Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022

The IgersbirminghamUK team were invited to view Orelle, the newly opened restaurant situated on the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row. Three of the Igers team, Lena, John and myself arrived at the Orelle Cafe on the ground floor where we received a warm welcome from the staff and then we took the lift up to the 24th Floor. Once again we were greeted warmly by the staff working in the Restaurant. This week, the restaurant was undergoing a soft start and the official opening was still to take place on the Friday. We were shown to the private dining room and served a glass of champagne. We had the room to ourselves and we duly obliged by taking lots of photographs. The sun was setting over the city and whilst the sunset was not a spectacular one it still threw up some lovely colours.

Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
View from the private dining room
Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
Sipping Champagne as the sun sets
Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
Urban view of Birmingham and the rotunda

Having exhausted all the possible photographic opportunities we could think of in the private dining room, we moved into the main restaurant area. There are several aspects to Orelle’s that set it apart from other similar places I have visited. First the views are spectacular and the sunset followed by the blue hour made the surrounding landscape stand out. Second the restaurant is well designed and the ambiance and design is very easy on the eyes. Finally the staff are so pleasant and enthusiastic. They are proud of the place. This showed in their willingness to chat about the restaurant and discuss what it was like working there. I talked with Bart, one of the waiters, who described the menu options. They sounded delicious. I wish Orelle restaurant every success and hopefully I will return for an evening dinner along with another sunset.

Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
A view through a glass
Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
Bart was an enthusiastic waiter who typified the friendliness of the staff.
Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
Views from your table
Orelle restaurant, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham, 2022
Atmospheric setting

Please visit my blog on 103 Colmore Row during the Key to the City Brum Festival


Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022

A return visit to Kos and more pictures of the beautiful seaside village of Kardamena. An idyllic spot and a perfect base for the rest of the island. The long straight harbour front with the tropical trees adds character to the place and there are some delightful places to eat out and watch the world go by. Food is a must in Kardamena.

Thomas’s Meze is a favourite restaurant of ours and I enjoyed the traditional Greek foods that were served. The sea bass was particularly tasty and the bones were expertly removed by our waiter. The pictures show the before and after result. Other favourites included home made Moussaka and Feta Filo.consisting of feta folding in pastry, sprinkled with sesame seeds. The local honey that is poured over the pastry comes from those bees that I saw in the mountains. It was also a chance for me to become re-acquainted with Retsina. The taste of this Greek resinated wine is not to everybody’s liking with some people spitting it out as soon as they taste it! For me it is a refreshing taste and goes well with fish and other Mediterranean foods.

Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Spot the bottle of Retsina.

We also dined at the restaurant, Avli, which is based in one of the oldest houses in Kardamena. The restaurant is in an old courtyard which is cool and adds a local greek atmosphere to the proceedings. My choices here were the home made stuffed vine leaves to start with followed by the catch of the day which was red snapper. Both were delicious and prepared well.

Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Vine leaves starter at Avli restaurant.
Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Entrance way to Avli restaurant.

Breakfast was taken at the Harbour lounge on the sea front where you could watch the yachts and the various ships such as the Pirate ship leave for a tour of the islands. The owners prepare a sumptuous breakfast which can either be English or Greek depending on your tastes.

Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Greek breakfast at the Harbour Lounge.
Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Watching the sails from the Harbour Lounge.

Coming back from Kos Town on our final evening, we had our last meal at Chris snack and cocktail bar. A friendly family run restaurant where we had some simple but tasty home cooked food. The seating is on several tiers and we sat close to the sea, enjoying the sight of local children catching a crab and watching the pirate ship come home for the evening.

Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
The pirate ship on its way home to Kardamena.

Eating out in the town was excellent and was a welcome break from the all-inclusive food at our hotel, which was fine but unadventurous. After breakfast or evening meal, then it was only natural that we wandered along the streets of Kardamena. There was a chance to see the shops, view the boats in the harbour or see the antics of the local cat population. Here are a selection of photographs out and about Kardamena during the day.

Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
View of the islands south of Kardamena.
Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Villagers in the setting sunlight.
Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
Villagers and the tourists.
Kardamena, Kos, Greece.July 2022
The central building.

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My last post on Kardamena was back in 2020 and is fun to compare to this one.