A Birmingham bar and restaurant which specialised in vegetarian and vegan dishes has said it has had to introduce meat to its menu.
Somewhere in Brum in St. Paul’s Square opened in 2023 as a vegetarian and vegan restaurant but the owner has admitted it was ‘a difficult process’.
The underground venue, which specialises in craft beer and Asian-inspired food, opened inside the former Anderson’s Bar & Grill steakhouse. Owner Guarav Chorari made a recent decision to add meat on the menu for the first time.
As well as running the underground bar, the restaurant was handled by Guarav’s company, Notty Bites Street Food. Aiming to give people a taste of authentic vegetarian and vegan Indian food, the menu was curated by Guarav himself, who is originally from Mumbai.
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From April until the end of November, Notty Bites Street Food had treated customers to dishes including samosa chaat and vegetarian curry bowls. But last month catering company Canoodle joined the kitchen and introduced meat to the menu.
Speaking to BirminghamLive about the decision, Guarav said: “It was a difficult process. Traditionally when people come out to eat, people look at a menu and choose what they want.
Somewhere in Brum owner Guarav Chorari
(Image: Robson McCallister/BirminghamLive)
“Serving vegetarian and vegan food, it became a case of having to convince people to try the food. We had a lot of great reviews by people who were surprised by what they tried. But the new change has brought in a lot of people who wouldn’t traditionally have visited. Our drink sales have gone up because we are now a bit more mainstream and a little bit less niche.”
Meat dishes from Canoodle include duck spring rolls and Malaysian beef rendang. There are still a number of vegetarian options including Thai curry and soya rice bowls.
Canoodle’s Chris Wiggin added: “It was a chance to change things up. Guarav had his regular clientele who would eat vegetarian food but would also get a lot of people coming in and asking for meat.
A shrine to nature at Somewhere in Brum
“When people realised it was a vegetarian menu, they would go off somewhere else. I was told that a lot of vegan customers would come for food but they weren’t big spenders on alcohol. They would have a meal and go whereas people are now staying in. Bar sales have gone up and hopefully it’s been a good relationship so far.”
Future plans for the Grade II-listed building includes a change in the lighting and an updated menu. Although Somewhere in Brum specialises in beer, Guarav wants the venue to further have a focus on cocktails.
He said: “I’m looking at seeing if we can enhance the customer experience this year and look at change the lighting and menu to become more cocktail-focused. There are a lot of pubs but only a handful of places that do good cocktails in the Jewellery Quarter.
“We have some of the best craft beers in Birmingham but the Jewellery Quarter lacks a good cocktail bar. There are pubs and restaurants but I can’t pinpoint a single venue apart from 40 St Paul’s that specialises in cocktails.”