Tai Pan

Adam Hicks

Oh my what the hell happened to this place. Last time I went it served sushi and even though some of the management friendliness was much to be desired at least the food was good. I was looking forward to a nice meal on Saturday night (19-Apr-2008). Not clocking that the sushi conveyor had gone when I walked through the door. I did noticed that the sign now said chinese food instead of japanese - oh dear this is not a good start. Anyway looking at the menu, we decided we wanted some sushi? We were responded with we don't serve sushi. Why the hell have it on the menu? How poor is that? So we decided to go for something else instead. First of all the serving cooker didn't work kept going off. The fresh food was erm, frozen. The staff seemed to be indifferent to this? Surely thats night right? Ok maybe you can get away with that in a kitchen but not out on the tables thats ridicolous. The vegatables especially the sweetcorn was moldy. My companions choices were equally inadequate. Items which should have been cooked was still frozen. What were they trying to do poison us? I was so gutted, because I had been to this place several times before and always enjoyed the food. Please if you are thinking of going to this place do not bother - you will only be disappointed.

Matt

I visited in early December 2007 on a Saturday afternoon. I'm afraid this is most definitely not a Japanese restaurant and I'm dismayed that reviewers elsewhere have suggested it is. In fact, it is the far more common Chinese-pretending-to-be-Japanese variety. As a consequence the fish is not the best and the sushi rice was what you might get in Marks & Spencer - not disastrous, but why bother? However, the game is up even before you see a plate of food. One of the pleasures of going to a Japanese restaurant is the friendly service. That certainly wasn't the case here. Not exactly rude, but at best off-hand. Is this really the best Japanese restaurant in Birmingham? If so, it's a great shame as the authentic Japanese dining experience (whether grilled chicken, noodles, steak, raw fish, or whatever) is unforgettable. If you do get the chance to experience the real thing, you'll never look at food the same way again. Unfortunately, anyone who goes to 'Tai Pan' in the belief it is authentic Japanese will just think 'so what?'.

Hels

This is one of my favourite restaurants in Birmingam. I love sushi and I think this is the best place to get sushi in Birmingham. The menu is varied: sushi, sashimi, noodles, tempura, soup, terriyaki, hot pot and bento. Some of my less adventurous friends like the bento box which is a box divided into five sections. One section has rice, another has vegetables, the third has chicken/beef/pork/fish, the fourth has some sashimi and in the middle are some Japanese pickles. It comes with miso soup and costs about £8 in total - bargain! At various times there is an "all you can eat" sushi buffet which currently costs £6. Although there isn't that much variety, I find the sushi to be of better quality than other places in Birmingham. Another very popular dish, particularly amony the mainly Japanese clientele, is the hot pot. A large bowl divided into two sections is kept warm on a portable gas stove. Each section has a different flavour soup and you get a plate of raw beef, raw seafood and a bowl of raw vegetables to cook yourself. Again, this is very reasonable, costing about £12.50 per person.

ParlourMaid

Authentic & varied choice of delicious Japanese cuisine. Really excellent food. Friendly & cheerful staff.

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