A review of Yikouchi in Birmingham - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Food Tom Parker Bowles & Olly Smith Yikouchi review and Sauvignon Blanc stars By You Magazine - May 1, 2022 Tom discovers a gem of a Chinese serving home-style Sichuan cooking… in Birmingham. Review Yikouchi I wish I could say this was all down to me. You know, the all-knowing, ever-questing critic, his nose twitching, ear held close to the ground, ready to unearth the most choice and juicy of restaurant finds. And that I could spin a picaresque tale of just stumbling across a rather magnificent regional Chinese restaurant, run by an English couple who, while in Beijing, were so inspired by their local Sichuan place that they decided to come home and set up shop in Birmingham’s Stirchley. And cook food that could hold its head up high in Chengdu. In a room barely large enough to swing a cleaver. But I can’t. Crispy fried chicken with chilli oil ‘tastes of love and experience’. Image: Hank & Margot Because I was told about Yikouchi at Chancer’s Cafe by that fine Brummie blogger Meat & One Veg (meatandoneveg.blog), better known as Simon Carlo. He’s my first call on all things Birmingham, yet today was the first time we’ve actually met. One slurp of a crisp, clean martini at the Grand Hotel Birmingham, which, in the words of Lawrence Durrell, flows through the system like ‘ice through the rigging’, and I know we’ll be good friends. One more, just for luck, and into an Uber to Stirchley. And into that tiny space with James Kirk-Gould in the open kitchen, and his wife Cassie, not just running front of house, but making some serious fudge. Don’t miss Sweetmeat Inc, which you can buy after lunch. Anyway, the menu is short and sweet. There’s a cold tiger cucumber salad, a symphony of clean crunch, cucumbers with lots of coriander and sesame oil that flits through the mouth like a cool northern breeze. Then chunks of fried chicken, crisp and hot, slathered in the sort of complex, lusciously scented chilli oil that tastes of love, experience and a whole load of Sichuan pepper. Enough to numb even the most lurid nuggets of our incessant industry gossip. Simon disappears off, only to return with a cocktail (in a pouch) from the nearby bar, Couch, which we swig, joyously, between mouthfuls of fish-fragrant aubergine that sings of smoke and spice, and rich but gentle allure. And pork with long Turkish peppers, and still more chilli and the breath of the wok. Kirk-Gould makes no claim to authenticity, yet this is seriously good cooking. Stuff to make the heart sing and belly roar. Oh, and one of the best, and best-value lunches I’ve had in months. About £15 a head. Yikouchi at Chancer’s Cafe, 1418 Pershore Road, Birmingham; @_yikouchi. DRINKS Olly s Sauvignon Blanc stars Sauvignon Blanc Day arrives on 6 May. While some groan that Sauvignon fatigue is swamping the wine world, I adore this jewel of classy French Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, whose tropical exuberance also entertains us with New Zealand’s Marlborough style. Bottles from Chile and South Africa deliver a balance between exotic zing and elegant refreshment ‒ and prices are friendlier than you might expect. WINE OF THE WEEK: VAVASOUR SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 (12.5%), £10, Co-Op. Bright as passionfruit lightning with downright delicious tropical notes. SOUTH POINT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 (12.5%), £6.50, Tesco. All the magical flair of a chalky wand conjuring a lime grove – superb value for money. ERRAZURIZ ACONCAGUA COSTA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 (13%), £11.99, Waitrose. Pure and charming – heaven with a broad bean, feta and mint salad. E BLOCK SPY VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 (13%), £12, M&S. With full-throttle tropical zing, this is lush, brilliant and a total crowd-pleaser. THE BEST POUILLY-FUME 2020 (13%), £13, Morrisons. Award-winning splendour like this on the high street is almost too good to believe. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Kids can eat for free at these restaurants during October half-term How to make the viral negroni sbagliato with prosecco at home 7 Halloween recipes with serious hex factor Popular in Food Gabriela Peacock 14-day plan Anytime baked eggs May 23, 2021 Joe Wicks’ maple-glazed chicken thighs with Asian slaw June 6, 2021 Mary Berry is returning to TV screens for a brand new June 15, 2021 Eleanor Maidment My summer taste notes July 4, 2021 Uyen Luu’ s sticky mustard marmalade ribs July 25, 2021 Annie Bell’ s white peach bellinis recipe August 8, 2021 M& S has launched a new crunchy Caramilk-inspired golden chocolate spread August 24, 2021 Deliciously preserved pickle and jam recipes September 19, 2021 Gordon Ramsay’ s bang bang cauliflower October 3, 2021 Wow right now Clodagh McKenna’ s speedy family dinners October 24, 2021 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved