5
Disabled travellers first Japanese restaurant visit
What a truly delightful Japanese restaurant, standing on the High Street of
Solihull, Birmingham.
Parking facilities are located in the touchwood shopping centre, with many disabled bays available, but it involves quite a walk to KIBOU, but nowhere else is close anyway. But good shopping experience as you walk towards the restaurant.
It looks appealing as you approach, colourful welcome colours, and it’s all on the level. Staff were very good, friendly, willing to support disabled, wheelchairs welcomed, and you will often find more than one chair with you.
The whole deco is attractive in pretty colours, very clean throughout, chairs are comfortable, and the food, “although different” is interesting, beautifully presented, and ample.
We selected the three course set menu, but first of all the important bit, the wines and cocktails. We selected the Italian “Amado Pinot Noir” red wine.
Slight brown and cherry red colour, but very thin. It had a licorice hint of dull fruits. But watery, peppery, very light fruit, and a light bodied poor wine 5.5
Our cocktail Hanabi, was mixed with Tequila, Lychee, lime, chilli and salt.
It was light and medium sweet, lime hints, dull, fizzy of course, and. Refreshing enough, but only worth 6 points.
Now the fun starts.
Our interesting starters looked very appealing, TAKOYAKI, round balls of fluffy hot spicy bites, with a tiny bit of Octupus in its heart. Different, soft in the mouth with a dull dough taste to them. 6 points
KABOCHA KOROKKE a squash croquette, crispy but no taste, hot sauce added flavour, very nice and would order again 7 points.
The toilets have been placed at the very far end of restaurant, easy enough for wheelchair to pass by table and chairs, but a pull push wooden door makes it a bit difficult to get into a long passage, which is narrow, with obstacles and you need to reach the far end. However, these are tiny. and no way will you get your chairs inside, but very clean.
Now for the main courses.
KATSU CHICKEN CURRY, it’s huge, plentiful, very crispy, well cooked chicken pieces, sticky tasteless rice which again was plentiful, and personally I enjoyed the Slaw, which had a good bean sprout taste to it, 6.5 points
KATSU PRAWN CURRY was really nice, good sized prawns in crispy batter, and went well with the curry provided. 6.5 points.
The plates were just to much for us, but we did our best, but sadly had to leave unfinished, because we have the important dessert to follow.
The service is just right, no rush, no waiter hovering, just sat and took it nice and steady, which gave time for the meal to settle before we tried the exciting thought of desserts ordered.
APPLE GYOZA is a dumpling filled with hopefully tiny bits of apple, but unfortunately we failed to taste any cinnamon. But they were ok, and a cheerful yellow vanilla ice cream went well with the dish 6,points
MOCHI ICE CREAM was not what expected, but a nice treat, of a strawberry and a coconut round ball, which were soft chewy bites and certainly not the ice cream went well expected, but again, interesting way to finish what we considered to be a very good experience, and will certainly try Japanese food again.
The restaurant is very popular, and by 12.45 most tabled had been taken, so please book in advance to get table or wheelchairs to be placed.
What a truly delightful Japanese restaurant, standing on the High Street of
Solihull, Birmingham.
Parking facilities are located in the touchwood shopping centre, with many disabled bays available, but it involves quite a walk to KIBOU, but nowhere else is close anyway. But good shopping experience as you walk towards the restaurant.
It looks appealing as you approach, colourful welcome colours, and it’s all on the level. Staff were very good, friendly, willing to support disabled, wheelchairs welcomed, and you will often find more than one chair with you.
The whole deco is attractive in pretty colours, very clean throughout, chairs are comfortable, and the food, “although different” is interesting, beautifully presented, and ample.
We selected the three course set menu, but first of all the important bit, the wines and cocktails. We selected the Italian “Amado Pinot Noir” red wine.
Slight brown and cherry red colour, but very thin. It had a licorice hint of dull fruits. But watery, peppery, very light fruit, and a light bodied poor wine 5.5
Our cocktail Hanabi, was mixed with Tequila, Lychee, lime, chilli and salt.
It was light and medium sweet, lime hints, dull, fizzy of course, and. Refreshing enough, but only worth 6 points.
Now the fun starts.
Our interesting starters looked very appealing, TAKOYAKI, round balls of fluffy hot spicy bites, with a tiny bit of Octupus in its heart. Different, soft in the mouth with a dull dough taste to them. 6 points
KABOCHA KOROKKE a squash croquette, crispy but no taste, hot sauce added flavour, very nice and would order again 7 points.
The toilets have been placed at the very far end of restaurant, easy enough for wheelchair to pass by table and chairs, but a pull push wooden door makes it a bit difficult to get into a long passage, which is narrow, with obstacles and you need to reach the far end. However, these are tiny. and no way will you get your chairs inside, but very clean.
Now for the main courses.
KATSU CHICKEN CURRY, it’s huge, plentiful, very crispy, well cooked chicken pieces, sticky tasteless rice which again was plentiful, and personally I enjoyed the Slaw, which had a good bean sprout taste to it, 6.5 points
KATSU PRAWN CURRY was really nice, good sized prawns in crispy batter, and went well with the curry provided. 6.5 points.
The plates were just to much for us, but we did our best, but sadly had to leave unfinished, because we have the important dessert to follow.
The service is just right, no rush, no waiter hovering, just sat and took it nice and steady, which gave time for the meal to settle before we tried the exciting thought of desserts ordered.
APPLE GYOZA is a dumpling filled with hopefully tiny bits of apple, but unfortunately we failed to taste any cinnamon. But they were ok, and a cheerful yellow vanilla ice cream went well with the dish 6,points
MOCHI ICE CREAM was not what expected, but a nice treat, of a strawberry and a coconut round ball, which were soft chewy bites and certainly not the ice cream went well expected, but again, interesting way to finish what we considered to be a very good experience, and will certainly try Japanese food again.
The restaurant is very popular, and by 12.45 most tabled had been taken, so please book in advance to get table or wheelchairs to be placed.
For additional detailed accessibility information, please contact: solihull@kibou.co.uk
