Banking on lunch… a recent Meet and Mix review…

What do the restaurants Bank and Piccolino have in common?

Yes, they are both situated in within the cosmopolitan surroundings of Brindleyplace and for those of you with your business hat on, Piccolino is Bank’s sister restaurant. However, the answer I am looking for is that both restaurants have been venues for Meet & Mix lunches. The most recent Meet & Mix was at Bank with guest speaker, Kurt Jacobs.

For those of you who have not dined at Bank, let me give you a brief overview. Bank is chic and sophisticated, with the character of a lively continental brasserie. Upon arrival, I was impressed by the spacious dining area and the way diners are able to view chefs in action through the clear glass panes in the open kitchen. Although, lunch was held inside, Bank does come with its very own alfresco terrace area, which is perfect for those hazy summer evenings, eating a delicious meal and sipping a cool drink………

But back to reality.

Drinks and the chance to network were followed by Kurt Jacob’s speech. Kurt joined Marketing Birmingham in April 2009 as Head of PR, leaving his role as editor of Insider Magazine behind. He has been working in Birmingham for the past 15 years. Kurt’s speech covered current and forthcoming projects that Marketing Birmingham is involved in, and an insight into how members can support their campaigns.

So what about the really important stuff, the food….

As always, Meet & Mix lunches are two course meals. For starters, roast vine tomato soup with fresh basil pesto. Truly delicious soup, ideal for dunking my crusty bread in! Next up on the menu was the main course. This was wild mushroom risotto with parmesan wafer. An ample and filling portion to satisfy my hunger!

To conclude, Meet & Mix are a fantastic way of networking over lunch and trying out new restaurants. Bank along with Piccolino is certainly worth checking out. Dining here will not leave you short of cash and the service is of a high quality standard. Being situated in Brindleyplace, it is not convenient for those who are situated in the Colmore district. Nevertheless, if you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of central Birmingham, and prefer a relaxing and informal atmosphere, let me assure you will not be disappointed!

All that remains for me to say, is happy lunching……

Nadia Yaqub

Getting to know – Suzie Branch – BYPY Winner 2009

Getting to know – Suzie Branch – BYPY winner 2009 and Director of BHMG Marketing.

In June 2009 Suzie Branch was crowned Birmingham Future’s BYPY winner for 2009, beating off stiff competition from the other 17 finalists on the night. We caught up with Suzie and asked her some questions in the hope to get to know our BYPY a little better… below are her answers and we’ve also asked Suzie to give us a monthly blog update, so watch this space…

1. As the overall winner of BYPY 2009, what do you hope to achieve over the next twelve months. To continue to promote the numerous opportunities Birmingham offers to young people and hopefully to work with them to understand these opportunities and provide support and advice where I can.

2. Why is BYPY such an important thing for the city and as recognition for young professionals? I think it’s its originality of BYPY as a concept. In many other business capitals the achievements of young professionals across various industries are rarely, if ever, recognised and as the 18 finalists this year proved there are many talented young people within our professional community. But I have learnt in the past month that its more than that it’s also what it can offer to the next generations – I have always worked closely within education environments and urge pupils and young students to understand that there are no barriers to what they want to achieve – the concept of BYPY reinforces that.

3. For those who aspire to become the next BYPY winner, what words of wisdom / advice would you give. Go for it and be yourself! You never know you may just completely surprise / shock yourself – I know I did!

4. Birmingham is a city that has changed dramatically over the past decade, what type of city do you think Birmingham will be in 10 years time. I know it will still be an energetic, determined and fun environment to work within as that is what is at the core of the Birmingham professional community. I hope it will also have seen transformations in terms of public transport – I love the fact that we have vibrant and cosmopolitan city centre complimented by some more bohemian areas such as Moseley but in 10 years time it would be great to see a public transport system linking everything together more.

5. How important is Birmingham Future’s role in helping to lead and shape the future of the city. Incredibly important. The members of Future by its foundation are some of tomorrow’s business leaders and spokespeople. I very much enjoy networking and meeting members of Birmingham Future and sharing views of various topics. What’s even better though is when members of Birmingham Future start working together within their professional environments and doing business together – I believe this is critical to the future of the local business community for us all to continue to support each other as local businesses.

6. Given the current economic conditions, what impact has this had on marketing in Birmingham and further afield. There’s no doubt that these are tough and difficult times for all industries. Marketing budgets have been cut considerably and competition for limited budgets is tough but there are still many opportunities which encourage agencies to work closely with businesses and organisations to look at how they can deliver the best value added campaigns within tighter budgets.

7. Who is your role model or role models? All of the members of our armed forces. The unbelievable courage, dedication, and loyalty of the members of all our forces are something that will never stop to amaze and humble me beyond belief.

8. What’s been your greatest achievement to date? Being honoured with the title of BYPY 2009. And growing BHMG marketing with an unbelievably talented and committed team of staff. It never fails to amaze me how the team pull together to work as one on any project or task and how much fun they are to work with – every day no matter what the day may bring.

9. Why do you think young professionals / graduates should choose Birmingham as a working destination above other cities such as Manchester, London etc? Opportunity and lifestyle. I have always said that I love working within Birmingham as you can “put your arms” around it. The size and close networking of the city allows you as a young professional to open doors to all manners of opportunities.

Birmingham and the West Midlands region also offers such a diverse lifestyle. There is just so much to see and do all within a short travel distance – from dining in a Michelin star restaurants, to visiting areas of outstanding beauty such as the Malvern Hills or enjoying the adventure and excitement of the many attractions large and small. All this on our door step!

10. Villa/City You can’t beat a break away in a holiday villa overseas for some sun and relaxing time. Oh sorry you mean the football teams! I’m a bit lost when it comes to football but being a rugby fan I do enjoy watching the likes of Worcester Warriors or Pertemps Bees!

Out and About… With Lise-Ann at Thai Edge

Thai Edge, 7 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HL – www.thaiedge.co.uk

My sister was up from the city recently working at the REP so during her visit we popped over to Brindley Place for a spot of dinner.

Due to her show starting at 7 we had to dine pretty early so most places were predictably quiet.  We decided to go for Thai and made our way to the well established Birmingham home of Thai Edge in Oozells Square.

As I say it was fairly quiet when we arrived and we were genially welcomed by a very attentive and happy young waitress dressed in the restaurant’s recognisable purple uniform.  It’s been about five years since I had last eaten here but my memory of the extensive menu was not inaccurate!  Indeed if you are planning a visit leave plenty of time to peruse the menu, a luxury, by virtue of the early show, we did not have! 

With time not on our side, rumbling bellies and indecisive natures we were struggling to make a decision but eventually gave in and allowed the waitress, who had been hovering in a not offensive but rather more polite and helpful fashion to take our order.

We decided to share a vegetarian hot platter to start, mainly because Vicky was intrigued to discover what delights the ‘golden bags’ contained and with her being allergic to prawns (more prawn crackers for the rest of us!!) it was safer to opt for the vegetarian platter!  The bags were I believe little filo sacks encasing a mixture of vegetables which were delicately fried.  The platter also offered some tempura vegetables, sweetcorn cakes and mini spring rolls.  All of which came with two dips, a bright red sweet chilli, and an as yet undetermined yet perfectly delicious brown dip. The starter was an ideal size split between three of us and the individual components all tasted fresh.  My only complaint would be that the tempura was perhaps a touch greasier that I would have liked but by no means did it resemble a deep fried offering from Mr Egg!

For mains we opted for a traditional Thai Green Chicken Curry for Vicky with sticky rice, and two fairly similar dishes of wok fried chicken with garlic and chilli accompanied by a portion of steamed and egg fried rice.

The dishes arrived shortly after the table had been laid with the necessary hot plates to keep them warm.  The curry was reported to be smooth with a nice subtle heat and plenty of chicken and vegetables, whilst the sticky rice was exactly as it should be, sticky without being claggy.  The wok fried dishes were also well received, again providing generous portions of chicken which was moist and packed with fresh and mouth-watering flavour.  The garlic, an ingredient I can struggle with in large quantities, was in my dish, more of a background flavour, which in my opinion is as it should be.  The chilli heat was just the right intensity (the menu offers guidance on the heat of each dish with handy little images of chilli) and the sauce itself was not to heavy or glutinous!!

We were all beaten by our portions due to late lunches but had I been in the fullness of my appetite I would have gladly done the kitchen the favour of cleaning my own plates!!

Alas we didn’t manage to sample anything from the dessert menu due to time however there is a modest offering of ice cream based dishes and three traditional Thai puddings to select from if you have got the time and appetite, and with ice cream supplied by Joe Delucci’s I will be leaving plenty of room next time!!

Well priced and consistent, Thai Edge has all you need for an authentic taste of Asia.

Alternatives:

Barton Arms http://www.oakhamales.com/bartonabout.asp?m_pid=0 

Suko Thai, 334 Stratford Road, Shirley Solihull

Future Debate – How is Young Professional Confidence?

With all the furore and column inches devoted to MPs expenses, the rise of fringe parties and Susan Boyle, the financial crisis and its implications for British business have ostensibly taken a back seat. Birmingham Future and its newly reprised Debates committee hoped to bring the issue back into the spotlight with the first of several debates focusing on the issues affecting Birmingham’s young professional community. Taking place on a balmy summer’s evening at Bevan Brittan as an open forum session (rather like Question Time, though with an audience less likely to heckle), the motion hoped to address a topic close to every young professional in Birmingham: can we be confident about the city’s ability to weather the financial crisis?

Future’s Got Talent

Graduates into Employment Committee re-brands and goes on the Talent hunt… 

One of Birmingham Future’s standing committees, Graduates into Employment Committee, has changed its name, and with it, its remit.  The newly formed Talent Retention & Development Committee will focus on graduates getting into work in Birmingham but also look at how, as a city, we can embed those graduates and young professionals into the Birmingham fabric. 

Talent doesn’t stop when a graduate gets the job they want, it’s about career and personal development.  As a city, we can sometimes be accused of not shouting loud and proud about what Birmingham has to offer every graduate, not just in the first few years of their chosen career, but right through to becoming business leaders.  This is what the Talent Retention & Development Committee is all about.  Anthony McCourt, current chair of the committee said ‘It’s testament to the members of the committee that they are up for expanding their remit and with it, providing a greater offering to the Future membership.  Make no mistake about it, our bread and butter starts with graduates in this city but from today onwards, it doesn’t end there either”.

Look out for upcoming events led by this committee.