Miss Saigon Summer Menu Launch

A week ago, I was lucky enough to be able to watch Miss Saigon and sample the summer menu at Birmingham's Hippodrome. It was a great night that really made me thankful to be a member of the Brum Bloggers and that I had created this blog in the first place. So enough of the mushiness, read on to find out the vegan options that are available at the Hippodrome. Please note that this was a taster of the menu, so the portions were smaller than they would actually be.

As we all arrived, we were greeted by an array of food. Luckily, they had catered for those with dietary requirements, which was Ting and I. And we had this platter to share. It contained Broccoli Tempura, a lettuce wrap that contained vermicelli, peppers and sweet chilli sauce and there was a shot of pea and mint soup. It was all really tasty and innovative. I would happily have them all again. I mean I love broccoli, I love wraps of all kinds and if it's green, I am there. But I seemed to be the only one. As I heard others looking at the soup in horror. I actually thought it was a green smoothie! Which is a great thing but I saw people give it a go and love it. Goes to show, green is always good!

Here is a blogger in her natural habitat aka me. Captured perfectly by the Queen of Brum Bloggers Ting.

Then we moved into the main dining area and all the bloggers were seated together over two tables. We were then served the taster of the starters. Mine of course was vegan. It was listed on the menu as being Act 1. On the menu for me was the White Bean Soup with Basil Pesto, Vietnamese Veggie Summer Roll and a Salad of Capers, Rocket and Mooli.

The White Bean Soup with Basil Pesto was creamy and tasted quite indulgent and I loved the basil pesto that was included in it. I could've had a few more.

This Vietnamese Veggie Summer Roll was really tasty. I liked how light it was and the sweet chilli sauce that it was served with. They complimented each other perfectly.

This was a tad boring but I liked the use of mooli and capers in the salad. Looking at everyone else's plates, I saw that this salad was accompanying meat. So I felt slightly disappointed that I was missing out. Vegan option problems!

Now onto Act 2, the mains. This was Lentil Curry with Rice and Tofu on a bed of pasta and bok choi. The Lentil Curry was really tasty and smelt and looked really good. But I question how this fits into Vietnamese cuisine. It seems like it was more Indian to me. However, it was tasty all the same, as well as being flavoursome and cooked to perfection. Maybe rivalling my mothers. Maybe.

The tofu was so crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfection! The bok choi was lovely too. However the pasta was a little soggy and again questionable how it fits into Vietnamese cuisine.

After we had Act 1 and 2, we were taken to see the show, which was a great production that was performed very well. But I didn't like the story-line. It annoyed me more than anything. However, at the intermission we were taken through to another room where our dessert was waiting for us. Ting and I got our own selection, which was a Mandarin Cake that was served with slices of mandarin and Matcha Green Tea Panna Cotta with Kalamsi and Sesame Tuille. The cake was a little dry but nice with the slices of mandarins. And the panna cotta was lovely. We didn't have long until intermission was over and we escorted back to the show. It was nice the way that the meals are planned out but not the best idea when you're a slow eater like me.

Overall, it was a lovely night with a bunch of the Brum Bloggers. I enjoyed the experience but the vegan options weren't as innovative as they could be and they did feel like a slight afterthought. However, if you are going to a show and want to eat there then it is worth it for the experience and hospitality. Especially if it is a special occasion, as it does feel like a treat.

Many thanks to Ting and Laura for organising it and to the lovely folks at Birmingham's Hippodrome for their hospitality.

*This experience was complimentary in exchange for this review but my opinions are my own. Because no one would pay for that.**