Last year, we tried out the menu at Raja Monkey. We absolutely loved it, so were excited when we were given the opportunity to visit Fiesta Del Asado, which is also owned by the Lasan group.

Billed as the first Argentian restaurant in Birmingham, Fiesta Del Asado is situated on the Hagley Road, just a short walk out of the city centre. It describes itself as fun, colourful and fiery, which certainly summed up our experience!

Our first impression of the interior was how lovely and rustic it was. We went early on a Wednesday evening, so it was nice and quiet at first, but soon began to fill up. Always a good sign!

We were given a window seat, which looked out onto the busy Hagley road. It was really nice chatting over the food and wine and watching rush hour happening outside. Just behind Graham was a beautiful big dresser, filled with all sorts of interesting pottery.

For starters we shared the Embutidos y  quesos – pretty much a plate full of all my favourite foods: cured meats, olives, cheese, pickles, chorizo, bread, sun blushed tomatoes and artichokes.We were also given another plate with warm, homemade bread and oils. Neither of us had a bad thing to say about any of it, and we soon polished it off!

The main courses, as you would expect from an Argentinian restaurant are mainly beef. However, I’m not a huge fan of steak, and there were plenty of other options. I did see another couple order steaks though, and they did look pretty damn amazing – I may  even try one next time we visit!

Graham settled on the Cerdo asado lentamente y batatas – slow roasted pork belly, which came with sweet potato garlic mash and wilted greens. The pork was melt in the mouth soft, with a perfectly crispy top.

I opted for Bacalao a la plancha – grilled cod loin wrapped in serrano ham, marinated in lemon and thyme and served with roasted vegetables. I can hand on my heart say it was probably the nicest meal I have ever eaten. The fish just fell apart, the ham was perfectly crisped and the vegetables were delicious! We also had a side of garlic fries, wich were lovely.

Graham didn’t have a dessert, but I couldn’t resist when I saw chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream and walnut brittle on the menu. The chocolate fondant was exactly how it should be  – light chocolate sponge which oozed out thick rich chocolate sauce when I cut into it. Te ice cream was perfect and the brittle was crunchy, adding a lovely texture to the plate.

Would we recommend Fiesta Del Asado? Absolutely. The restaurant was lovely, the food was delicious and the staff were attentive and friendly. We overheard them giving advice and tips to other diners, and no request was too much trouble for them.

*Our bill was kindly covered by Fiesta Del Asado for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.