#loco lounge

Our first dedicated music event is fast approaching and we couldn’t be more excited! Monday 17th we had Arwen pop in for sound check and she sounded amazing but our microphone is a little dubious.

There a number of upcoming events (all in aid of Anawim) taking place at Loco. The first is an ongoing event in the form of a donation space, where you (our lovely loungers!) can donate feminine hygiene products, deodorants, nappies, baby wipes and plain, unbranded clothing which will all be sent weekly to Anawim to help them help the local ladies who need it most.

Following this we are going to have BINGO with Bryoni (our lovely supervisor) right here in the lounge, which we’re tempted to call Bryngo! £1 to play and all proceeds go to Anawim. The first prize is breakfast, coffee and OJ for two on a day of the winner’s choosing.

Then we have our SwapShop in which you can come along and trade old clothes for old clothes, or buy something if it tickles your fancy, and all clothes accumulated will be cleaned and sent to... you guessed it... Anawim.

ALSO! And not for charity, but still a great event, we will have live music on May 4th at 19:30pm. Come along and listen to the cool vocal stylings of local singer/songwriter Arwen playing the first of many monthly evenings of live music.

   Sometimes walking past a cafe can be a temptation too far. I like the coffee tick, free wi Fi (I can do some blog work) tick, hungry, tick. Look in the door, quiet, tick.

Hey ho. 

The humble wrap can be as dull as ditchwater or be as bright and cheerful as sunny Autumn day. A lot of this is dependent on ingredients or the freshness of the bread. In all honesty I was expecting the former,…

#VeggieBurgerWatch: Loco Lounge, Kings Heath

The Loco Lounge is a French inspired cafe bar in Kings Heath South Birmingham, and is part of the Lounges group of cafe’s. As well as the Kings Heath bar they have one in Harborne and one in Shirley in Solihull.

As a neighbourhood cafe bar, it showers you with quirky cosiness and is open all day from breakfast, brunch to evening lounging and cocktails. Its a cool place and is popular in Kings…

Greeted by a home made complimentary infusion of berry juice served in upcycled glassware, Loco Lounge, 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, serves delicious food in fun and flamboyant surroundings.  Loco doesn't just cater to just the omnivorous. The owners Tom (a qualified dietician and former representative and senior manager of the UN children's fund across 3 continents) and Deborah (his loving charismatic wife, partner and head chef) in fact loves a bit of a challenge. They pour their hearts and souls into their creations focusing on creating healthy, fresh ensembles using seasonal and organic ingredients. While most restaurateurs head for the hills when they hear the word 'vegan', Debbie seemed thrilled at the prospect of pottering around the kitchen and coming up with some new and exciting dishes for us. 

Only to happy to accommodate dietary requirements, you may walk away leaving a signatory meal on the menu.The staff are incredibly friendly, entertaining and there is a definite team spirit about the place. Service is fast and efficient. We were delighted to find they offer a dog friendly space outside. (It was in fact walking my pup that I found Loco in the first place).

                           (This young gentleman and his pups know to pause at the door daily for a quick treat which the staff readily provide passers by)

The potted garden is tranquil and inviting with its fire red, black and white theme.

                        It's reassuring that even in such a small space Loco Lounge makes an effort to grow some of their own produce.

We have visited several times since discovering this magical, accommodating haven, a mere 10 to 15 minute walk away from home. There hasn't been a single visit where we ordered off the menu. With breakfast served all day, on numerous occasions we have delighted in the 'Bianca' (who wouldn't like a dish named after them?). Created especially for us, this is officially my favorite breakfast. Trumping all previous breakfasts, vegan or non until now. It also makes for a delicious lunch option. After devouring the first servings, we ended up ordering a third portion to share.

Scrumdidiliumptious as the BFG would say. The mushrooms are cooked to perfection, the tomatoes neither under or over cooked, and the avo accompaniment brings all the flavours together. The crispy bread roll was made on site and from scratch. Its perfect and consistent flavours amalgamating for a divine foodie fun experience. 

On our second visit we opted for dinner, letting Debbie know we'd be coming in advance. (Sadly I lost the photo's from this adventure). Specialising in tapas as they do, Debbie created a 4 course tapas menu just for us. We felt honoured.

                     For our first course, we delighted in the bruchetta topped with lime and chilli infused tofu with avo foam, topped with portobello mushrooms, and a home made tomato and chilli sauce on the side. For the next round we were presented with aubergine on a bed of spinach and burnt garlic, drizzled in  peanut oil, tamerin and a red thai curry sauce. We were then presented with rice paper veggie spring rolls, unfortunately this was not my favorite, and I found it rather bland by comparison to the two earlier morsels of heaven (but hey, when experimenting one cannot expect to win them all), and for dessert we were served a sorbet although I would have personally preferred a strawberry|banana ice cream (http://zavegan.tumblr.com/post/68913449779/strawberry-ice-cream-made-in-less-than-5-minutes) or something along those lines. 

Loco Lounge is now open, not only during the day, but every night of the week from Tuesday to Sunday. Thanks Tom and Debbie. We love your space, your concept and your and will just keep coming back for more. Follow Loco Lounge to see the exciting events they host from time to time (They are hosting a Korean evening on the 14th of December for example) or get in touch with Loco Lounge for a booking here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loco-Lounge/164977113652591 

@jadaface101 performing at @Locoloungeessex with our friends @LydiaLucy  @LukeyboyTR #Loco1stBirthday this Wednesday!