'Wallet friendly' tiny Birmingham restaurant open for four months named in Michelin guide

A tiny Stirchley restaurant that opened less than four months ago has made the prestigious Michelin Guide. Riverine Rabbit on Pershore Road only has space for a dozen diners but it has been impressing with its 'flavour-packed cooking' ever since.

The restaurant serves dishes that are influenced by chef Ash Valenzuela-Heeger's history living and cooking in South Africa. Riverine Rabbit served diners in Cape Town before Ash moved to Birmingham with her wife, Dr Erin Valenzuela-Heeger, and the pair set up shop in the neighbourhood frequently named Birmingham's 'best' place to live.

There are currently 15 Birmingham restaurants featured on the Michelin Guide, with three of those holding one Michelin star (Adams and Purnell's in the city centre and Simpsons in Edgbaston ) and a fourth, Opheem in the city centre, being among the elite restaurants in Britain to hold two stars.

Read more: 'Intimate' Birmingham spot named among the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Britain

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The Guide states: "After generating a fair amount of buzz with their pop-ups, warm and welcoming couple Ash and Erin have found a permanent home in this Birmingham suburb. Erin leads the friendly service, while Ash proudly delivers her dishes from behind a kitchen counter; if you get the chance, order the honey-cured beef, which epitomises the flavour-packed cooking.

"Influences from Ash’s native South Africa occasionally make an appearance, as do those from Asia, ranging from penang curry to furikake. That this all comes at wallet-friendly prices is a welcome bonus."

On Monday evenings, Riverine Rabbit offers a four-course 'prix fixe' set menu for £30 which currently features dishes such as honey cured beef, crayfish cocktail and slow-cooked egg. The main menu features small plates priced from £4 to £16 with most dishes hovering around the £9 mark. The restaurant recommends three or four plates per person.

Earlier this month, top Birmingham chef Kasia Piątkowska of Tropea in Harborne, mentioned Riverine Rabbit in the Good Food Guide, saying the 'exciting and above all, delicious' food was her favourite in the city.

You can find the restaurant at 1464 Pershore Road, B30 2NT. There's limited parking on the road but the restaurant is a short walk from Bournville train station and on the 45 and 47 bus routes.