine in; this visit we settled in the green room. Whilst the cafe looks much the same as it did last year, the menu has had a bit of a reshuffle, with a handful of new dishes replacing old ones.
The food
The brunch theme remains strong – this place bloody loves an avocado that’s done a few rounds with Mike Tyson – and there’s some new fangled porridge, as well as an updated coffee list. And mountains of cake, don’t forget the cake.
After a glass of fizz (it’s always 12 o’clock somewhere..) we mooched through the menu and gossiped like old biddies at bingo. The usual BTP favourites are all still there, but having had a less-than-average smoked salmon-based dish on my last visit to the city centre venue, I opted for something new.
The Cheddar & Jalapeño Cornbread (£8.75) sounded like a spicy delight, albeit vegetarian; I resolved this by adding chorizo for two quid. Not all heroes wear capes. Topped with a runny fried egg and a tangy salsa, the sunshine yellow bread had a subtle hum of heat, boosted by dribbles of a Tabasco maple syrup I would’ve liked more of.
Smashed avocado brought further colour and richness to the plate, and a dollop of cooling plain yoghurt completed the Mexican-inspired brunch. A bright and attractive plate of food, no doubt, although boasting a slightly flush price tag at just under £11 with the additional spicy sausage.
I also tried the Brown Rice Porridge (£4.75) with blueberries, mango and maple syrup (pleasant but not something I’d order again), and Emma enjoyed the Sweetcorn Hash (£8.15) served with halloumi and avocado, plus some added bacon.
Before leaving we were persuaded (it really didn’t take much) to try ‘a little’ cake with a brew; the platter of sweet treats that arrived ensured that if we weren’t full before we would be now. Standouts for me included an incredibly moist Lemon Drizzle, and a sticky Walnut and Date Flapjack slice.
The Chocolate Brownies were also excellent; soft but chewy, with a nice crust. Most importantly, every single cake, in fact all the food here, is made from scratch by hand every single day. You’d think that would be a given but let’s be honest, we all know a few places that can’t seem to be bothered to make their own soups let alone brownies..
The drinks
An Almond Milk Latte that was both a creamy dream and easy to drown in; good size cups make me happy. The coffee generally has improved greatly, with both a bespoke house blend Extract (a blend of beans from Columbia and Peru) and changeable guest coffees available now.
The Single Estate guest coffee on this visit was Terruno, which I tried as both an Espresso and a Flat White, was full bodied and rich like chocolate. Additionally, to wash down the cake mountain, I enjoyed a loose leaf Rose and Cardamon Tea (£3.25) which is a spicy floral delight.
The new menu items are available in all of these cafes across Birmingham, but this Boston Tea Party is just much nicer and the standard of food is higher, in my experience.
Have you visited Boston Tea Party in Edgbaston yet? Let me know in the comments.
Boston Tea Party, 30 Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3AA
Disclosure: I was invited to try the new menu in return for honest feedback. All opinions, words and photos are mine